My First Sale and Some Musings on Art for Money

Having taken the plunge in October to show my pictures, I have now endured one show without a sale. Happily I jumped into the next one - Christmas Artisans Market - and, I was so excited to hear one painting sold last week!

My Frosted II painting (smaller than Frosted I) sold last week and is on its way to Penticton.

Many of my hand-painted cards have also sold - especially the bicycle ones:

 and my quail ones:

So, you might ask, is this now about the money and not so much about the art? A sale ripples through our little pod of artists like nothing else. We support, critique and promote each others paintings with little held back and - hoping this is true for all - we also celebrate each others' successes. That is much easier when I attribute all the good and bad points of my own paintings to my creative ego - Imp (see previous blog) - and shoo away the accolades from my own easily-bruised one!! Still, the question about this being about the money does come up often in our little community. Some artists claim that they aren't doing it for the money - and, that is true for us. However, we sell our paintings for many reasons so the money does play into it.

1. Cost - beyond the hours of painting there are costs that many in the public would not figure in. Paint can run up to $20/tube; paper to $20/sheet. There are finishing products that also add up over time and consignment fees at the galleries showing your work.
2. Framing - not cheap! Period!
3. Market - it is difficult to read the market and still let your creativity run loose. Once you have invested the time and money into the materials. it is a certainty that not all pieces will sell - ever! So, spreading the costs over the few that do sell is the trick. To boil that down, a card priced at $5 is barely recouping the cost of production plus the inevitable non-sales that end up in the bottom of your painting box.
4. More market - letting the market dictate your creation is a downer. Every artist needs to find that balance - create freely but create with the idea of the market you will be selling within (sometimes). The expanded online interconnection is an artist's dream come true! The market is only limited by the time and expertise to project your images out there. So, those pieces that might appeal to an urban dweller with eclectic tastes can be reached even if your local gallery is frequented by potential clients looking for more realism or just a souvenir to take home from their vacation.
5. Storage - after awhile, I am told (as I have not arrived at this particular place!) - becomes a problem, We all have limitations to how much art can reside in our home studio or even in an offsite studio. Eventually something has to give - and if your family and friends are getting sick of your "giving", selling does make more sense.

So, is it about the money? No - and yes. You decide. Me? Well, I am going to slide my desk chair two feet to the right and get back to creating my new painting - a surrealistic forest that is definitely driven by Imp with little consideration for money - yet. See, it is a mystery like the 'chicken and the egg' - but, either way - worth the fun!

So, get out there, find your creative ego 

where ever she or he is hiding and get creating!! 

It can't hurt and it just might fill you with JOY!