Reading Brock's post and seeing more of Lee Brady's phenomenal work brings questions to mind:
Oh to get to that $2000 per piece place where one does not have to kick out easily made - low time investment production work to feed the raging arts fire in the belly!
It's such a balancing act to keep life working and flowing smoothly so there's green coming in the door. Enough income to allow for artistic leaps forward in technique and materials. Sufficient payment to support bouts of "real" making and thinking time.
How does everyone do this for themselves - keep balance in your daily life and continue to move forward, growing artistically? Hopefully growing to that place where your work is taken seriously enough to command a $2000 price?
Good for Lee......it's wonderful to see him in this place. He and the work are very deserving.
How do you do it?
Moderators: Brad Walker, Tony Smith
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Gale aka artistefem
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Lynne Chappell
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- Location: Surrey B.C. Canada
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I think it works best to keep some space between your creative, experimental work and the work that pays the bills. At least until you can command the kind of prices where it isn't an issue. I started out with a stained glass "hobby" that quickly became a business. After some years at this, it really wasn't fun anymore and only a very few contracts stimulated the creative juices. However, commissioned stained glass and sandblasted windows pay a decent living wage. We've been doing this for almost 30 years now. When I started throwing glass in the kiln a few years ago, I was determined not to let this become just another part of the business. So far I've managed to keep this something I do because I want to. I've taken a few custom orders but really try to avoid that, and I do a small amount of "production" work because some small galleries need lower priced items for turnover and aren't too keen to take just the slower moving higher priced items. And of course none of my pieces are fetching $2000.
I think it would be really difficult for me to maintain the creative energy for warmglass if there was daily "work" to be done in the kiln.
I think it would be really difficult for me to maintain the creative energy for warmglass if there was daily "work" to be done in the kiln.
Gale- I think it's a matter of evolution- you keep doing your bread and jam work and it takes less and less of your thought time, so you start thinking "what if I did this....?" and you take some time to do it. Try to dedicate one day a week to experiments. Or take a sabbatical from production work- a long weekend, a week, month, whatever, and get your notebooks out and go through them. Those $2K pieces don't just appear, even though- after they're done- they seemed to.
I just got Milon Townsend's book and found it remarkably apt and concise.
Lots of good advice on everything from packing to creativity.
Making and Marketing Better Artwork, http://www.thebluemoonpress.com.
Marty
I just got Milon Townsend's book and found it remarkably apt and concise.
Lots of good advice on everything from packing to creativity.
Making and Marketing Better Artwork, http://www.thebluemoonpress.com.
Marty
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Bob
- Posts: 215
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- Location: Salt Spring Island, British Columbia
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Hi Gale,
The $2000 is somewhat misleading. But a bit of background first. Lee is an amazing artist living in Saskatchewan. He has in the past exhibited in galleries in Calgary, and when I started fusing I used to go look at his work, study it and wonder in awe in the details of his design and finishing. Since then I have had the pleasure of meeting Lee and he is not only an excellent artist but also a very fine individual. He exudes grace and serenity and I have always felt relaxed after talking with him.
Now back to the $2000... it is $Can. Sorry for the fiscal friviolity. He told me that one piece of his took 3 weeks to make. From the variety of unique shapes I would suspect that he spends a lot of time on each piece. On a "time" basis these pieces are fairly priced.
Cheers,
Bob
The $2000 is somewhat misleading. But a bit of background first. Lee is an amazing artist living in Saskatchewan. He has in the past exhibited in galleries in Calgary, and when I started fusing I used to go look at his work, study it and wonder in awe in the details of his design and finishing. Since then I have had the pleasure of meeting Lee and he is not only an excellent artist but also a very fine individual. He exudes grace and serenity and I have always felt relaxed after talking with him.
Now back to the $2000... it is $Can. Sorry for the fiscal friviolity. He told me that one piece of his took 3 weeks to make. From the variety of unique shapes I would suspect that he spends a lot of time on each piece. On a "time" basis these pieces are fairly priced.
Cheers,
Bob
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Gale aka artistefem
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The seperation of paying work and pieces for my soul is exactly what I have to do. At this point in my artistic development the two areas are very different visual and content animals. It's hard to mix and make a cohesive showing of the two.
I'm fortunate to have the time and adequate $$ to be able to persue both areas, but this is a sticky area for many artists who work or desire to full-time at their art. It's very easy to get caught in that place where all the work you make is done to pay your overhead and living expenses. This rarely leaves time or energy to develop artistically.
For sanity, I have to make time to play and experiment because without this I would remain static with no growth. Growth is fundamental to my balance. Hopefully, the two areas of my production work and fine craft art will grow toward each other and eventually find a meeting place somewhere in the middle. A place that allows me to concentrate on a more single minded development. This is a good goal - LOL!
Marty, my websites - two of them - one primarily for the production work and one for the art pieces are used as points of referral. No sales occur on these websites.
You are in direct competition with your galleries if you sell from your website - especially if the work you post is the same or similar. I would rather let the galleries do the work they are paid to do for their 50% commissions, referring clients who visit my websites to the galleries for any sales transactions.
If you're marketing a whole other line of work that bears no resemblance to what your galleries offer, then maybe a website sales presence is ok. However, if you find your web sales to be stronger than your gallery sales then maybe it's time to re-evaluate your ultimate goals. Are you primarily sales-driven or looking for acknowledgement from your peer group and a place in the art history books.
Marty you seem to have achieved a good balance of both.
Right now in this economic climate - it's a hard call to know what to do. Art sales are slow all over the place. Buyers are more cautious and people seem to be turning to the internet to find bargins. Ebay is a very popular sport these days.
Right now, the internet culture is still a youngster with uncharted potential. Who knows in 5 or 10 years where art sales will take place. This market area is definitely changing.
I do think there will always be people who want to hold that piece of artwork in their hands before they purchase and with this in mind, it's a good idea to take care of your gallery relationships where this "holding" event can take place.
Just thoughts from a two hat wearer - artist and gallery owner.
I'm fortunate to have the time and adequate $$ to be able to persue both areas, but this is a sticky area for many artists who work or desire to full-time at their art. It's very easy to get caught in that place where all the work you make is done to pay your overhead and living expenses. This rarely leaves time or energy to develop artistically.
For sanity, I have to make time to play and experiment because without this I would remain static with no growth. Growth is fundamental to my balance. Hopefully, the two areas of my production work and fine craft art will grow toward each other and eventually find a meeting place somewhere in the middle. A place that allows me to concentrate on a more single minded development. This is a good goal - LOL!
Marty, my websites - two of them - one primarily for the production work and one for the art pieces are used as points of referral. No sales occur on these websites.
You are in direct competition with your galleries if you sell from your website - especially if the work you post is the same or similar. I would rather let the galleries do the work they are paid to do for their 50% commissions, referring clients who visit my websites to the galleries for any sales transactions.
If you're marketing a whole other line of work that bears no resemblance to what your galleries offer, then maybe a website sales presence is ok. However, if you find your web sales to be stronger than your gallery sales then maybe it's time to re-evaluate your ultimate goals. Are you primarily sales-driven or looking for acknowledgement from your peer group and a place in the art history books.
Marty you seem to have achieved a good balance of both.
Right now in this economic climate - it's a hard call to know what to do. Art sales are slow all over the place. Buyers are more cautious and people seem to be turning to the internet to find bargins. Ebay is a very popular sport these days.
Right now, the internet culture is still a youngster with uncharted potential. Who knows in 5 or 10 years where art sales will take place. This market area is definitely changing.
I do think there will always be people who want to hold that piece of artwork in their hands before they purchase and with this in mind, it's a good idea to take care of your gallery relationships where this "holding" event can take place.
Just thoughts from a two hat wearer - artist and gallery owner.
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Gale aka artistefem
- Posts: 184
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ellen abbott
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Our bread and butter is the architectural work (carved and etched). My big joke is that we make our money on the etched glass and we throw it away on the pate de verre.
I started out working on the pate de verre as time allowed which wasn't much. Then I devoted Fridays to it. I loved Fridays. Then my Fridays expanded to Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays. Now I work on it whenever time allows or even if it doesn't. If I have a mold ready and an empty kiln, I will take the time from the commission work to fill it no matter what day it is.
Since our commission work is all about satisfying others (which gives me satisfaction as well), the pate de verre is just for us. We only make what we want. No special orders. We do have a line of limited production pieces. 10 - 25 of each design is more than enough for me. Then the design gets retired. We are about to retire two designs. The Grape and Trumpet Flower bowls.
Unfotunately, as much as I would like to command 'real' prices for our PdV, I'm not too optimistic in that regard. I'm not a marketing genius and besides it takes so much time and money. Time away from making the stuff. But I do what I can to get noticed and I haven't given up hope. I have our web site which is a good first step. I plan to start a postcard campaign directing galleries to the web site.
E
I started out working on the pate de verre as time allowed which wasn't much. Then I devoted Fridays to it. I loved Fridays. Then my Fridays expanded to Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays. Now I work on it whenever time allows or even if it doesn't. If I have a mold ready and an empty kiln, I will take the time from the commission work to fill it no matter what day it is.
Since our commission work is all about satisfying others (which gives me satisfaction as well), the pate de verre is just for us. We only make what we want. No special orders. We do have a line of limited production pieces. 10 - 25 of each design is more than enough for me. Then the design gets retired. We are about to retire two designs. The Grape and Trumpet Flower bowls.
Unfotunately, as much as I would like to command 'real' prices for our PdV, I'm not too optimistic in that regard. I'm not a marketing genius and besides it takes so much time and money. Time away from making the stuff. But I do what I can to get noticed and I haven't given up hope. I have our web site which is a good first step. I plan to start a postcard campaign directing galleries to the web site.
E
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Alice DeGraff
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Thank you so much for bringing this subject up. I too have the problem of doing special orders. I get them then I hate myself for accepting .
I love to walk into my studio with no demands on the mind. I love to play, I love to create. After reading the posts I think I have accepted my last "can you do it this way instead of that way order". Thanks to everyone that posted their views on this. My heart is much lighter now!
Alice De
I love to walk into my studio with no demands on the mind. I love to play, I love to create. After reading the posts I think I have accepted my last "can you do it this way instead of that way order". Thanks to everyone that posted their views on this. My heart is much lighter now!
Alice De
Having been a tax accountant in a previous life, anything I do in that keeps me in the studio and making money making art stuff is a blessing. I don't philosophize about it too much beyond that point. I'd rather make ten thousand glass magnets every month to pay the bills than ten thousand tax returns. By the way, the peace pins and magnets (as well as the peace quotes) are selling like hotcakes. Very gratifying since peace happens to be one of my favorite subjects. The work itself would probably be considered trivial, the message timely and often controversial .... curious combination. But it works. Sometimes I think the greatest test of creativity is in the business aspect, not the art itself.