Oil Painting

Over the last 7 years of being an artist, I’ve heard and said many comments, concerns and judgments around the subject of marketing. Some of which include: “I just want to paint”, “if the work is good, it will speak for itself”, “I’m not a salesman”, “he or she is only successful because they’re good at marketing”, “I don’t know how to Market my work”, “I’m embarrassed to Market my work”, “I don’t have time for marketing”, “that’s why I have galleries and why I enter shows”, etc. I have identified at one point in time with all of those statements; however, over the years I’ve slowly discovered that I disagree with them.
Too many artists confuse marketing with advertising and, in my opinion, it’s not the same as advertising at all. Sure we are trying to sell paintings, but I think marketing can be about showing the world who we are and why we do what we do. The “artist” is very much a part of what the collector is buying just as much as the artwork. Marketing is purely about creating value and connection, there should be no shame in that. My primary concern is what can I create that will bring value to someone else and how can I get that to them or find those who desire this value and connection.

The challenges surrounding marketing in art seem like a new concept, but are they really? As I’ve read through various art history books, I’ve found that this really is nothing new and that artists have been doing it for a long time. Once I saw that truth, that historical artists that I admire were successful at marketing, it made me question my own assumptions.
For example, Albert Bierstadt was known to charge admission for a theatrical revealing of new paintings. He, like Frederic Church, would include artifacts, plant life, and even (although politically incorrect now) hired Native Americans to be at the showing. What a way to draw attention to your work! Bierstadt also travelled with a celebrated writer, Fitz Ludlow, who later published a book about their adventures. He was also successful at cultivating his own important patrons and promoting his work.
Thomas Moran was a self-proclaimed romantic but a shrewd businessman keenly attuned to the market. Moran said that he secured 100 commission contracts before even traveling to the Grand Canyon. Like Bierstadt, he too would arrange press releases and showings of his work in venues that would garner the most prominence and prestige.

A completely different artist, James McNeill Whistler, would notoriously throw himself into the public eye. He wrote the local press often about his work and would combat with critics, keeping his work in the news longer. He hosted collector’s brunches where he would entertain his patrons hoping to secure future sales and commissions. He would even write his own memoir, The Gentle art of Making Enemies, and another with his thoughts about art, Ten O’clock. Whistler might be seen as one of the first artists to brand themselves by using a butterfly as his signature.
Obviously we can go on and on with examples all the way back to Michelangelo, who notoriously added his name (branding!) to the Pieta when the crowds gave credit to another sculptor, assuring his future commissions. The point is that all of these artists adapted to the ways of their time and put themselves out there by both self-promoting and aligning with others to promote their work. These tidbit examples are a small but crucial part of their artistic lives. The quality of their work did not suffer because they promoted themselves and in fact one could say because they promoted themselves they afforded the opportunity to create and leave quality work behind for the rest of us. I believe that if marketing was imperative back then, it should be even more so today with a highly saturated art market.
I challenge artists to question their beliefs and fears around marketing. What is holding you back? What judgments do you have and are they serving you? If you were to put yourself out there what kind of rewards might you see? Who might you bring value to? Can you shift the way you look at marketing? Who are you afraid of offending?

In whatever way you decide to move forward in your art career I hope that this article will bring an awareness that marketing has always been a much needed skill for any artist who wants to continue successfully creating and that your marketing can be meaningful, if that’s of importance to you. For me, I have experienced far more reward by sharing my work in the social sphere. By marketing in a meaningful way, my way, I am effectively building relationships and inspiring students and collectors daily. Marketing allows me to sell more paintings which in turn provides me with the opportunity to keep painting full time and investing back into my business.
There are so many ways that you can get started marketing today. You can do it by email, in person, in magazines, and various print and social media, to name a few. First, I encourage you to get to the bottom of why you’re not marketing and then think about how you can start marketing. If you don’t know how to do something, well there’s a book, a blog, a video, an online course, a coach, or someone you can hire for that. Your subsequent artistic career depends on it so get started today!

While the benefits are expansive, Plein Air Events take a tremendous amount of time, volunteers, and community support. This is just a brief list of things to consider in order to develop a successful, ongoing event. They are meant to be general guidelines to provide foresight into the endeavor. These are not set in stone and there are many creative ways to develop various aspects of the event.
To start, here are a few questions you should think about that will help you through the process of establishing an event:
 
 
Who is/should be involved?
Art Guild/ Organization, Public Art Committee, Chamber of Commerce, BID, Downtown Organization, City Manager, Private Business, Events Organization, Other. It can often be advantageous to combine more than one organization to support an event.
Why do you want to develop a Plein Air Event?
Fundraiser, Community Awareness, Promote the Arts, Tourism, Education, Other
What is your Mission Statement?
Your mission statement may be as simple as your ‘Why?’ statement, but becomes more expansive when more than one organization is involved.
Can you develop significant community interest
in the form of volunteers and art buyers?
This is the most significant question of all, and one to consider very seriously.
Next, determine the desired benefits and realistically review the requirements.
BENEFITS

• Once established (2-3 years) they can become a significant source of funds
• They can bring unique cross sections of a community together
• They create goodwill within the community
• They support and encourage tourism
• They support local businesses including hotels, restaurants, and retailers
• They can provide a source of education about local history, art, community
• They can raise awareness about local events, history, persons of interest
• They can be used to raise awareness about targeted issues
• They can provide State/National Recognition

REQUIREMENTS

Think of a Plein Air Event as a three-legged stool. Those legs consist of Artists, Buyers and Organizers. If any of the legs are missing, the stool falls over. They play off each other. Quality Artists encourage Buyers. A well-organized event attracts Artists and Buyers. Buyers support the Organizers’ mission and attract Artist.
Artists
Target: 25-50 Qualified Artists
Community Support
Buyers, Volunteers and Sponsorships (Absolutely Key to continued success)
Commitment
It may require 3-5 years to create a profitable, well established event. Plan for that.
Event Committee
4-6 members willing to meet frequently, optimally beginning one year prior to the event.
Volunteers
Minimum of 12 Volunteers plus one volunteer for every 4 artists greater than 30
Volunteers qualified to:

• Create the prospectus
• Advertise
• Create Marketing Material
• Promote the Event
• Distribute Materials
• Develop a Website, Facebook, Instagram & Blogs
• Solicit Volunteer
• Manage Volunteers
• Continually Communicate with Artists
• Find Venues
• Organize social gatherings
• Accounting
• Solicit Contributions
• Create Artist Information Packets
• Create and Maintain Events Calendar
• Choose a Judges
• Find Housing for Artists and Judges
• Photography – During Event, Awards Ceremony
• Develop a Corporate Sponsorship Program

Display Space
Optimally 3+ feet of wall space per artist
This works backwards – Display Space/3 = # artists
Space should be evenly and well lit
Finally, consider the sources and uses of funds. Financial planning is a key element.
Sources of Funds

• $20-50 per artist
• 20-40% Commission per sold painting
• Community and Business Sponsorships
• Donations
• Painting Suppliers’ Sponsorships
• Private Sponsorships
• Grants
• Purchase Awards

Uses of Funds
Minimum $2,000 – $5,000 Advertising & Marketing Budget:

• Cash Prizes
• Venue
• Paid Service (if qualified volunteers are not available)
• Social Event Food & Drink
• Artist Packages

There are so many variations in the events available today. It is important to talk to organizers and artists alike to fully understand the nuances and determine what may, or may not, work for your particular situation.
Thank you for considering hosting a plein air event. They are fun, exciting, engaging and they are a great way to bring art and community together. The benefits are well worth the effort.

From birth to his final days, William Whitaker lived and breathed art. His art and his imprint in the art world will live on for generations into the future. The OPA Master painter was born into a family of artists and musicians. His life could have gone in a very different direction because his father repeatedly told him to “get out of art,’ but thankfully it’s advice he didn’t heed. As a result, Whitaker became the modern-day master who continues to inspire multitudes of artists and collectors world-wide.

The articulate and humorous artist got his start as a child. He learned to draw from his uncle who was one of the top cartoonists at Disney. In an OPA interview with Whitaker in 2016, he said his uncle “was very talented, but he didn’t love what he was doing and eventually quit creating art.” During that interview Whitaker gave great advice that will continue his art legacy. “Follow your feelings,” he added. “You need to really like to do this. You have to have something to say.” Whitaker said we should think of ‘art talent’ as ‘art talentS’. “We all have strengths and weaknesses. Of course painting abilities are all well and good and are expected, but there are other very useful talents. Some of us are good at self-promotion. Some have writing skills. Some are good at public speaking and might have useful musical skills that can get them noticed. Some are excellent teachers with communication skills. Some can run a business and know how to get a good discount on art supplies, he chuckled. Some are organized and can make a good business plan and follow it. There is a talent for managing works of art and recording and filing. Being able to type fast and accurately is very useful. Some are good at research. Some are good at making things, including frames or shipping crates.” Whitaker graduated from the University of Utah, where he studied with portrait artist, Alvin Gittins. In the mid-60’s he lived in Los Angeles where he was art director for Capitol Records until he was recruited to create the now prestigious Illustration Department at Brigham Young University. In recent years he had retired to paint in his private studio.

Whitaker always emphasized the work involved in a successful art career. “What I think takes us all by surprise is how much time it takes each day to manage an art career. Such seemingly little things such as recording, photographing, framing and varnishing take a surprising amount of time.” Putting a painting in a show or gallery before it is time is one of the biggest mistakes artists can make, Whitaker asserted. “It is not a good thing to have a flawed painting hanging in a show. Ideally it would be best to keep everything for a least a year before showing it. That would allow the scales to fall from your eyes so you could see your own work clearly and get rid of the bad ones. Also, it would mean that a work could thoroughly cure before it was varnished. Nobody gets up in the morning and says, “I think I’ll do a mediocre painting today.” They just happen. As our eyes and brains become tired, we lose the ability to judge our own works, but put the painting away for a couple of weeks or a month and when we see it again it’s like it was done by somebody else and we can see it clearly for what it is.” A related problem, he added, is not saving your best work for the best shows or exhibits. “Nothing is as bad as selling your very best work and having nobody but the buyer see it.”

After many years of selling through a local fine art gallery, sudden reality hit hard. The gallery closed its doors and cancer took the owner’s life. She had promoted my work and referred many clients for commission projects. Together we held private showings and sale events in my home studio, sharing expenses and profits. We sold a lot of my paintings over ten years. Efforts to establish new relationships with brick and mortar galleries were disappointing.
I started to explore on-line venues with limited success. Many of these sites charged fees whether my work sold or not. Also, not much artistic quality control going on. Anyone could put up their artwork on the sites. By 2015 I was still exhibiting in one gallery, rotating new paintings in every year. The problem; disappointing sales. Frustration level was high when my technical support department (husband Ray), said one day, “Suzanne, I found an online venue called UGallery, but you have to be juried in. They don’t accept every artist. You must submit high-quality images of your paintings”. I replied, “Oh, you mean like Oil Painters of America? Great!” Ray warned, “You have to jump through some hoops, submit four images of each piece, dimensions, weight, and a bit about your inspiration”. I almost shouted “Better and better. Let’s get started”.
To begin, I submitted five original oil paintings for review by UGallery’s jurying committee. They accepted those first five and I was off to a good start. Beginning in 2015 UGallery has sold my oil paintings on a regular basis.
What I love about UGallery is their energetic marketing approach. The staff manages a newsletter, curates special collections, and are scheduling pop-up art shows around the country. Shipping, handling, and payment are fine tuned. I know Madeline, Margaretta, Samantha, Alex, and Marie mostly through email contacts. This creative staff regularly promotes their artists. As an example, last December I received an inquiry from UGallery. Would I be interested in being interviewed by the New York Times? Well Yes!
Amy Zipkin, a contributing journalist of the New York Times interviewed me by phone and then, bless her, contacted me quite a few times to fact check and nail down details. The Times even sent a photographer out to my studio to get some shots of the artist on site. The article was published February 11th this year in the New York Times Business Day section. Of course, that Sunday was one of our legendary snow storms we are blessed with in northern Illinois winters. We couldn’t get out of our driveway to buy a hard copy, even if the local Speedy Mart had carried the Times. Thank goodness for the online publication. Here’s a link to the story:

 

This is an exciting time!

It seems like more people are spending money again. There are more artists than ever doing really fine work. There are more people studying painting than ever before. There are more competitions, associations, seminars, etc than ever. Clearly the internet and social media have made it possible to see more art and informational posts than ever before. And there’s a huge range of educational options, from workshops to longer-term programs or classes to universities, ateliers, art schools etc. Of course nothing beats seeing art in person so there will always be galleries, museums, studio visits and private collections. In terms of sales, good salespeople and other ‘connectors’ will always be worth their weight in gold as they somehow help unite artists with patrons.
So as artists we have unprecedented opportunities but can sometimes feel lost in a sea of choices with thousands of other talented artists. While we each have our strengths, we are impressed and sometimes a bit intimidated when we see other people doing amazing things. It seems that the best way forward is to take a look at what excites us the most and determine how to keep on that path, always working on building our skills as artists and communicators with the rest of the world.
To borrow from the popular TV commercial, thank you Captain Obvious. Like everything with art (and life) it’s just way more complex than simple observations can sum up. Some of us need to provide for our families and so are tempted to continue doing what has put food on the table, and are hesitant to break out in a new direction. Some of us feel great about our work but struggle to reach a broader audience. Some of us have to carve out time to work because we have non-art jobs or responsibilities. Some of us feel that no matter how hard we work we can never get close to the work being done by giants of the past and present. We may feel all of these things and many others too.
When anxiety and confusion well up in me I sometimes go ‘small’ and ‘large’. Small, as in it is a miracle that molecules came together to construct this amazing world, and us, with our minds, eyes, hands, hearts etc.

Large, as in we are just people living relatively short lives on a planet in a vast universe.

From these perspectives, for me the takeaway is that it is a great blessing to be able to pursue excellence in art and all of the different aspects of being an artist. I try to discern where my truest abilities and interests lie and figure out how to best approach these things intelligently with the time I have, being sure to do what it takes to maintain a balance of all of the things that make life possible and sustainable.
So for me this means a weekly life painting session (it’s not hard to start your own; see my blog ‘Let’s Work Together’, keeping up on promotion with an updated website, Facebook posts, and a monthly newsletter. I am a member of OPA and PSOA and try to enter competitions and attend events and support these terrific groups. I try to teach, mentor, take a few painting trips a year, take a workshop each year, and super important, make my clients, past, present, and future, very pleased that they selected me. Then it’s time to balance the whole life thing (spirituality, family, friends, community, nutrition, exercise, etc…) which is pretty much impossible, so we all just do our best and try to be grateful that we get to be creative. Imagine for a moment if you didn’t have art! We truly are lucky to be alive and engaged in this challenging pursuit.