Consignment blues?

Although I agree with you Robert, I do believe a better system of selling is needed in the art world.

A great topic. Alas, to my mind there’s no ideal way to sell art. You can give away 50% (often without a show) at a gallery. Or you can pay up front–sometimes thousands–to be in a large indoor Expo with no guarantee of breaking even and an investment of 3-4 days of cheeriness answering the same questions over and over (and you’ll need credit card capability). Or you can rent your own space but then there’s some credibility lost, plus you need a great mailing list to get the crowds. I haven’t found the internet to be a good vehicle for sales yet, and in truth, *I* wouldn’t buy a painting online without seeing it in person. We need some new ideas, especially in a tough economy. I’d love to hear what people are thinking that’s a bit outside the box.

Isn’t it true that most galleries have a contract with the artists that states that the artist cannot sell art directly to clients? Our city has a very active arts council that has a committee called Art in Public Places with the intention of making our city an artistic aware community. In fact, this provides city buildings and businesses with free loans of artwork. While it provides local artists with opportunities to exhibit their work, it is rare that anyone buys the art. Isn’t this sort of like, “Why buy the cow when you get the milk free?” and is this a wise decision?

I love Mat Gleason. He is a pro-artist activist and a sensitive observer of one of the most frenetic art scenes in the world, Los Angeles. He speaks knowledgeably to the issues artists have trying to survive within the current system. Under-capitalized gallery owners (with their own survival issues) succumb to pressures to stay in business and are not always honest in their accountability. I think the Gleason approach would make the galleries more honest. Artists might make less at first, but over time, everyone would benefit. I am not sure how it would all get started, though.

A few galleries do buy paintings, but at the lower end of the market. They have to be. The inventory a gallery must carry would guarantee a short life if they paid for higher priced work. Galleries aren’t volume based and you can’t compare them to other retail venues. They’re unique. That’s not to say the whole arrangement is satisfactory. 50% makes me gag. We all have our websites these days and some work well and others do not. Art is such a tactile, visually stimulating enterprise no computer screen can display it properly. The Internet tends to be more a “get acquainted” bus stop than a destination a patron buys from. Whereas I appreciate Mat Gleason defending artists how about coming up with the next best option? The gallery system is flawed, but what else is there? Mark Kostabi is as much an entrepreneur as he is an artist. This guy would be successful selling rocks.

Cautionary Tale: The best and longest running gallery in our area went under as a result of the crash of 2008, with the owner declaring personal and business bankruptcy. Among his creditors are artists whose work was sold, but who never got paid… $50-100,000 worth. Of course this is wrong on every level and the worst behavior by the gallery owner, but artists need to stay alert to such potential disasters.

What is art? How is it evaluated? Who decides its value? Why are the people who sell cars, drugs and art called dealers? Geez, Robert, you’ve reopened a right ornery can of worms! I am fortunate to have gallery representation. I show my work, rent-free. I spend my days painting, rather than working in a retail environment. I don’t have to worry about the art business: paying gallery staff, paying the rent, heat and hydro, making sure the floor is clean and I am presentable. In return, if/when a work sells, the gallery’s expenses and overhead are included in the price (which I have set). If it doesn’t sell, it remains mine to keep, circulate elsewhere, or dispose of as I wish. Another advantage is that it is placed in a venue where people go to look at, and buy, artwork. It doesn’t have to compete with socks and underwear, kitsch and cars. While fairly unique, and not without flaws, the system seems to work reasonably well, and i’m not savvy enough to develop a better art-selling business system.

Is there another alternative way to sell art? I would like to know. Some galleries require that you have work framed before they will take it. You figure out your framed price, then the gallery adds their 40-50%. Then another 13% tax goes on top of that. This tax of course includes the frame which you have already bought and previously paid taxes on. Thus the customer ends up paying another 53 -63% more than the artist payment. Thus in effect at least doubling the cost. This at times places the painting above probably what it is worth.

I also prefer to work with galleries, and the good ones earn their 50%. That way, the artwork remains the property of the artist until such time as it is either sold or returned, and the artist usually retains control over the selling price. I don’t believe in contracts with galleries, preferring a relationship based on integrity and trust when it comes to other methods of selling my work – which is always gallery based anyway. The only practice I do not agree with is the gallery retaining all the payment for a piece of work for at least a month ..sometimes more. Only 50% (or whatever the agreed commission is) of that amount is theirs, and the remaining amount belongs to the artist and should be forwarded as soon as the payment has cleared. After all, the cost of materials, framing and shipping has already been borne by the artist – not to mention the hours of work. I once asked a gallery owner why this practice exists, and he was bemused – the only answer he could come up with was ‘because they can, I suppose’.

It is this sort of bent perspective that Mr Gleason is referring to that gives the art world a very bad name. Let alone sucking the life and self esteem out of an artist. When I was in art school, back when the earth was cooling, they told us that when you sign with a gallery they will pay you a monthly salary and you just paint all day long. Oh, you might have to start out on a consignment level, but once your work starts selling, the contract for fame and fortune comes in. This was, of course, from teachers who claimed to be artists and yet non of them had this vapor, cloud like dream in their careers. For the longest time I couldn’t find a gallery to carry my work. I hit the sidewalk and shook every shingle I could. My work was too commercial, was told I did not do gallery quality. Once I was told my work was not avant guard enough. I could never get a break. But I knew I had to have showings and I knew I had to get my name out there. I logged over 75 showings in every coffee shop, restaurant and hair salon I could find. All I heard was “John, I see your work everywhere”. I moved into a large warehouse space and had two showings a year. I would invite the media, have drag queens and opera singers and margarita machines would pump out lethal cocktails. These were fun and formative years. I have now moved into another building with a gallery space I can use anytime I want for free. I have one large show each year and set the place up like a proper gallery. I put huge banners outside, I hang the work perfectly. There are people on the door handing a price list to the guests. I do an imprompt interview and talk about my work till I am blue. All the while selling my works. I even produce a hard cover book for each collection. I leave the show up for two weeks and have private consultations with clients. This has become my reason to be. All the while side stepping the used car salesman approach the Vancouver art galleries have proven to be. In the last year, two of them have closed their doors. Most of the artists I know who have been part of ” the system” have been with five different galleries over a decade. They all have the battle scars, law suits and nightmare stories to show for it as well. Being an artist and going after that brass ring of success with a gallery is an urban myth that can destroy an artist. It is ironic that native galleries buy the works from the artists and then sell them. As far as I know, this only happens with the indigenous people’s. So I guess I am in that category where I see my career from end to end. I have learned what is right for me the hard way. I have been to hell and back twice. Nobody needs to know it is all put together with zap straps and duct tape. Being a painter is still what defines me. And I don’t have a gallery telling me to paint a certain way so that it will sell. But today in 2012, that is just me. John Ferrie

very informative Mr. Ferrie. until reading your comment i was going to ask how in heck does one get gallery representation?

I offer galleries 2 deals. Pay cash for paintings for one third of the expected wall price (gallery frames)…or on consignment at 60|40 in favour of the artist.

I agree with your advice about not selling your paintings directly to a gallery. I would also like to add something else. I have been asked on several occasions to put my paintings in a restaurant, and even a car dealership with the idea that they would be for sale. One such place kept my paintings for several years and it was only when I moved from the area that I went to take them back, I did call first to give them some time. They were very upset when I came to collect the paintings saying, what are we going to put on our walls. I have learned my lesson. Never put your paintings in a place where people don’t come to buy paintings. That said there is a restaurant I know of that actually has openings for the artists who hang work on their walls and the paintings sell very well there, so there are some exceptions.

Yesterday I was told a very pleasant tale from a personal collector. Her husband, a financial advisor, was visiting a new client of his at their home in downtown Baltimore. He noticed and commented on a painting prominently displayed in their front parlor, and found them to be another of my collectors. He took a cellphone photo of their painting and emailed it to his wife, who replied with cellphone photos of their two paintings. I was told there was great and excited conversation over this discovery. I don’t know how productive the financial advising portion of the evening was, but from my standpoint, very gratifying work was accomplished.

The Huffington Post strikes again in absurdity. Perhaps another planet?

I agree with Mr. Gleason in a way. If galleries buy art from unknown artists, they will buy better art and not first year student works. They will “vet” the artist and weed out Sunday painters. If they are so expert(?) in the art business, they should know good art from bad art or at the very least they know what will sell and what won’t. Further, if they are a gallery of any substance, they know their clients tastes and would only take work that stands a better chance to appeal to this clientele. There are also “risk” galleries who take a chance on new contemporary experimental work. Consignment might be the way to go there. Artist and gallery share in the risk. There is also the point of what I call “strata” with galleries. Artists and galleries have different monitory “requirements” and, dare I say, quality price points. Aunt Jenny sells for $400.00 would not be considered in a high priced gallery, I would hope. For “low end” galleries, they can’t afford to pay for artwork in quantity and need the consignment method. I, for one, don’t have the time or the inclination to waste standing around trying to convince someone they should buy my work. My problem is standing out in a wheat field of artists where a gallery would buy my work. Life isn’t fair, and when you are unknown, your work is priced less. When you are famous you can call the shots. This is not just in the art business but everywhere. Of course, the solution is to create work that knocks the gallery and clients socks off. Good Luck!

The history of representative imagery was always the realm of the financially privileged. It documented material goods and personas. The advent of mechanical reproduction further decreased required handwork. Finally, art became art for the sake of art only in the last 150 or so years. Let’s not forget that painted scenery was a window to the outdoors when residences had limited openings to the outside, for warmth and safety. And the real reason that artists in general have been starving is because they always settled for less than their craft was worth and because the demand for art always ranked below the necessities of life. As for consigning blues, art is a shared financial risk. It’s up to the artist to create a demand for one’s wares through visual appeal of its content. Of course a little jazzy auditory blues wouldn’t hurt the picture.

The idea that all artists can market their own work and make more money is a great idea. The trouble is, most artists cannot market their work because they do not have the people skills or the time to do it. Galleries do more than take a cut of the money for nothing. Take a look at what galleries do for the artist and the client: Galleries charge for services and real estate. It is a fee arranged ahead of time and it is commensurate with the marketplace and the services provided. The gallery has to pay for retail space, lights, taxes, heat, food, drink, brochures, advertisements, books, and just being there on days when no one is buying art. Galleries can do this because they represent many artists, so when people are not buying one artist they can buy another. Artists do not have that freedom, so they should be in many galleries to reach more people. Artists should count themselves fortunate to have a gallery. Galleries restrict the number of artists they represent and there is some form of assessment involved when being chosen to show your work in a gallery. A gallery acts like a sieve, going through thousands of potential artists before deciding which ones have merit and deserve to be shown to the public. It may seem controlling or some other negative adjective to a marginal artist but clients want to be spared the tedium of looking at every piece of nonsense that is produced in the name of art. Having a gallery lets you hone your skills and become the artist you think you are. If you are spending half of your time marketing, you are half the artist because you should be painting or sculpting 100% of the time. You must be passionate about your work and marketing should not be your passion. Galleries show the works to many potential clients, most of whom would likely never meet the artist. Artists tend to be solitary or at least not the most gregarious of peoples, so to have their work presented on their behalf to more people than they would likely ever meet is a good thing. This gives the artist a wider audience and he or she will be able to affect more people, which is what most artists really want. Having works on consignment is a great way to do business because a gallery can easily have millions in inventory and few can bankroll this much inventory and look after operational expenses. Some large galleries with deep pockets can do this but regular galleries and artists work on a consignment basis so many pieces can be offered to many clients. It is this ability to give a choice which makes the system work. To have little choice would be a distinct disadvantage to both artist and gallery. If only items which had been purchased could be offered, it might be difficult to line up the right piece with the right client. This illustrates how having many galleries benefits the artist. Galleries provide a web site that has a higher than average chance of someone finding an artist online. Consider this, a million web sites are likely created every day so the chance of someone finding one particular artist by luck is more remote than winning the lottery. If you are in a gallery with lots of well known artists, people searching the web will find the gallery and in turn see your work, thus ensuring contact with a much wider audience. A personal web site for an artist is a marketing tool not a sales tool. A gallery is a union made in heaven because it relieves the artist of everyday minutia and lets the artist concentrate on work. I would never want to confine an artist who wanted to market his or her own work, however we would disagree on fundamental issues so it would be counterproductive for me to try to please this artist. Galleries are great places that show art and let people come in to view works and not feel pressured to buy the work of one particular artist. Not everyone will want the work of every artist so it is a responsibility of the artist to seek out a gallery which will agree to actively market works for that artist. If an artist has problems in dealing with a gallery there may be hidden issues that are the true problems in this case. Consider these the ramblings of a happy gallery owner who works with many great artists and who really enjoys what he does, likes all of our artists and brings art from all over to clients from all over. I think I can safely say that the artists we represent like our gallery, too.

I don’t consign any art to any gallery. I handle all of my own business. I am financially stable enough to be in the position, of independent. I worked for years to get in this position. I control every facet of my art life – ON PURPOSE!!!!!!

This was an interesting letter. I have just finished doing the books for my studio. It was most surprising. I have always seen my galleries as being well situated, with a good clientele and excellent salespeople. They earn their commissions and I have time in the studio to do what I do best. This year my studio outsold all my galleries combined! This happened even though I support my galleries by directing customers to them and doing joint marketing with them. It is obvious that my relationship to the public is changing. This winter I will be taking a course in how to best use the social media and I will be reviewing the marketing plans and objectives of my galleries. While I agree with you that it is gratifying to have someone else believe in you and sell your work, I am also coming to the realization that many galleries are not staying current, do not understand the new reality and do not make proper use of the social media. They are being left behind by the younger markets and as a result so are we.

Actually Robert, I wanted to ask you to write daily…you know, just to report that you are still with us.

Stewart Turcotte: well said.

I can understand any artist’s concern regarding consignment sale. It is easy for a gallery to obtain free inventory from willing artists on the promise of gallery exposure and potential sales revenue. In typical cases where the gallery is long established and reputable it is generally favorable to both parties. However, there are many horror stories of galleries closing up and the artist is left high and dry. My rule of thumb was always to make sure that the gallery owner has some skin in the game. In other words there is some financial incentive where the gallery is prepared to invest some of its capital in the success of marketing your work. This can be in framing, publishing booklets, direct mailers, exhibition invitations etc. My experience has been that galleries are more diligent in selling something they have some investment in rather than purely free product.

This certainly isn’t true “A gallery acts like a sieve, going through thousands of potential artists before deciding which ones have merit and deserve to be shown to the public.” Galleries only decide what work they think they can sell. I have not yet met a gallery owner who can decide merit of art.

I must respond to Stewart Turcotte’s comment. Galleries, simply put, are nothing but a stepping stone between the artist and the buyer. They are a business. Galleries claim to filter through and pick only the best art. Good art doesn’t bring the bad are up, the bad art brings the good art down. I heard a well known gallery owner say “…S#%T Sells as long as you have a $10,000 price tag on it…” There is also NOTHING wrong with an artist having some savvy when it comes to marketing and promotion. This notion that artists should be these worker drones who sit there mindlessly painting away and if they are really lucky, a gallery will swoop in and sign them to the fame and fortune contract is nothing short of a fallacy. The FIRST thing any reputable gallery will ask is “How much will your work sell for?” They want exclusivity and they want everything an artist will paint. Inevitably, an artists work will change. A good gallery will follow along with an artists new direction. It has been my experience that a gallery will dictate what an artist will paint as they can only sell a certain aspect of an artists previous work. If the artist has savvy about what their work is about, they will know this is the time to find a new gallery. Sorry Mr Turcotte, but I know from where I speak. It is like a marriage, if you find a gallery that you can have a relationship with then by all means go for it. But with the 55% current divorce rate the separation between artist and gallery seems to be more the norm. John Ferrie

If I counted on gallery sales to pay my bills, I’d be on the street starving. However, I make a darn good living selling original oils at art festivals. I also sell out of my own gallery (Open Houses or by appointment) and my own website. I enjoy painting, marketing, and selling and am pretty good at all three. Keeps life fast paced and exciting and inspiring.

RE: What about framing? by Barrett Edwards, Naples, FL, USA Barrett, you have given me a little green light with your comment. I have a LOT of art I took out of frames back in NJ so I could manage to move it all to Washington State a few years ago. So now what? I am still recovering from the moving-expenses and have since relocated twice!! Now I am looking at really going back to Seattle where my kids live and calling that the end of the moving for me. But what about all this unframed art? My itchy imagination is causing me to set up a website to be called something like Deckles and Fringes dot com and sell it unframed for a price. Guaranteed or money back. What does everyone think? Will it fly? I could offer to frame for a price, but they might just as well choose something they love, and they might like the price break in this economy? Thinking of a clothesline background with large clips at the tops of the naked images. Susan Holland

I’m happy to have a gallery represent me, except for one thing that sticks in my craw. Where I live, the galleries will not tell me who bought my painting because they are afraid the artist would contact the buyer directly and cut out the middle man. But, I think I have a right to know where my paintings end up. In my fantasy, I imagine a retrospective of my works, but no one knows who owns them, so we are unable to mount a show. There has to be some degree of trust involved between artist and gallery. If an artist rips off a gallery by cutting them out of the middle in violation of a mutual agreement, then, by rights, the gallery should drop the artist. There’s no need to take it out on every artist.

Loved your story about Mel and the blended family! And the painting you did is wonderful! You’re a great inspiration to a long-time art teacher, finally retired and hoping to make GOOD art before kicking the can! Bless you! Eddith Buis

great story and I’m sure Mel’s portrait will have more adventures . . . recently I came across an artist-trading card that I had painted and donated to a childrens charity . . . on EBAY. I wasn’t sure how to feel . . . the bid was $6 LOL. My mixed feelings relaxed when shortly after that I saw two paintings done by two artist friends at a consignment shop. Both of these artists are quite successful now . . . hopefully more of my art will journey throughout the ages :)

I really enjoyed your story about Mel. No heavy messages just plain fun. Thanks

Wow, beautiful painting/collage. So what do the numbers mean?

You have me thinking now. My friend has a watercolor signed Diego Rivera. Of course, it could be a copy. Or another Diego. But we saw some other nice pieces the other day. Maybe I will look up the artist’s name next time to see how they’re doing. Of course, I buy art because I like it, not because I think it might be worth money. As for my friend, she told her husband she would not give him any of the profit if it turns out it really IS a Diego Rivera since he laughs at her for thinking she could find the real thing in a 2nd hand store. ;-)

Love the Mel story. It’s amazing what friends and relatives do with gifts of artwork. You may see it in the next yardsale you go to! lol

I enjoyed reading this post. The consignment woes are real for very many artists. We need the gallery so we can spend most of our time painting. But, then again, we are the best people to talk to potential customers / patrons about our work. And, the distrust of most galleries certainly drives me crazy. One comment above by Karen was so right on. We should know who purchased our work! If the gallery does not trust the artist, they should not take that artist on. Trust should be #1 when talking to the artist. We support and place the gallery link on our web site, why shouldn’t they do the same. I always ask direct contacts where they heard about me or if they saw my work somewhere. It will be interested to see what happens in the next few years with the brick and mortar galleries and the consignment issues we face today. Being our own advocate is probably the wave of the future for the masses of artists that won’t be taken on by the few remaining galleries. There just will not be enough room and time for those artists …. and I am talking some very wonderful artists! Thanks Robert — I always read your Tuesday and Friday posts before anything else.

I’m on fineartamerica also. Do you know people can lift those images off that site? People make tattoos out of my medical illustrations of the rat and skull. Now I do farmers markets (“buy local” is the mantra in Kalamazoo, MI). I get to schmooze with the Amish while I get a suntan, and maybe take home some tasty pickles. But seriously, I’d LOVE to be represented by a gallery, only I don’t have a BA degree, only 128 credits (or more maybe) undergraduate in fine art and business. Some of those credits are 30 years old. So I represent myself, enjoy beautiful weather most of the time. I come to my booth a little late and leave a little early, because I’ve got doggies that need letting out. There’s a flea market in town I’m itching to do but I have to get over myself being represented by a “flea” market. Were it a “flea/farm” market, I’d be more eager. Or an Antique market, which I’ve done, all of my stuff is new, but it’s pretty and the antique crowd likes that. I do postcards of my work, not giclee, but just laser printed at the office supply store, and keep most of the originals. Rarely do the John Q. Publics of the world like calligraphy as much as I do, so stationary is a safe and cheap bet for them. And it’s a good way to share art. I also do Spencerian penmanship now, so I’m reorganizing my portfolio to include more scrapbooky type poems and hymns on beautiful paper. Thanks for letting me share, Robert.

One day at our weekly portrait painting group, I did a relatively quick drawing of our pretty female model and left it at that without fiddling with it. A while later we had a portrait show and sale and when this particular model came in, I pulled the sketch out of my bundle of portraits and laid it out for her and her family to see although I didn’t think a whole lot of it. They visited my table several times and when it seemed they might be about to leave, I offered the drawing to the model. She seemed genuinely pleased and accepted my offer…I was sure she had done that so as not to hurt my feelings. Her mother carefully carried it out to their car and shortly after they left I remembered I hadn’t signed it. I didn’t really think this significant and put it out of my mind. Several days later I got a call from the model’s mother asking if I would stop by the local framer to sign the drawing. ‘Oh,’ I said, “I didn’t think it would make much difference not being signed”. “Oh, we care very much” she said. I did stop by to sign it and also later to see the finished framed product that was to be the model’s Christmas present from her mother. It was absolutely stunning in its mat and frame and it taught me never to underestimate my work and to always always sign my work. The framer guaranteed me that the picture would be in their family for generations!

To all gallery owners present and future– Enough already! Everytime a gallery decides to print here we get the same old speach about overhead. Do you seriously think artists have NO overhead??!! Not only do we have the SAME bills you have i.e. rent,phone,website,taxes, heat, electric, food, drink, advertising how about what you DON’T have i.e. paint, brushes, canvases, entry fees, commissions, easels, shipping, handling(boxes) auto repairs, photo reproduction, slides, portfolios, and a hundred other paint supplies needed to paint and clean up. So Please..come up with a better reasons to charge 50% commission for us to be in your gallery.

Mel’s tribute portrait is great. Adding his favorite song to the painting is a masterful stroke. It’s great that Mel’s family and friends could get it back where it belongs. Nice work Robert.