Ever wondered about those ridiculous prices on pieces of "artwork"?
Now, I don't want to speak for all picture painters out there, but let me give you a little insight to the way I come up with those absurd prices...
The outrageous prices you see in the gallery during the opening reception aren't just for show...that's how much the picture costs. After figuring in the worth of my reputation as a picture painter (I realize that sounds ridiculous), the prices of artworks similar to mine created by living artists, the "prestige" of being a part of whatever exhibition I'm taking part of, and some good old-fashioned supply and demand, I determine the amount of money I need to part with the picture. If I'm showing a picture at a national exhibition in California with a small group of supposed big names in the picture painting business, my price doubles...that makes sense, right? So, let's say I have a picture that would normally cost $20. In California in good company, I need $40 to convince me it's worth selling. If it sells at the show, every $20 painting I make is now a $40 painting. But that's my cut...
Now that I've determined my price, I double the number. You see, galleries that are worth showing in should be as invested in selling pictures as the picture painters themselves...they typically take 50 percent commission. It might sound steep, but 50 percent commission on a picture is more than worth it...so long as they can sell them for twice as much and twice as often as I can here in Indiana. So after having some success on the west coast, the cost of my painting is four times what it was before accolades and gallery commission. So, why the heck would someone pay $80 for something that I'd be satisfied selling for $20?
Well, they might not know everything I just told you. They might not care. They might be afraid that if they pass on the picture at a high price they'll miss out on the opportunity to buy it at a lower price. I don't need to attempt an economics lesson...this stuff is pretty basic. My job as a picture painter is to make nice things to look at. My job as a "professional artist" is to make sure my prices go up and up and up. I won't sell every $80 twenty dollar painting, but I can sell a few of them. And so long as patrons are still tempted by high prices despite their knowledge of what I'm over-explaining, I don't have to sell all of them. Again, this is pretty basic, but maybe we're not all on the same page.
I don't want to deter anyone from buying a piece of artwork at the gallery, because buying frivolous things is fun and galleries certainly make it into an experience. Sometimes the gallery may offer the only opportunity to buy a picture, but some of you might be interested in knowing what all of those galleries are afraid of, should the painting leave the wall with the artist...the direct sale.
That's right folks, if you want to buy a $20 painting for $20, there is still an option for you. Some might tell you different, and I might be pulling the rug out from under the business plans of many an artist, but the easiest way to get a painting from a painter is to contact said painter. You might not be able to have a glass of wine while perusing the stacks of pictures, you might not have to dress up and pay for a ticket to the opening reception, you might not get a chance to schmooze with an elite crowd of art enthusiasts who are content buying works of art at a premium and will continue to do so...but you can buy an original piece of artwork for the amount the artist determined it was was worth. What I'm getting at is this...
My latest exhibition of painted pictures is still open in Linton, Indiana. It won't be the most glamorous thing you've done in your life, and the paintings still might be way too expensive, but you can have a good time entertaining the idea of treating yourself to something frivolous in good company with lots of things to look at. A little less black tie and a little more sugar cream pie. Just set up an appointment at wyattlegrand@gmail.com. And if you don't want to make the trip my way, just stay tuned for next week's painting shenanigans.
I liken all of this to selling pumpkins. As an old man, I hope to sit on my porch and enjoy the crisp Autumn air, eager to entertain a few folks that come to see the largest pumpkin in my patch. And if someone really wants to load that largest orange squash in their pickup truck, I'll gladly sell it to them for a little more than the previous year's slightly smaller decorative fruit. I'll rest assured that I'll always sell that largest pumpkin for whatever price I put on it, because everyone always wants the largest pumpkin. I'll be content selling the rest of the pumpkins for just enough to plant more seeds in the summer. Where's my trowel?
