Art In Sales and marketing (Page 2): I dabble in photography but I have painted since the age of 4. (82 years of artwork) I started selling paintings at the age of 16 and so far, I...

Horseart Loc: Alabama

I dabble in photography but I have painted since the age of 4. (82 years of artwork) I started selling paintings at the age of 16 and so far, I have sold everything I ever painted except for about 10 pieces I chose to keep for myself. I just retired (Dec 20) from doing custom work. At 86, I will now paint only what I WANT to paint and only sell what I want to. I feel very blessed and am ready to rest for a while before I start to paint again next month.
Best wishes in all your future works.

Bridges Loc: Memphis, Charleston SC, now Nazareth PA

AzPicLady wrote:

I'm still trying to sell out at tent shows. The visitors tell me they love my art, but they have NO WALLS on which to hang it. Modern houses have fewer walls because of "open plan" design. There's no wall behind the couch, which is a typical place to hang art. Exterior walls are filled with windows and doors, so the spaces for hanging are very small. A friend of mine who is quite successful at selling at art fairs has gone to producing very small prints. We'll see how that goes.

You have hit on a reason for fewer purchases. It was large beautiful prints people once bought for dining room walls or to hang in a foyer but today there are fewer walls and due to the cost of housing, many people have downsized to smaller apartments or condos. Back a few years ago I stumbled on a twist that would work for this downsizing. A couple had a tent set up in the Hell's Kitchen area of NYC in the area where there is a large flea market. They were selling tiny prints -- only about 4" x 4". There were beautiful scenes of places like stone steps lined with flower pots in Italy. Some were flower shots. They had a nice assortment. All the prints were in the same black frame which was large in comparison to the prints, but it worked. They had totes full of them -- I would estimate a couple of hundred or more. People were buying several of these to make arrangements in small spaces like a bathroom wall or in the kitchen.

Latsok Loc: Recently moved to Washington State.

I think that with the phenomenal advances in improvements in I-phone photo quality; everyone nowadays has the ability to produce their own pictures and there I less and less demand for commercially purchased photographs by the general public. AI generated artwork will also diminish the overall demand for commercially produced photographs. There will be less need to hire professional photographers to travel to exotic places to produce awe-inspiring, one-of-a-kind photographs - since they can now be produced using AI technology while sitting comfortably at your own desk wherever you are.
I think, we as photographers, must reconcile ourselves with today's realities, and start re-thinking how to fit our hobby/profession into today's and tomorrow's world.

dustie Loc: Nose to the grindstone

Latsok wrote:

I think that with the phenomenal advances in impro... (show quote)

Hopefully, that re-thinking can come up with better alternatives than the equivalent of sitting in an isolated corner playing solitaire.

btbg

Ellen101 wrote:

I Live in Tamp a bay Florida. seems a very minute ... (show quote)

Original art stll sells and a few people make a good living at it. Stores that sell art however need to be in well traveled tourist areas or upscale metropolitan areas as art is readily available on line.

TreborLow

Bridges wrote:

The first clue is that you live in Florida. The p... (show quote)

We were selling in NY! We moved to Florida. Those comments were made by a NY art dealer.

Bridges Loc: Memphis, Charleston SC, now Nazareth PA

TreborLow wrote:

We were selling in NY! We moved to Florida. Those comments were made by a NY art dealer.

I still think NY is a more viable market. Maybe the trends have changed and the artists not selling as much have not changed with the times. As someone pointed out, fewer walls due to open-concept living spaces might dictate smaller art pieces like the ones I mentioned. I think the sophistication of the residents of NY will always drive a healthy appreciation for good art.

Horseart Loc: Alabama

Bridges wrote:

I still think NY is a more viable market. Maybe the trends have changed and the artists not selling as much have not changed with the times. As someone pointed out, fewer walls due to open-concept living spaces might dictate smaller art pieces like the ones I mentioned. I think the sophistication of the residents of NY will always drive a healthy appreciation for good art.

100% correct, small art sells. paint dogs, cats, horses. The people who are owned by animals will see a painting that looks like their pet and grab it. There is a buyer for every painting...just show it in the right place.

Ellen101 Loc: Manhattan NY ..now Spring Hill, Fl

TreborLow wrote:

We relocated about 6 years ago. Took some real pa... (show quote)

Museums and art galleries are now pretty scarce in my area. Hernando County Florida is not around the corner from the major city. Tampa. Also it is even further to get to Saint Petersburg Florida or the Polk Museum. I am from Manhattan so I guess I am spoiled re the closeness and ease to get to "Art".
I will say the Salvatore Dali Museum does a great job with keeping their exhibits current. Still a long drive away.
Some museums have closed after covid.
As for art galleries, there are far and few between that are reasonably priced. Most of them carry very pricey. I have seen many galleries that charge $2,000 to $ $12,000 for an artist I have n ever heard of. I even look them up on the internet and fail to find these artists.
we all know the marketing fo art has little to do with talent. Oh well that's life. Enjoy