From time to time, we are asked to share our thoughts about gallery representation. We have the utmost respect for artists who have chosen this daring and difficult career, and we know how difficult it is to break in to the right market and gallery. It pains us to say no when we tell an artist that their work isn’t right for us. And yet, we know that our job is to be very selective, and to take on only the artists whose work is well suited for our gallery.
So, in an effort to help aspiring artists with their search for gallery representation, we decided to share some of the discussions that we’ve had with artists, both local and national. Hopefully, this will be helpful to those of you who have bravely decided to follow your heart in the career of art.
When Searching for Gallery Representation:
- Respect the rules: Check out the gallery and before you submit anything, make sure your work is a good fit
- Don’t try to talk to the owner of the gallery about your work unless they initiate the conversation
- Follow the gallery's policy for submitting work (please, don't show up on the doorstep with paintings you'd like us to look at!)
- If the gallery shows interest, send low-resolution images that won't clog up the inbox
- Wait a while for an answer, and if you don’t get one, send another friendly email reminder with one photo
- If it’s a no, try not to take it personally. Galleries have their own looks and your work may not fit it
- Respect the gallery’s decision – they know what sells for them.
From Huff Harrington to the Artist:
- Always bring your work wired
- Always bring your work dry!
- Always sign your work!
- Decide which party will assume framing responsibilities
- Understand that sales can be cyclical - up one minute, down the next
- Decide if you're an artist who wants to sell -- or an artist who wants to paint. If you want to sell, listen to your gallerista who can convey buying trends to you
- Be open to direction if needed
- Don’t drop by to chat without a courtesy phone call first (we’re busy, busy, busy even if someone’s not in here)
- Send good quality jpgs in low res but keep high res if gallery requests it
- Think about painting in pairs or in a series – too much disparity is not good
- Figure out what the gallery likes (palette, subject, size) and paint several for the gallery to review
- Respect how the gallery hangs
- Don’t call us … We’ll call you. We really will!
What are we looking for at Huff Harrington:
1. Indefinable quality that signals to us that you know how to paint. Regardless of style, media or subject (doesn't matter if it's super representational or abstract expressionist), true talent and ability will shine (and sell!)
2. We wait for "aha" moment, when we draw a breath or the pulse quickens. We're firm believers in art being an emotional investment and that purchases or decisions are best made when they come from the heart.
3. We like to see a range. Many times, we get images that draw our attention...but when we do further research, we see that the artist isn't as strong (or conversely is even better!) in other areas or subject matters.
4. Because it's our gallery, we get to choose what we love - and we love the mix!
Current Trends at Huff Harrington:
1. Bigger sells better than small
2. Right now, neutral and serene paintings are flying off the walls. We're also noticing that paintings that take the viewer on an emotional journey are hot.
3. Be aware of current trends in décor: Although we encourage our clients to buy from their heart, they do want paintings that complement their interiors
5. Clients love paintings that tell a story or have a story, so tell us as much as you can about each painting. The more we know, the better we’ll do.
6. We have coined an absurd sounding phrase that summarizes the current market trends perfectly: Abstracted Representationalism!
7. We always love an interesting subject matter
8. It never fails: Paintings that are well painted, sell!
9. If you paint small paintings, do so in pairs
...And What's Not selling (in general):
1. bright, saturated color
3. "twee" or clichéd scenes
4. harsh or angry in mood -- or too bright
5. abstract with no reference
What you can expect from Huff Harrington:
- Honesty is the best; we like to let artists know what we like and why, because we know what sells
- Artists who supply us in a timely manner with good quality photography stand a better chance of having work featured in marketing and advertising materials.
- We religiously pay artists regularly and on-time
- We feature work on website if we have more than 6 pieces in the gallery
- We hang according to our eye and we shift constantly
One final point: We don’t sell! That’s right; we’ve learned that you can’t sell art because of its emotional and personal quality. We’ve found that people usually know what they like and what they want, and we respect that. And of course we’ve found that great art speaks for itself! So instead of selling, we like to educate, inform and facilitate the buying process by providing an easy, comfortable and pleasant environment for our clients. It works for our clients, and happily, it works for us.
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