Lovely Sky, 2008, Oil on Panel, 6x12
I am feeling that both my work and career are at a crossroads. Partly because I haven't painted for over a month and surely when I get back to it, things will look very different to me. And partly because yet another one of my galleries is closing its commercial space and will be focusing on consulting and special events, which are unfortunately the type of situations that don't really flatter my work.
My sales have really slowed down this summer. I am not taking this personally, the paintings that I have out there are just as good as the ones that sold before. It's more the economy I think; the buyers in the art world I am in (which is definitely NOT the big one!) are tightening their belts just like most of the rest of us and so purchases of art are the first thing to go. And understandably so.
But I have gotten used to the ebb and flow of selling art over the last few years, so I will manage. And in fact this time will be well spent working on other things. I can take some time before school starts to get used to handling my daughter's diabetes. And before that came up I was working on a series of portraits that I am excited about. When the kids go back to school I will get back to work on those and cross my fingers that I didn't totally lose my momentum on them.
I do plan to start sending out my info to find some new opportunities though. I tentatively have a show scheduled for next spring, showing figurative work (yayy!) so that is encouraging, but I would like ongoing representation by another gallery, hopefully one in a larger city like Boston or New York.
But business and sales aside, I look forward to seeing and painting the landscape from a new angle and to having the time to develop a new body of work as well. I am lucky enough to be able to do whatever I want again, which is a nice reminder of how I felt when I began painting five years ago. A lovely sense of freedom.
So it's all good, even if I do have to stick to a stupid budget for awhile. Heh.
7 comments:
well, good thing you're growing all those good veggies too...
Tracy, I can't wait to see your figurative work and portraits. Wow.
Do you live near Fly Creek? My parents owned a house there for awhile, back in the seventies. It's beautiful there!
I'd love to see your work in a gallery closer to me.
Perhaps you should send your info to Blink Gallery - I believe your paintings would fit in well. (And Boulder has a lot of art buyers.)
Plus, then I'd actually get to see your art in person!
http://www.blinkgalleryboulder.com/
Tracy - I think you are far from alone in inexperiencing gallery closures. I think all the artists I know who I talk to about such things have seen one or more of their galleries close this year.
So - this is very definitely not about your work! :)
You might want to take a peek at the poll that I'm running on my blog (right hand column) about what's the main way people sell their art - you might be surprised.
I'd like to see you painting some smaller works that you sell online. I'm very sure that you'd have a lot of buyers for small works at affordable prices - and (I think) that's not the same sort of thing you're doing for your galleries - so it would make a nice differentiation of market and price bracket.
Yes, Gary, good thing we can feed ourselves from our land! Ha!
Thanks Deborah and we actually live in Fly Creek! It is beautiful here. Where was your parents house? I probably know it. Small world.
Thanks for the link Laura, and I may put that gallery on the list. And I don't mind at all that you have an ulterior motive there:)
Thanks for the feedback Katherine. I have considered selling smaller works online, but for now at least, have decided against it. I am not ruling it out forever but for right now it isn't what I want to do.
Yeah, I have heard of many more gallery closings too.
Hey, I just read about Ginger and I'm so sorry. It sounds like you guys are adjusting pretty well. I couldn't believe that picture of her. She has grown up so much!
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