Ive been turning for about 4-5 years, Ive been busy promoting the local club and not myself but I would now like to try and sell more of my own art. Ive tried local galleries, they love my work but cant seem to sell more then one or two a year, taking a hefty commission. I am not sure of going through the expense of a web site as I don't know if I would sell enough to pay for it. What else could I do??
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selling your art
- Thread starter DSKIPPER
- Start date
Steve Worcester
Admin Emeritus
The ultimate quagmire!
Galleries are a gret place for those who want to sell their work all year round and pay someone else for their overhead and personel. There are some places in the country where wood just plain sells better than others. The upper left and right corners of the US are good examples.
Depending on the price point of your work, you might want to find a few local juried art shows. You will need a set of GOOD slides of your work and one of your display. The first photos I took of my display were on my front lawn.
Check out Nick Cooks web site on selling and marketing your work, it is a reel concise start. It is pretty much about marketing yourself. Be in the booth, dress presentable, be nice, close the sale.
http://www.nickcookwoodturner.com/articles.htm
(After I typed this, I went back and looked at your member gallery. I would say that galleries are a good place for your work, but you would do well at a high end juried art show as well.)
Galleries are a gret place for those who want to sell their work all year round and pay someone else for their overhead and personel. There are some places in the country where wood just plain sells better than others. The upper left and right corners of the US are good examples.
Depending on the price point of your work, you might want to find a few local juried art shows. You will need a set of GOOD slides of your work and one of your display. The first photos I took of my display were on my front lawn.
Check out Nick Cooks web site on selling and marketing your work, it is a reel concise start. It is pretty much about marketing yourself. Be in the booth, dress presentable, be nice, close the sale.
http://www.nickcookwoodturner.com/articles.htm
(After I typed this, I went back and looked at your member gallery. I would say that galleries are a good place for your work, but you would do well at a high end juried art show as well.)
I've got a website but I'm finding that since I've pretty much quit doing shows, that traffic and sales have dropped significantly. You have to be able to get your work out there in front of people to get them to buy and I don't think jsut a craft/art website will do it. 95% of my sales on the site have been project supplies. I'm seriously considering going back to the craft show circuit, but I understand that too has dropped off significantly because of the economy.
Joe
Joe
Thanks guys!! I have done local trade shows for the local club and a couple for my self, I try to offer pieces from $200- $1,500 at the shows I have done, what I have noticed is a couple of $100 to $200 pieces will sell but thats about it. In auctions I have sold into the $3,000 range on more then one occasion. Is thier any shows I should be looking at going to that would sell higher priced items? Could I just be to high priced? And if I am to high how do I know what is the right price without underselling myself? I know many turners sell thier art at what seems to me as too low(ex. they pay $85 for wood $10 in sand paper and finish then sell it for $100 Ive seen this trend alot. I can't sell at thier prices and make profit.) I try to base my selling price on what I have sold before, I figure if someone bought it , it was the right price. I feel confident in my pricing system, I'm just hoping to increase my sells to more then a couple of pieces a year.
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My suggestion is to find folks who sell in the same price range as you and ask them what they do. Networking is the best way to get information like that.
There are a lot of high end art shows out there, it's just a matter finding them and getting into them. The high end shows are a diffeerent breed and have their own etiquette and rules. Try Sunshine Artist and Crafts Report for some leads: http://www.craftsreport.com and http://www.sunshineartist.com.
Both are excellent magazines and will provide some great leads for shows.
Joe
There are a lot of high end art shows out there, it's just a matter finding them and getting into them. The high end shows are a diffeerent breed and have their own etiquette and rules. Try Sunshine Artist and Crafts Report for some leads: http://www.craftsreport.com and http://www.sunshineartist.com.
Both are excellent magazines and will provide some great leads for shows.
Joe