Copyright was so important to the founders of this nation that the Constitution contains a provision enabling Congress to enact a copyright law. The First Congress did so, and copyright has been a part of this country’s laws ever since. Most artists believe they have some knowledge of copyright laws as applied to art. However, from time to time, the laws have been revised and updated to reflect new technology, and the information that is passed from person to person is often inaccurate. The law in effect as of the date of this writing is the Copyright Revision Act of 1976, which became effective on January 1, 1978. Since then, there have been a number of amendments and revisions. The current copyright statute is quite user-friendly, and Congress has relaxed many of the formal requirements that were part of the earlier statutes. Under the current law, all you need for a copyright is an original work, involving some minimal degree of creativity, embodied in some tangible medium of expression. The requirements appear simple, yet they can be misunderstood. Since the law requires the work to be in a tangible form for it to be protected by copyright, you can’t protect mere ideas that have not been implemented. Words, symbols and logos used to identify products or services are protectable under the trademark laws—not under the copyright statute. Generally speaking, copyright protection extends to creative work such as art, music, literature and computer software. Creative work includes paintings, drawings, sketches, photographs, collages and sculpture. The protected work need not be unique. That is to say, if two artists by coincidence create works that are virtually identical to each other without copying, each will be entitled to copyright protection if the other requirements of the statute are met. This is true even though the works may be substantially similar to one another. The law doesn’t require you to use a copyright notice, but it’s a good idea to do so, since the statute provides that anyone who copies another’s protected work—believing in good faith that the work is not protected by copyright—is an innocent infringer. Innocent infringers may not be held liable for damages and may even be permitted to continue copying, despite the fact that the work is technically protected by copyright. To defeat the defense of innocent infringement, you should place the appropriate copyright notice on the protected work. The notice is simple; it’s either the word “copyright,” its abbreviation “copyr.,” or the international symbol “©,” plus the copyright owner’s name and the year in which the work was first published or exhibited. By law, exclusive rights are granted to the copyright owner, which means that nobody else can legally exercise or use those rights without permission, although there are some public policy exceptions to this rule, such as, for example, the spontaneous use of a copyrighted work by a teacher in a nonprofit educational institution. Regrettably, the balancing of rights as between the copyright owner and other individuals generates a great deal of confusion. The copyright statute prevents others from making a substantial copy of a protected work—whether they’re selling their art, entering it in competitions or perfecting their techniques—but there is no precise definition of substantial copy. Cases have held that creating a three-dimensional work from a two-dimensional drawing is an infringement as long as the unauthorized three-dimensional copy is substantially similar to the two-dimensional drawing. The unauthorized work need not be a substantial copy of the entire original work in order for there to be an infringement. In one case, the court held that an infringement was proved when a portion of a repetitive pattern was copied without permission. Even taking a piece of a protected work and using it as part of a collage has been held to be an infringement. While the law is clear that no one can make a substantial copy of another’s protected work, the application of this simple rule is difficult. If you wish to use the creative works of others for mere inspiration, you certainly may do so, but the use can go no further than that. There are statements to the effect that changing a work by 10 percent, 20 percent or some other specified percentage will avoid violation of the copyright statute. This is untrue since there are no cases or statutes providing any percentage that can be considered safe; rather, as noted previously, the law uses the substantial similarity test. As to the meaning of this test, one of the leading copyright jurists in the United States, Judge Learned Hand, stated that, in his opinion, if one compares the protected original work to the allegedly infringing work and the comparison discloses that the works are substantially similar, then there is an infringement. This is a very subjective test, and those artists who copy the works of others run a great risk that a judge could conclude that the line between inspiration and copying has been crossed. Therefore, take great care when using the works of others for ideas. When in doubt, you should consult with an experienced copyright lawyer. What about public domain? The copyright laws provide that the Congress shall grant a creative person copyright protection for a limited period, and at the end of that time, the work shall become part of the public domain and may be freely copied. So it’s always important when you copy works of others to determine if those works are still protected. The period of protection for copyrighted works created on or after January 1, 1978, is the life of the creative person plus 70 years if the work was created by an identified human being. Works created anonymously, under a pseudonym or for a business entity, are protected for the shorter of 120 years from creation or 95 years from first publication. Copyrights that predate January 1, 1978, generally have a period of protection of 95 years, though you should see an art attorney if you need to calculate the precise expiration date of such a work. If a work is no longer protected, then it is in the public domain, and there is no prohibition on copying it. As you can see, U.S. copyright law provides creative people like you with the ability to control the reproduction of their work and reap economic rewards from their creativity, while allowing for punitive measures against individuals who obtain more than inspiration from the works of others. It’s important to note that even subliminal or unintentional copying has been held actionable. It is, therefore, essential for you to understand the copyright laws and avoid violating them. When in doubt, you should consult with an expert who may be able to assist you in avoiding liability.

Tags: Uncategorized // Add Comment »

Found: The Guardia, Mark Brown, arts correspondent
Thursday December 13, 2007

A Gauguin sculpture of a faun hailed as one of the most treasured recent acquisitions of the Art Institute of Chicago was yesterday unmasked as a fake - from Bolton.

The story, revealed in the Art Newspaper, is either a testament to the remarkable skills of a family of counterfeiters working out of a council house garden shed, or a reflection of the occasional gullibility of art institutions and auction houses.

The Chicago museum paid $125,000 for the piece in 1997 and was, at the time, delighted. The institute’s sculpture curator, Ian Wardropper, wrote in the art magazine Apollo in 2001 that the half-man, half-goat’s features were “bound up with the artist’s self-image as a ’savage’” and that it was one of the most important acquisitions of the last 20 years.

But it was never a Paul Gauguin and was certainly never lovingly crafted in Tahiti; it was a Shaun Greenhalgh, crafted in Bolton. Last month Greenhalgh was jailed for four years and eight months at Bolton crown court. His 83-year-old mother, Olive, received a suspended sentence and his 84-year-old father will be sentenced after medical reports. All three admitted conspiring to defraud art institutions between June 1989 and March 2006. The court heard how Greenhalgh and his parents had made about £850,000 from the sale of art treasures and antiquities. Their biggest triumph was a knocked-up representation of Princess Armana, daughter of Pharaoh Akhenaten and Queen Nefertiti, which they sold to Bolton’s museum and art gallery for £440,000, claiming it was 3,300 years old.

After the court case, police said they also had evidence of a forged Gauguin ceramic but did not know where it was; it was then that investigators from the Art Newspaper stepped in.

The ceramic was originally bought for £20,700 at a Sotheby’s auction in 1994 by the London dealers Howie and Pillar, who never had reason to doubt it was genuine. They sold it to Chicago three years later. Sotheby’s said in a statement last night that it was working with the purchaser to resolve the matter.

Eric Hogan, the institute’s director of public affairs, yesterday admitted it had been hoodwinked. He told the Chicago Tribune: “No one could think of any other instance in which anything like this happened here. So we don’t have experience in this area. Everyone who bought and sold [the work] did so in good faith.”

Tags: Uncategorized // Add Comment »

Early in September, a crowd of editors and “friends”, designer Thom Browne, film-maker Vincent Gallo and former Sex Pistols manager Malcolm McLaren among them, gathered in New York at the art dealer Larry Gagosian’s Chelsea gallery. The occasion was an A-list fashion show to mark the height of Manhattan’s Fashion Week, and the clothing line on display was designed by Gagosian artist Damien Hirst who, having received permission from the Andy Warhol estate, mixed the pop artist’s iconic images with his recent penchant for skulls and death’s head images. The line, which is to be launched in the US in January, attracted a high turn-out of fashionistas and art-world apparatchiks, including many names from the Sixties “Factory” era in which Warhol made his name. It was the social event of Fashion Week. Yet Gagosian, the man whose influence made the event possible, was apparently nowhere to be seen.

Last Saturday night, halfway across Manhattan on Museum Mile, crowds queued around the block to gain access to a play at the Guggenheim Museum featuring performances by Cate Blanchett and Natalie Portman; Uma Thurman, Lucy Liu and Lou Reed were in the audience. Although it wasn’t at his gallery, Gagosian was credited in the programme, again raising eyebrows. The official line is that he financed it. One leading New York art critic said: “He’s ubiquitous. These were not art shows, they were high-profile New York events, which people were willing to wait an hour and a half to get into.”

Named this month by ArtReview magazine as the second most important global player in art, Gagosian, 62, was denied the top spot only by François Pinault, the multibillionaire collector behind the Gucci fashion empire. Cruising New York in his Audi station wagon, mobile phone constantly to his ear, with his steel-grey, power-cut hair, Armani suits and calfskin loafers, Gagosian is the epitome of the American hustler made good. Nicknamed “Go-Go” for his tenacity, he is two-thirds Michael Douglas in Wall Street and one-third Tony Curtis in Sweet Smell of Success.

With his unorthodox techniques, including photocopying pages from magazines to offer works which may not yet actually be his to sell – and luring artists from other galleries by making them offers they can’t refuse – he has a formidable reputation. For the past decade he has barely made a public utterance. Outside his art-world inner circle, he is an enigma. Who is this man?

****

What can be said for certain is that Gagosian knows how to live in style. His elegant townhouse on the Upper East Side, originally designed for fashion designer and society heiress Christophe de Menil, has its own one-lane pool. At Toad Hall, his sprawling $8m estate in East Hampton’s plush Further Lanes, he hosts summer soirées and film screenings for his chums, including the film producer David Geffen and Mick Jagger.

And we know that in his all-consuming professional life he represents most of the biggest names in art, including Richard Serra, Walter De Maria, Jeff Koons, Ed Ruscha, Howard Hodgkin and Rachel Whiteread. His clients include Charles Saatchi and the actor Steve Martin. He has at several points been responsible for the highest prices ever bid at auction. And his galleries are some of the most popular art spaces on the globe: penthouse headquarters at 980 Madison Avenue as well as two other galleries in New York, an impressive space on Camden Drive in Beverly Hills, and his critically adored galleries in King’s Cross and Mayfair in London. He recently found time to hold a high-profile exhibition in Moscow. And tonight, he is to host a star-studded reception for the opening of Tracey Emin’s new exhibition, You Left Me Breathing, in Beverly Hills. On 15 December, a spectacular new Gagosian Gallery will open in Rome.

Lawrence Gilbert Gagosian’s birth certificate apparently reveals that he was born in the County of Los Angeles on 19 April 1945 (making him two years older than has been previously reported). His father is listed, apparently, as one Ara Gagosian, his mother’s maiden name as Ann Louise Toakin. According to the New York-based author Phoebe Hoban, writing in her 1998 biography of the painter Jean-Michel Basquiat, A Quick Killing in Art (which contains one of the best biographies of Gagosian’s early life), his father was an accountant for the city of Los Angeles. His mother was an actress, and played smaller roles in several films, including one by Orson Welles.

After spending a short while at the literary agent the William Morris Agency (the same agency as Geffen and Michael Ovitz) he began his career selling posters near UCLA, from which he graduated in 1969. Within a year he had opened his own gallery and was selling work to the real-estate developer, now Los-Angeles-based billionaire, Eli Broad.

Broad – named by Vanity Fair as one of the most powerful figures in the international art world – said this week: “Larry is an incredible person, he has great energy, a good eye. In his private dealing I can’t imagine knowing anyone through which you had a better chance of getting a work of art. I can think of no one who is more active or has more to offer as a dealer than he does.”

The architect Robert Mangurian, who designed a home for Gagosian in LA, worked with the dealer over the project for two years. To him, it seemed clear that Gagosian had fingers in many pies. He said: “We were always impressed by his intelligence and keen eye for art; he seemed like he knew what he was looking at. We would get paid with paper bags filled with cold cash. He had deals on the side. He was in real estate and had properties he would sublet. His father was famous in LA: the bucks came from somewhere.” Maurice Tuchman, former curator of modern art at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, added: “You knew the game was changing when he came along. He had the perfect balance between involvement and detachment. He was aloof and disciplined.”

According to Hoban, in 1979 Gagosian moved to the East Coast, opening a gallery in SoHo that he ran with the renowned gallerist Annina Nosei. Talking from New York, Nosei described him thus: “Larry was friendly and brilliant in business… he has a passion and a really good eye.” Here, one of his biggest achievements was bonding with the influential dealer Leo Castelli. Gagosian has said that his knowledge of the New York art world came from “a combination of floating crap game/little art dealership in the ground floor of Leo Castelli’s building. I was sort of friendly with those guys and we’d sit around, and we’d play cards sometimes, and try to do little V C art deals, and [I’d] keep my ear open. I learnt a lot just being there, and Leo [Castelli] was in the building.”

Hoban writes that around this time Gagosian formed a relationship with Basquiat, who died in 1988 from a drugs overdose. Their business partnership reached its zenith in April 1982, when Nosei and Gagosian staged an exhibition at Gagosian’s Los Angeles gallery. Gagosian paid to fly several of Basquiat’s entourage from New York, first class.

“I’ve never seen anything like it on a plane,” Gagosian later joked. “It was like these four kind of rough-looking black kids hunched over a big pile of coke, and then they just switched over to these huge joints, and sat up there and smoked them. It was wild. They had their big, hooded ski-glasses on, and big overcoats. The stewardess freaked. I was terrified. I thought, ‘Oh God, we’re going to jail.’” In response to the stewardess’s protestations, Basquiat replied: “I thought this was first class…”

The opening was huge, with the most famous LA collectors, dealers and celebrities in attendance. Again, it began to cement – along with his deals with Condé Nast owner SI (Si) Newhouse, Geffen and Saatchi – Gagosian’s soaring reputation.

In 1985, he opened his own gallery in New York, in Chelsea, and rose to prominence on the Manhattan “scene”, capitalising on his relationship with Castelli. Hoban claims he cemented his relationship with the veteran dealer in 1987, shortly after the older man’s wife, Antoinette, passed away, by selling elements of Castelli’s holdings – turning round a $1.5m deal in 24 hours – to pay taxes on her estate.

Gagosian is also understood to have made a gift to Castelli of a $7,500 Patek Philippe watch. The generosity was returned in kind: Castelli introduced Gagosian to Newhouse, one of his main clients. At auction at Sotheby’s in 1988, Gagosian bought Jasper John’s False Start for Newhouse for a record $17m: the collector sat beside the dealer, openly instructing him on the bidding process.

****

All his associates agree that Gagosian has a rapier-like business sense. One anonymous dealer claims Gagosian put pressure on him over the purchase of a painting and drawing by the minimalist artist Robert Mangold for a specific client. “I sold him the Mangolds because I wanted to get them into that collection,” the dealer said. “But I told him I needed to borrow the painting back later for a major show. A couple of weeks later, it turned up on the market. He hadn’t sold it to the collector at all. Now I wouldn’t sell him anything in the way of new work.” In a 1991 interview with The New York Times, Gagosian said he had no recollection of the episode.

And, as Eli Broad said this week: “I recall a [Otto] Rothenburgh painting we were interested in that a dealer really didn’t want to sell, but Larry convinced him to sell it to us. Larry can be very convincing, very persistent. The last thing we bought was a large painting by Cy Twombly that was shown in Avignon, France. A year doesn’t go by where we don’t buy a number of things from Larry. Right now, he doesn’t have to be too persistent in this kind of market. But Larry can be charming when he needs to be charming.”

It is often claimed that Gagosian keeps his business growing by borrowing against his inventory. He has been accused of, on occasion, combining this with a process of stalling payment to those from whom he buys, in effect giving him interest-free loans. More controversially, according to public documents at the United States Attorney’s Office in the Southern District of New York, Gagosian handed over a $9m settlement over unpaid taxes in 2004. The move came after federal prosecutors sued Gagosian and three of his associates the previous year, accusing them of not paying $26m in income liability.

Others say his intelligence sometimes stretches his ability to relate to people. The Sonic Youth guitarist Kim Gordon, who worked for Gagosian when he was selling posters in LA (framing mass-produced lithographs for him), said: “When I first met him I thought no one was going to take him seriously, he’s such an asshole. He used to yell at us. It was a painful, awful experience working for him. He was very mean.”

Another former employee, John Seed, who worked for Gagosian in the early 1980s, writes on his website: “It shouldn’t surprise anyone that Larry could be quite rude. That in itself was not shocking, but what stunned me was that his rudeness was tolerated and even embraced by some bored clients. Once, an LA socialite came in and asked the price of an Ed Ruscha painting. We called Larry in New York and he answered the phone in a nasty mood and proceeded to let loose with a string of foul language and insults aimed at the woman. She could hear the conversation and didn’t even flinch; in fact she smiled.”

Another of the dealer’s artists, Michael Craig-Martin, said: “When I see him I think he has an alert and eager look, but it’s always also blank. He’s one of those people that you project on to. As a result, he’s able to deal with an incredible range of people.”

“He’s like the art dealer-cum-rainman,” another dealer told Hoban. “He’s a gifted dealer, his ability to digest and retain information is extraordinary. Yet he can’t even make a cup of coffee for himself. He is totally dependent on other people. He has to have a full staff in the Hamptons, a full staff at his house in New York and a big staff at the gallery. Everyone is there so he won’t be lonely.”

Some critics believe that Gagosian’s pursuit of the deal has occasionally eclipsed his passion for the art. One, who wished to remain anonymous, said: “He has one of the coldest handshakes I have ever experienced. He is famous for selling to anyone, but I don’t think he is a deep art-lover.”

He is intensely secretive, closely guarding the blurred relationship between his public and private lives. “There is no Larry outside of his work,” another of his ex-girlfriends, the former model Veronica Webb, told New York magazine. “He considers his business sacred. One morning, a helicopter landed on the lawn and he told me he had to go look at a painting. When I asked him which collector and which painting, he wouldn’t tell me.”

****

As 2007 dawned, Gagosian had galleries on Madison Avenue, 24th Street and 21st Street in New York, in Beverly Hills, and in Britannia Street and Davies Street in London. When he opened his Britannia Street space in 2004 – a garage conversion designed by the architect Caruso St John – in King’s Cross, the international art community was on hand to heap on the praise. Charles Saatchi said at the time that it was “magnificent and beautiful”.

Last month, Gagosian opened an exhibition in the plush Moscow suburb of Rublyovka, home to President Vladimir Putin and the cream of the city’s oligarchs. Here, a mall sits selling Lamborghinis, Harley-Davidsons and fur coats from Gucci and Prada. The dealer hopes to sell works by Damien Hirst, Jeff Koons, Mark Rothko and Picasso to the city’s wealthy.

Now, all eyes are on Rome. As ever, Gagosian is being secretive. What is known is that, outside the gallery on the Via Francesco Crispi, columns of travertine lead into black stone steps, opening out into a giant oval room of white walls. The gallery is 700 square metres, over half of which is exhibition space. There is no café, restaurant or bookshop. “The difference in this gallery is its Roman-ness. It could only be here,” Firouz Galdo, the space’s architect, told the Italian magazine Panorama. “It is a space purely dedicated to art.”

It is a closely guarded secret who will be the first artist to exhibit at the gallery this December, although Twombly lives and works in the Italian capital. One local critic said: “He [Gagosian] doesn’t need a scene to start a gallery. He makes the scene. You don’t think collectors go to Rome on holiday? There’s no auctions in Rome, but that doesn’t matter. If there can be a sale there, he will be the person who will make one.” Some believe the move into Rome is purely a business opportunity. Others believe the opening is simply the result of an off-the-cuff remark by Twombly, who said he wanted a show in Rome. And so the Gagosian saga goes on.

Earlier in his career, Gagosian was reportedly negotiating with the dealer Jan Eric Lowenadler, who was on the King of Sweden’s yacht at the time. After a number of phone calls, Lowenadler told Gagosian that he couldn’t talk. His excuse? He was with the King of Sweden. Gagosian’s employees allegedly heard their boss scream: “Fuck the King of Sweden!”

Perhaps this is the perfect image of Gagosian, the ruthless chaser of the American dream. Perhaps Michael Craig-Martin, whose own exhibition opens next month at the Britannia Street gallery, sums him up as well as anyone can: “He’s the master of American self-invention. In England, you’re stuck with who you are born as. In the US, you can become someone else.”

Tags: Uncategorized // Add Comment »

The Art of Pricing by Artforshow.com

How much should an artist charge for his/her artwork depends on several factors which also apply in the business world. Nowadays Art has to be seen as a business since more and more artists have to make a living out of it.

By looking around at art auctions, the net, art-galleries and art-fairs, one can often see that artists do charge the wrong price. Mostly over priced. Artists in the business since only one year do price one of their small works 2000$ while artists who already won several art prices and are creating art and have their own galleries do charge the same amount, however for one of their big works.

I don’t want to offer a pricing table for artists, however I want to list several factors which should be considered when pricing their works. In my opinion, galleries and artists should work together to figure out a fair price for both sides, and not just adding the art gallery commission onto the price the artist decided to charge for his/her artwork.

• Fair art pricing policy should incorporate the following points:
• Since how many years is the artist creating works (entry level vs. advanced level)
• How many prices did the artist win so far?
• Material Costs
• Is the Artstudio at home? (gas prices)
• Rent of Artstudio
• How many art-galleries do show this artist?
• In how many countries?Where does the artist live? (cost of living)
• Shared commission of art-gallery vs. sole art commission
• Does the artist have a day-job?Where is the artshow? (One can charge more in New York than in Hickytukaland)
• Does the artist has an online art portfolio (use of “modern” tools)……………………

There are much more points which play a role into the art pricing policy, however this short article should only suggest that when a work is finally finished, the right pricing plays a crucial role and should be treated with the same precision than the artist used when creating the artwork.

Tags: Uncategorized // Add Comment »

This is a feature art Marketing Course For Artists & Craftspeople At All Levels. The program artforshow is going to introduce here is A 13 1/2 Hour Multimedia Downloadable Course.

How Often Do You Wonder…
“Will I Ever Make a Living With My Art?”

This Course Gives You All the Tools You Need to Immediately Start Making Good Money Selling Your Artwork, No Matter What Type of Artist You Are

We had a close look at the course which is offered as a downloadable multimedia course and we can with good consciouses recommend it. Below we listed the 27 classes which you will be taught, and if interested see for yourself if your new passion is artsmarketing and you want to be a successful artist click here or read on:

1. What price point sells best?
This is perhaps the number one question I receive from artists from around the world…How to
price their work. This class addresses this in a manner that you will know exactly how to price
your work for the most profits. There is a science and art to doing this and it will be covered in
this part of the course.

2. One of a kind pieces, production work or combination of both?
In this class I will go into detail about the strategies involved in creating artwork for different
scenarios. Which method is most profitable and how to orient your work to be profitable in all arenas.
By understanding how to create your work in “multiples” you will be well on your way to developing a
profitable line of artwork.

3. Limited Edition Pieces- Detailed Explanation & Implementation
I really like teaching this class because it is a subject that most well known artists don’t talk much about.
They all use this technique and make really good money doing it. Now it is yours to understand!

4. Signing Pieces for Extra Profits
If you apply the information in this class you can see your work double or perhaps triple in price.
This class will expose you to a method of increasing the value of your work by just adding a signature.
I go over why you want to do this and how.

5. How to Sell Wholesale
This method of selling your art can be just what you’re looking for. Many artists sell this way.
This class will go thru whether it will be right for you and how to do it right should you want to try.

6. Creating Pieces for Other Artists to Use in Their Work, ie: jewelry pieces
Most artists never consider doing “piece work” to sell to other artists. There is a BIG market for
this type of work. After you go thru this class you may just find yourself diving into this lucrative
line of artwork. This is one of those strategies that is so easy that most people wouldn’t even
think of it. But, there are lots of artists that are making their living doing just this technique alone.

7. Selling to Galleries on Your Terms
The title says it all. I have helped many artists get into galleries. The techniques and tips you learn
in this section of the course will do the same for you. Approaching and entering galleries is an
“art” (pun intended), do it right and you decide where your work is displayed. This class will give
you the leg up on the process.

8. Weekend Art shows
This is one of the best classes in the whole course and I’m really excited to deliver this section
to you! Once you go thru this class and apply the material you will now have the tools to sell
everything that you make. This class alone is worth the entire price of the course. You’re going to love it!

9. Creating Art Freebies to Use as Your Business Card
This is a really cool technique that I use very often…give stuff away! On the surface, most artists
think that I lost my mind on this one. Why would you give art away? Well I never said I give away
my good work did I? I found a way to give away my “scraps” in a way that people want to buy my
more expensive pieces. Think of it as an appetizer for the meal. By you establishing some sort of
exchange with a prospect, they naturally want to reciprocate the favor…in other words they want
to buy something from you. This class will go over the dynamics on how to do this. You will like this one!

10. Creating Art for Businesses
I have a lot of artists tell me that after they go thru this section they have decided to make this
their full time pursuit. Creating work for businesses can be very lucrative…knowing which
businesses to pursue is one of the keys. This class will cover that and more.

11. Creating Your Art for Niche Applications, ie: hobbies, animal enthusiasts,
car collectors, sports, professions
There are thousands and thousands of specialized Niche hobbyists who are extremely passionate
about their interests. These people tend to buy everything and anything they can get their hands
on when it relates to their “Niche”. This section of the course teaches you specific ways how to
find these areas of interest and how to develop artwork to sell to these zealots.

12. Commission work
Many artists love doing commission or custom work. It can be extremely profitable or very
costly…depending on how you price your work. Doing it correctly from the “get go” is the key.
This class will share with you some insights on how to do it.

13. Creating a Series to Create a HUGE Business
This strategy has been one of the most successful which I use to sell my glass artwork.
I know that you will find it beneficial as well!

14. Creating Theme Work
This is a cool class! You will learn some “outta the box” steps to increase the value and
longevity of your artwork so you can sell it again and again. It is like a money machine and
you decide when and how long to turn it on for. Apply the information in this class to your own
line of art and watch your sales grow. This is very easy to do once you learn the basics.

15. Creating & Selling Art for Special Events
I have not met an artist that could not apply this material to their work. You just need to
“think outta the box”. My goal for this class is to get you way outside of that box! After sitting in
on this class you will be able to create art at will for upcoming events. This class will show you how.
I know many artists that use this as a primary means to sell all of their work. It is extremely
profitable and believe me there are enough events throughout the year to tie your art sales to.
Your mind will be racing with ideas after going thru this class.

16. How to Create & Sell Religious artwork
Don’t worry…this is not a controversial topic. I have found that there is a large market for this
application. Whether you plan to enter it or are already making artwork or craftwork for religious
application, you are going to learn several methods to make yourself more profitable. At the same
time you will be helping people on a higher level. This type of artwork should lift peoples’ spirit.
After studying this class you will understand this market alot clearer…

17. Public Works Art
This class will teach you some of the ingredients and methods to get involved in this very
lucrative field. This marketing method does take more time and effort, but once you get into
it your name recognition and income could soar.

18. Composer or Hands On Artist
You are going to learn how to orchestrate a band of artisans This can be really fun. I know
several artists who use this technique very successfully and profitably. Dale Chihuly being one of
them. If you are not familiar with his work you can see it in museums all over the world, in the
Bellagio Hotel in Las Vegas, in Atlantis in Nassau and other five star rated hotels around the world.
Keep your eyes open as you go thru this class to see how you can become the orchestrator with
your art. Have fun with it…isn’t that what life’s about?

19. Creating reproductions of other artwork in a different media
This class will help spark your creative mind. Sometimes when you need a boost in creating a
new line of work it is difficult to find a subject matter to work with. This class teaches how you
can use other’s designs to help you get going and give you your own line of work. This class can
be applied to all media that you work in

20. Building a Huge Business Making Architectural Art
If your work lends itself to this type of market you will love this class. Even if you produce smaller
works of art this class will give you ideas on how to modify your work for architectural installations.

21. Art for Giftware
This section of the course has launched more businesses for artists getting into retail work. In this
class I teach you how to find profitable markets and how to sell to them. Once you know the
ingredients and apply the recipe…success is yours! The gift market is HUGE! You might as well
become part of it…I’ll teach you how to do it smart

22. Networking with Other Artists
I especially like this section of the course for here you’ll learn how to help yourself and
other artists to sell more work. Being able to work together in a profitable manner will benefit
all involved. There are artists in all types of media that could complement your type of artwork.
This class will teach you how to benefit from this type of relationship. This is typically a very
under-explored method for growing an art business. People are always concerned about
competition. Well, learning how to work together for a mutual cause can bring in a lot of money
when done right. This is what you learn in this class.

23. Collector Specials
You will learn a method in this class to sell out all your work before you make one piece.
This is so simple to do that once I reveal it you’ll say “why didn’t I think of that” Use
the technique taught in this class and you’ll soon see your collectors will be calling you
to get in early before your next piece sells out.

24. Online Sales - Creating a Fortune on the Internet
This class is rather long and covers everything you need to get you on track selling on the internet.
You are going to learn secret strategies that hardly any artist knows about. These techniques once
implemented will explode your art business.

25. Build Your Business through E-Mails
This class is worth its weight in gold…scratch that… the course is delivered digitally so it
would weigh nothing Honestly, this particular class is an absolute gem! Once you discover
the information in this class you will wonder why someone had not shown it to you before.
It will literally make you thousands and thousands of dollars once you put it into your business plan.

26. Special “How Do I Do It” Demonstration
This class is fun! You are going to learn how to make money having others learn from you. Hey,
you are already creating and selling art, why not teach other artists or wanna-be artists how you
do it? This is very easy to do once you know some basic steps.

27. “How to Book” on Producing Your Art
I figured that I would share with you this great marketing strategy that has made me some good
money. Hey, this is what this course is about! I figured out how to do something…sell art…and
then created an information product around it. After going thru this class you can do something
along those lines. You’re already creating great work why not make some money teaching others
how to do it as well? This strategy is great for bringing in extra money. Very easy to implement
and you can put it together in your “down time”… that’s if you have any I love sharing information
with people and if you do as well, I think you are going to enjoy this class.

So now you had a good overview how you can market yourself as an artist, so if you have any further question drop us (artforshow) a line or see more about the artsmarketing video course here.

Tags: Uncategorized // Add Comment »

This sounds blatantly obvious, but how you display your work on your site is often as critical as what you display. For example, computer monitors impose certain resolution limitations on the display of visual images in terms of their dots per square inch. Whereas you may be able to scan a professionally taken photograph of your work at 1,200 dpi or use a digital camera at the same resolution, the monitor may only display a maximum resolution of 72 dpi. This means no matter how clear and detailed your image is, it will lose much of its definition once it’s displayed on your Internet page. Also, don’t forget the importance of the background when displaying your work. The background should flatter the displayed image. Most Web designers prefer neutral backgrounds to accentuate the color components of the work; however, you may wish to employ a contrary strategy for art that is more neutral in color.

Tags: Uncategorized // Add Comment »

1. Create a high quality neutral space compatible with the art exhibited.
2. Install excellent lighting. Lighting is 50% of the success of art presentation. Usually combine spots and floods, or use what is suitable for the work, not what just happens to be there.
3. Pay attention to detail. Patch walls properly, hang work level, use discrete labeling and install it cleanly. Attention to detail in everything the public might encounter.
4. Allot generous space for works in the gallery. Do not overcrowd. If in doubt, make a tough decision and eliminate something to create more space.
5. Have a website that is designed to be effective in communicating your programs, events, exhibits, mission, etc. The function is primary, the form should support the function, and represent the same attention to detail evident in your gallery. Keep the website up to date.
6. Market. Use Internet, mail and word of mouth to market your gallery. Be friendly, energetic, and professional. Use posters and postcards to promote. Have a good logo and use it.
7. Communicate with everyone you work with in a timely and effective manner.
8. Write good press releases and know your press targets and deliver the PR to them at least 3 weeks in advance of the exhibit/event.
9. Be very nice to the artists whose work you exhibit. Treat them professionally. Their appreciation will pay dividends in many ways in years to come.
10. Be as passionate about your gallery presentations as you would be about a work of art. An exhibit is in fact a work of art if the whole is greater than the sum of the parts.
11. Collaborate in creative ways with other galleries, businesses, etc.
12. Ask for advice and help from those you see doing well what you want to do.
13. Be efficient!

Tags: Uncategorized // Add Comment »

Q. As an oil painter, I find it a real challenge to paint a neat-looking signature on canvas. Is there something other than oil paint that I can use for signing my paintings?

A. You can sign a painting several different ways. I favor using a panel stretcher for oil paintings, so I can sign my paintings in pencil—even if there’s the slight chance that someone might erase the signature—and then cover my bases by attaching an informative label to the stretcher bars plywood backing I use for the canvases.

If the paint is still wet when you’re ready to sign it, you could also scratch your name and the date into the wet paint. I sometimes use a sharpened chopstick or the end of a paintbrush for that purpose. If the paint is already dry, you could apply a thin layer of wet paint and scratch into that before it dries.

Some of my friends use marker pens to do the job. If you choose to do this, you’ll have to find a solvent-based pen (Sharpie brand markers, made by Sanford, will do the trick) that sticks to the oil paint, and that has some claim of light durability. Otherwise, you could find the signature smearing or fading over time.

If none of those options appeals to you, you could get a small pointed brush and some oil paint thinned with medium and just practice on canvas until you can paint a signature that you find acceptable.

Tags: Uncategorized // Add Comment »

Q. I have a collection of works that I’d like to show to galleries, but I’m not sure how to present them. Do I bring my actual paintings, slides or transparencies? And what’s the proper way for me to approach a gallery? Can I walk in unannounced, or do I need to make an appointment?

A. The best way to start a relationship with any gallery is to visit the space. Does it strike you as being organized and efficient? Is there harmony among staff members? Are browsers treated with consideration? Do you get a sense of optimism and profitability? Or maybe you feel tension among the staff. The place may lack optimism and energy. Is it shabby or ill-maintained ? Finally, do the director and staff behave like snobs? Even if it’s a profitable gallery, this kind of attitude drives away hordes of people who would otherwise participate in the arts—and collect your work.

If you’re comfortable with the gallery and one of the assistants seems to have a second to chat, you can briefly show a portfolio to see if they’re interested in making an appointment. Be sure to get the gallery’s business card as well so you can mail in visuals; e-mail is acceptable for directing the staff to your website or for sending digital images of your work, but I find it’s not as effective as a portfolio sent by regular mail.

To mail your presentation, assemble the necessary materials in a simple but attractive presentation folder. CDs or DVDs of your work are preferred these days, but photos and slides are still a valid format. No matter how your art is presented, the photography must be sharp and of professional caliber. This doesn’t mean you have to pay professional prices—just find a competent photographer who works out of his home, or learn to shoot photos yourself.

Next, type a brief letter, preferably on your own stationery (which you can print via desktop computer to save money) and include your résumé, a postcard or brochure of your work, any articles about you that have been published, and a business card that should match the stationery in terms of layout. Finally, be sure to include an SASE if you want your materials back. If your work is strong, then every minor thing you can do to enhance the perception of being professional and established is critical.

After you’ve mailed the packet, wait a week before calling the gallery to politely ask for an appointment. Be prepared to get rejected many times, as this is more common than not. It’s for this reason that you want to approach several galleries. If your work is mature, you’ve put in the hours and have realistically assessed where you are artistically, you’ll ultimately find the gallery you’re seeking. Yes, it will take perseverance, but you’ve come this far as an artist, so persevering should be nothing new.

Tags: Uncategorized // 2 Comments »

After hours weeks and month of passionated work, we can proudly release the new free Art Gallery Website into the world. And o far it is a phenomenal success. Lets make it the ne and only free online art exhibition where artists can create their own galleries, sell without paying commissions and create a unique artist network. Communicate, create and share. Release your creative potential and share your skills with the world!

Your Artforshow Team

Tags: Uncategorized // 1 Comment »