What a News Article Can Do for Artists

Last week, one of my paintings was featured in the local newspaper. It was a large image of my St. Augustine Bridge of Lions painting, prominently placed at the top of the monthly article about the St. Augustine Artwalk.

Bridge of Lions (c) Mary Hubley

The article came out in the weekend edition, and artwalk was that evening. The result? I sold a print of the painting, and landed a commission to do a larger version. The commission was the direct result of the newspaper article - in fact, the customer walked into the gallery with the article in hand.

The takeaway? Local publicity does work. To sell, we need to get the word out. In this case, the newspaper got the word out for this painting. Behind the scenes, it happened because my St. Augustine gallery owner, Georgia Nick (from the GNG Gallery), sent in press releases and photos to the paper. The newspaper responded.

Papers love to have fresh material. Local papers love press releases and photos from gallery owners and artists because it makes their job easier. It's a ready-made story. They're likely to print it, as long as it's interesting and there's room in the paper.

So, to all of you artists who crave more publicity - go for it. Develop relationships with the local arts editors. Send smart press releases and photos with new material every couple of months. And sell!

Here's a link to my article: Compass Article

--Mary Hubley

Unblocking Artist's Block

It's not easy to produce painting after painting, day after day. You lose freshness. You get tired. You run out of ideas, and nothing inspires you.

And then, the downward spiral of negative self-talk takes you to the edge of the dark abyss: "I'm no good. I'll never paint again." I would rather sleep. Or watch the tube.

Van Gogh got tired, too. And he had to do laundry, shop, cook meals, and entertain insane artist guests. He still managed to paint.

Get Happy Again.

• Take some forced time off. Get recharged. It's healthy to take a breather. Just recognize it for what it is, and let yourself have a vacation from your work.
• Take a class or workshop or join a plein air group. Being with other artists injects me with a boost of energy I can't get on my own. And it's a great way to learn new techniques and laugh a lot.
• Oh - and laugh a lot. Laughing rev's up the old happy juices. Don't laugh alone, either - it helps to drink plenty of wine with insane friends.
• Try something new. Play with a new subject matter, a new medium, write some poetry, or take a cooking class. Force your brain's synapses to connect in a whole different way. 
• Paint for YOU. I am least happy when I have an obligation to fulfill. Commissioned paintings and book illustrations can suck the life out of me. I get the most inspiration and joy when I'm just painting what I want to.
• Positive self-talk. Don't believe it when you tell yourself "I'm a hack." Be gentle on yourself. Smile. Tell yourself that "You're a great artist. You are a great person. You rock. Yay!"
• Throw away the dogs. Don't keep around the bad paintings - they only reinforce sneaky negative self-talk by proving to you that you're a bad painter. Instead, burn them and move on.

Georgia Nick Gallery

Here is my wall in 2013 at the Georgia Nick Gallery in downtown St. Augustine, Florida. The Georgia Nick Gallery is located well -- it's smack dab in the center of the arts district. St. Augustine is known as an artsy place. Lots of galleries, two artwalks each month, and artists everywhere!

Stop by and see me on the first friday evening of every month -- I'll be hanging around the gallery helping out! The wall space will change as we go along!

--Mary

Selling Paintings in a difficult market

How many of you have been actually doing much in the way of sales? The art market is difficult for many of us, and we all need to be quite creative in sales. Here are some quick tips:

• Online Marketing -- write articles, blog, and Facebook.
• Festivals -- if you're a gallery artist, why not branch out and do a few festivals?
• Pein Air -- Lots of my painting out of doors has resulted in real sales from people who are walking by.
• Network -- Connect with people during your town's artwalks, go to Pen Women meetings, and join your local art associations. It's amazing what great ideas come out of connecting with other artists.

What Recession? Sotheby's and Christie's are Selling Art Again

SOLD Beach Boy, 12 x 12 oil on Canvas

This week's art headlines scream, "Confidence has surged back into the art market faster than predicted, and although contemporary values were hit hard by the credit crunch, auctioneers are confident that this week's sales will cement the recovery."

Wow! Finally after months and months of no confidence! Last week, a world auction record was set of $104.3 million was for a Giacometti statue. And the ArtTactic research group said the contemporary art market had returned to levels last seen in the autumn of 2007. Sotheby's and Christie's was already seeing sharply higher numbers six months ago, indicating that at that time, wealthy collectors were over their financial crisis.

So, what's that mean to us artists who don't sell works through Sotheby's and Christies? And what about smaller collectors who may not yet have managed to crawl beyond their own personal financial speedbumps? Are they buying anything but a small print here and there?

Could be. While I don't have any hard and fast numbers, the galleries with which I work seem to be a bit busier with real buying customers. I've noticed better sales lately of my own work. Rather than just settling for smaller paintings, my collectors are beginning to purchase some of my larger, more expensive work.

Could be it's spring. Or that people just need a lift. Or it could be a sign of good things to come.

Painting Through a Slump

I'm painting like crazy again! You never know when you're going to hit a dead wall. Other things in life start to take over, and before you know it, it's weeks since you touched your last paintbrush.

SOLD "Beach Day" 6 x 6

I've just gone through a dry spell. One where I did paint every week, but without much enthusiasm. I've been involved elsewhere, and I've been a bit lazy. 

I look on these times not with frustration, but with a sense of rest. I take rests occasionally from my work. And it's OK. I don't mind at all. It gives me a time out. A respite from having to push. I allow myself this.

Then, as quickly as the desire to paint has left me, it comes again. This time, I was inspired by a recent trip to Savannah. The galleries there are wonderful, and the owners of many of the galleries were the painters displayed, and many were there at their galleries, so I could talk to them. We went on a ghost tour, played by the river walk, and ate glorious Southern food. 

The paintings there reminded me there was world-class art around. And I am once again painting. I've become more interested in children again, and people playing at the beach. That's where my energies are going, at least for now.

Selling Art in a Recession

Lagoon, 6 x 6 original oil on canvas by Mary Hubley
Nobody's buying much art right now. The first thing that caves under recession is art; instead, people would rather buy groceries.

But there are exceptions.

I live in a gallery town, where there are lots of great places to buy art. And a few sales are still being made by a few artists who have established names. One artist said she just sold three paintings as she was hanging them for a new show last week. Another artist sold a $3,000 painting through a show at the art association. I'm actually doing quite well with my smaller paintings; I've sold quite a few of them in the past couple of months.

There are also ways other than gallery sales to make a buck in a recessionary time for artists. And during a recession, while waiting for the buyers to come back, it's a prime time to do work and to market. Here's a list of things artists can do while they're waiting for the market to come back:

• Keep doing art association shows and galleries.
• Find other places to show art--banks, restaurants, pet groomers, accountants, etc.
• Create or update your website.
• Look to where the money is. Find collectors by volunteering where they volunteer, attend art lectures, and network, network, network.
• E-mail your collectors to let them know what you're doing.
• Give classes.
• Find niches in other countries where collectors are looking for inexpensive American art.
• Sell overstock through e-bay. You don't get lots of money here, but it's a way to sell things that you might otherwise bonfire.
• Be willing to do commercial work, where businesses still need artists to produce images for products.

What to Look For When Buying Giclees

I always suggest buying original art, but occasionally you may be in the market for something less expensive. What should you look for in a print?

• Buy an Artist's Giclee ("zhee-CLAY"), a digital scan of a painting printed with high-end ink-jet printers. It's more expensive than traditional offset lithography on paper, but it can be printed on canvas or watercolor paper, and the quality is superior, producing brighter, longer-lasting colors.
• Buy Giclees from a gallery or direct from the artist. Don't go to Wal-Mart or Target, or any other big-box retailer. If you buy from the gallery or artist, you'll be getting a painting that's not mass-produced. Galleries and artists produce a few giclees, rather than thousands, so you're less likely to see the same image on your neighbor's bathroom wall.
• If you can, get an enhanced/embellished giclee. This is when the artist paints dabs over the giclee with oil or acrylic paint to capture the texture and feel of the original painting. Embellished paintings can cost more than just a plain old giclee, though, and not all embellished pieces are embellished by the artist him/herself, and they're more expensive, so ask before you buy.

Top 10 Reasons to Go to a Gallery Opening

1. You get to buy paintings.
2. There's lots to drink (while buying paintings).
3. It's a good place to have dates (while buying paintings).
4. It's a nice place to escape from the snow (while buying paintings).
5. You can meet new people (while buying paintings).
6, 7 ... 10 -- You get the idea. Gallery openings are especially wonderful places to be (for buying paintings).

(Subliminal enough?) I like to attend my own gallery openings. But I never actually buy my paintings. So, I must invite all my friends, family, and acquaintences to come to do that for me.

See my openings and galleries at maryhubley.com.

Too Much Art?

A couple of years ago, the town elders in Carmel, California noticed there was "too much art" and proclaimed a ban on new galleries in town. The problem? The galleries pulled in tourists, but locals just wanted to find a place to have lunch or buy new sneakers. And because tourists shipped art purchases out of state, sales tax was eliminated and brought in no revenue for the city. City leaders screamed foul; galleries are "A real and impending threat." Santa Fe, Key West, and Aspen, among other small art meccas, are also struggling with the fact that there is simply "too much art".

Thus, we are all left to deal with the threat of art. It's devious, if not evil. All of us should watch it closely, else we may see it pull down the financial fabric of our own small towns. Um. Here's a option: Wal-Mart. There, you can buy cheap art. Every household can own the same images, and you can do your weekly grocery shopping at the same time.

You get what you pay for.