Where to find fine art to sell in gallery?

[paraisoframes]

I am a newbie. Want to expand the frame gallery with an area for fine art and glass art. Does anyone know how to find artists? Is there a show we can go to where artists display? Thanks

[surferbill]

I am a newbie. Want to expand the frame gallery with an area for fine art and glass art. Does anyone know how to find artists? Is there a show we can go to where artists display? Thanks

Why would you want to tie up wall space with artists works that probably won't sell?

In 27 years I've had little luck dealing with and making any money off of displaying artists works.

Take that space and display samples of your framing work like multi-openings, diploma framing, shadowbox framing, etc.

Just my .02 cents worth.

[Garnetta]

I sell local and area artists' works. The two dimensional wall art is slow, but can sell. I sold several thousand dollars worth in one week. But it's far between the 2D sales.

The pottery, glass, sculpture and jewelry sells very well.

I would check with any local arts organizations. But I would jury in the artists and have them sign consigment contracts. Unless, of course, you plan purchasing the works for resale. You need to keep the quality of your art high. Don't take just anyone's work. You'll only be as good as your worst pieces in the eyes of the buying public.

[IWASFRAMED]

I'm an artist. Please ask me!:D
What type of art do you want?:thumbsup:
I am an award-winning artist; watercolor painter. I do landscapes, sea scapes, still-life, and yes, my works sell.
I've been in the business for over 30 years.:)

[couture's gallery]

Try Wholesalecrafts.com for some really good gallery stuff..we buy and sell a lot of items thru this site from artists all over the country

[Carol A. Johanningsmeier]

Where are you? Look for the local art league. They can help you find artists to work with. We are a gallery that does framing. Our shows change about every 2-3 months. Framing pays the bills. The split on sales is 70/30, but most seem to be 60/40. Framing is what really pays the bills.

[jojoframer]

I know an artist in West Branch, MI check out her website at:

morningwindart.com and here are a few of her works.2495

2496

2497

2498
These are available in signed prints and originals

[Kirstie]

Why would you want to tie up wall space with artists works that probably won't sell?

In 27 years I've had little luck dealing with and making any money off of displaying artists works.

Take that space and display samples of your framing work like multi-openings, diploma framing, shadowbox framing, etc.

Just my .02 cents worth.

Good advice from Bill. And if you can find a popular art style for your market you can frame some of those pieces of art in different ways to show off your talents.

Yesterday I picked up a small print and some other items for framing from one of our regular wholesale accounts (retail store). The small print was faded because it had been sitting for 2 years in a ready made frame with regular glass exposed to fluorescent light. I offered to reframe it as a favor along with his regular order. We had a copy of the print, so I gave him a new one, and we used his faded one alongside another new one to make a frame with double window title mat showing the result of fading without UV protection. We split the glass using CC and regular so the print will fade some more. This is just a small example of interesting things you can put on your walls that cost you very little and yield results.

If you are starting a whole new gallery area, I would seriously consider your geographical area, learn your market, find out what is selling and buy that. In Vancouver I'd buy Native People's art. In New Mexico, I'd buy southwestern art. In Vail or Tahoe, ski cabin art with snowy outdoor scenes. In Montana outdoor mountain scenes. In Chicago, craftsman with attention to Frank Lloyd Wright, You get the idea. But this geographical idea only works if the art you choose is attractive to your market. That's where your homework comes in.

Consignment art has flopped for me.

[nikfrz]

I agree with Kirstie. Get to know the demographics in your area. I am in a coastal area and those scenes sell well here. I couldnt give away a snow capped mountain scene. Decorative art is also very popular, and I would imagine that would be so no matter where you are located. We also have several very strong arts organizations in my area whom I support. I represent many of their members and they in turn send referrals for framing. Also, get the know the decorators in your area. I know, I cant believe I said that.

[paraisoframes]

I asked the first question concerning where to find artists to sell in my framing gallery. I have the opportunity to expand my space and would like to add an art gallery to my business. Not local artists, but more fine art lithographs and seriographs, as well as, glass art.
I didn't know if there was some kind of "market" to visit to find artists and wholesalers of fine art.

[printmaker]

I didn't know if there was some kind of "market" to visit to find artists and wholesalers of fine art.

As an artist who has been on both sides of the framing table, I must echo the caveats of some of my fellow Grumblers; it will be all too easy to fill your shop with dust collectors...

Having said that, here's a truly excellent place to look: http://www.americancraft.com/BMAC/

The show takes place twice a year and is well worth the visit. You had mentioned glass; the glass section is particularly impressive.

Also, judging from your phrase, "fine art lithographs and seriographs", it sounds like you're looking for more commercially (re)produced pictures. Other Grumblers can help you out with names of wholesale publishers of frameable "art".

Best of luck.

[Jeff Rodier]

When you mention fine art are you talking in the hundreds or thousands.

[more_so]

Think local.

2D art depicting recognizable local landscapes, historical sites, skylines, etc sell extremely well. I sell framed photographs that glorify local subjects, such as at sunset or in dramatic light situations with clouds and such. People who have never bought art will buy images of things that mean something to them quite readily. It's sort of like parents buying school pictures of the kids. Please note we're talking about 2D art here, not sculpture. 2D art needs to be framed, ahem.

I sell dramatic + recognizable stuff at about 10:1 over merely pretty pictures. Almost all the long-lived galleries in my area feature predominantly local subjects. But show me a new gallery with merely pretty art on the wall, I'll show you a gallery that won't be there in 6 months.

As for finding artists, just put out the word. Most artists are dying to find a place to display their stuff. But be prepared for some real schlock with only occasional nice stuff.

[BILL WARD]

where are you located?????? big city/small burg?????? there a MILLIONS of places on the web to look/see/checkout/recruit artists---just takes an ENORMOUS amount of time to wade thru itl. visit weekend fairs and talk with the art vendors.....ask them what guilds/club/groups they know about/belong to etc(take notes!!!)..........it's about legwork! thought about your $$ considerations???? who gets what, for what???? --- your % off the top for how long hanging, &/or how much you will charge them(onve/above the sale %)for the privelage of tying up walls space on stuff that may/may NOT sell, etc etc etc. isnt exactly all that straight forward--there have been previous threads dealing with this----read the searches.

[Val]

When I first took over this shop, it was touted as a "gallery/frame shop". After two years, I realized that the local artists' stuff was not selling, not because it wasn't good, but because I wasn't marketing it as a gallery and because art is not hot here. In the past year, many local galleries have closed up. A couple of us that have survived are frame shops only.

I'm a framer, and just didn't have the time/square footage or resources to market a gallery. My talent is framing. Politics and personalities didn't help either.

I called the artists that I had on consignment to pick up their art, and pay me for their framing (their ploy was, and I suckered into it, was..."You'll get paid for your framing when the art sells"...!!). A few paid for the framing. Some were taken out of the frames, which I will recycle as ready-mades or break down for scraps.

Bottom line....if you're gonna be a frame shop, then be a FRAME SHOP! As was mentioned above, fill your walls with your examples of what you do, put a price on them (I've sold many of the models!). Show your customers your talents, not others', sell yourself!

After a few complaints of "Why haven't you sold my stuff???" I listened to some on the Grumble about this very thing, and took a big breath and made the calls. I was not very popular, but I'm not in this business to be popular with artists who want only gallery-wrapped giclees, for little-or-no-commission, and a huge energy-sucking experience.

That being said....understand that it's my own experience, in my own geographical area, and you must make your own decisions, based on the above.

[Jeff Rodier]

That being said....understand that it's my own experience, in my own geographical area, and you must make your own decisions, based on the above.

I agree with you Val. In one of my stores 20 years ago I had 5000 sq ft and as a result had every artist in town wanting to display in my gallery. Because I had so much space at first I allowed them in but soon found it was difficult to sort out who I would let display in the gallery. I had individual rooms that measured 12'x12' that I decided to rent out. At the time I charged $150 per month for each room and rented to a pastel portrait artist, a watercolor artist, a mixed media artist and to a wildlife exhibitor that had many hand carved decoys and framed wildlife art that I was already doing his framing. I aslo alloyed a friend to start his comic book business there since he had thousands of first edition highly collectable books in the hundreds and thousand dollar range.

This gave them their own gallery space so cheap that they never wanted to leave because it gave them a business presence for almost nothing. I did not charge a percentage for their sales unless it was a credit card transaction. I also made all the rules as to displaying items. No spray painted garage sale frames or falling apart carp. Either it was framed by me or I had to approve the quality of frames they brought in. Any framed art that I didn't approve of the frame had to be displayed as an unframed item or I would frame it at a discount. This was a month to month lease for them so I could throw out any problem artist (didn't have to because the problem artist didn't want to make a financial commitment).

My store sign was 4x20 feet total with each end being 4x4 with tracks that sliding 1x4 panels could be inserted for the artist. 8 changeable sign slots which I had fillers for my store made so that none went empty.

Now if you have limited space you can erect free standing wall sections by making 2 4x8 drywall panels connected at 90 degree angle. This would give you 4 4x8 display spaces per section. Make them rent the space and live by your rules period. Offer them some really good deals on framing so you get to frame the art that is being displayed. My cost of materials on a frame job run less than 15% so I would offer them 40% off. Buy a bunch of length moulding so you can give them competitive pricing over the ready made junk that they like to buy.

Stick with month to month space rental so you can throw them out if they become a problem. Nobody gets a key and all checks or cash collected goes on their invoice and vendors license. Each artist leaves you a receipt book and is written separately from your business. They will all drive business through your door and you will pick up a lot of new customers this way.

This is a hassle free and profitable way of selling other peoples merchandise. An artist using your competitor for framing can be given the boot and can display at the competitors gallery. You can also choose down the road to do true consignment if a lot of artwork is selling.

[more_so]

You need some mechanism to sort of the unsellable stuff, otherwise your gallery turns into storage space for hopeless cases.

A 2 month display limit per piece goes a long way towards filtering out the carp. It's a great reality check for both you and artist about what really sells, and discourages dillusional artists who are generally the biggest pita's. Vanity galleries also do this very well, as Jeff mentions.

But do not under any circumstance let a coop group display in your gallery. Just don't do it, trust me, really!

[Jeff Rodier]

But do not under any circumstance let a coop group display in your gallery. Just don't do it, trust me, really!

Absolutely, one artist per space rental.

[Pframe]

Greetings,

I have been in business for nearly 2 years now. We initially had the idea to host an "Artist of the Month" each and every month. Our idea was that we could make inroads with the local art community, which may actually need a framer. The main reason though was to create traffic into a brand new business with no existing customer base. Our first show was a photography show which made over $3000.00 that first month, our cut was 30% of the total. We also collect a $50.00 hanging fee for our troubles. We host a First Fridays, where on the first Friday of the month we hold an artist reception. We spring for a couple bottles of wine, some punch, cheese and crackers...feed them and they will come! We encourage the artists to bring food too, the more that they eat and drink, the more that they will be seeing the artwork and tend to buy more.(the wine helps too)

We don't require the artists to frame with us, however, we are a frame shop first and we hold the right of first refusal. When we first interview the artists, we make them bring in examples of their work, more so to have a look at their framing! We have turned people down and it has to be that way. We have had nothing but wonderful success doing this, we have made some wonderful friends and some really awesome customers out of doing this.

It is a great thing for us, our gallery space is around 1200 square feet. We have lots of samples of our work on display and every month we are looking at great new artwork that doesn't cost us a dime! We do not purchase artwork, we will however sell it on consignment. We tried purchasing fine artwork and framing it. We used this as one of our first Fridays, however we sold nothing. In fact I am still looking at those things to this day! As an earlier grumbler stated, people want to purchase artwork that means something to them. They are much more willing to shell out their hard earned cash for a picture of the park or the local scenery than for artwork from somewhere that they have never been. They love to connect with the work on a personal level. Even if they don't buy, they will remember your shop as that fun place that was good enough to give Aunt Bertha a start. Trust me that goes a long way, providing that you treated Aunt Bertha well. I actually prefer to host local first time artists over the well established ones. The turnout is usually better and everyone wants to show support for the artist. I have had several highly touted fine artists in and they have all done well too.

At the end of the day, you are a frame store. This for us is just another way to reach our community and make more contacts, and more contatcs means more sales. Case in point, we had a local teacher display his wooden boxes last month. One of his students from 25 years ago came into his show, they loved our shop. They left that night with a $300.00 jewelry box. She came into the shop this evening and dropped $750.00 on a shadowbox. Her exact words were "We had such a great time here the other night that I knew I had to come back and show you these treasures that I have been collecting" She went on to say "Once I saw your own shadowboxes, I knew that you were the ones I could trust with my things".

Cheers,

David Gardner

[jullarp]

Greetings.
I agree with some opinions above mentioned. What the most important is , you have to find the RIGHT art works for the local market. Perhaps you have to do some research for your business.
We are a professtional gallery abroad supplying a range of high quality hand made oil paintings with reasonable low prices. Especially, we get orders for paintings from customers' pictures often. And we can help you seek for some interests as there are so many galleries, painters and artists here. You can bet on it and give it a try if you are interested. For more information we can share our idea to see if we can do some help.

Regards,