Beware of offers

I would like to offer you some advice. Some of us have had a website running for a while and have become wiser as time goes by. When you have built a website with your paintings exhibited on it, even if you do not have a display of what is for sale, you will receive emails : - People want to buy your work, they will give you the titles. Never from UK but from all over the world. How flattering this can be ! STOP - think carefully. Inquire with other artists if they have received the same email etc... I have received many of them. I have never answered. Some tell you that they will pay by cheque, they do not like Paypal. (danger !) Some tell you that they will take care of the shipping. No way - this is a scam. Other scams : - You will be invited to submit some of your works for a future exhibition in an outdoor place or in a big empty building (very often in London), places are being taken fast, the location is ideal etc.... you have to pay to reserve your pitch. STOP. Research. It is most likely to be a scam. You will receive emails again from a gallery (that does not exist), they have built a website, invite you to have a look at their site and also tell you how beautiful is your work, they are inviting you to exhibit with them. Google their site, investigate. Most of them are scams. Emails will come from galleries in USA - In the last 7 years I have received two from New York, one in Brodway one in Chelsea. They find our websites from sites like POL or others where we show our work. Why on earth would they need to invite us when they have thousands of artists in USA ? They tell you that they are in need of European market, I have had artists from Norway telling me that they had received the same email. They know that at the end they will catch some of us. What a wonderful addition to a CV to say that we have exhibited in USA! BEWARE ! if you visit their website, they are never very explicit. They have very few photos of their past exhibitions. They always display some photos of openings which look really good. Google - search art gallery New York, they will not be on the top list and sometimes not at all. They have an answer to this, they will explain that they are new with new concepts etc... They ask you for your phone number so that a collegue can phone you (and persuade you that they are genuine) They will offer you a place for 3 paintings ( of course you have to pay for the space) They will exhibit for so long and you will have to pay more if you want your paintings to stay there if they have not sold. You will not be in New York. How do you know that your work is hanging on their walls ? Another scam - Again from USA. Some printing house has spotted a magnificent work of yours. They want to publish prints of it. You are invited to send the original. They are going to pay you a generous fee once you have approved of the proof. You send your work, at great expense. The prints are never done, or they are, you receive no fees - You have to battle to get your painting back. It has happened to a friend artist of mine. When her painting came back after months of waiting, it arrived baddly packed with a huge tear in the canvas. Ego, elation in Art can be pricey !