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Ever had the nerve to walk into a dealers or gallery with your work ?

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stephen weight

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Posted
Just wondering , have any of you folks ever walked into a posh dealers or gallery with examples of your work ? if so , what was your pitch , and were you given the bum's rush , short shrift , or a humiliating put-down ? . If so , what did you learn from the experience , and will you , or did you , try again . Or do we just hope that " the right sort of dealer " will find us ? . I remember when we were teenagers , a friend took a small oil painting to a gallery in Southampton where the owner was rather dismissive and it only occurred to me years later how much of an ordeal it must have been for my friend at the time . Stephen Weight

Alan Bickley

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No is the answer to that one! It's not a good idea to go in cold without an appointment, and you are unlikely to be given the time to even open your portfolio. Always best to send a few images over to their website, if possible address your correspondence to the gallery owner if you can. Don't send hundred's, half a dozen at most, along with a short covering letter. Follow this up with a phone call a day or so later to see if they are interested in taking a look at your work. It's not easy to get your work into any gallery, I speak from experience and much disappointment over the years. Perseverance however, will or should (if your work in saleable), reap rewards. Just to add, it's not necessarily a rejection of your work - often a gallery owner will have enough artist's onboard, wall space is not always in abundance.

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by alanbickley

John Humber

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Never done that but I have put together proposals for exhibitions which I sent to a number of galleries. A carpet-bombing approach is required as, in my experience, 50—60% will not reply even to acknowledge receipt. Of the rest, maybe half will give the "…thank you, we'll keep you in mind in our future plans and let you know" and you won't here from them again. But of the remainder you might just get an offer or two.

D Hillman

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I have been invited to... but not gone yet, At an antiques fair with my mother I happened across a table which had a few amazing painting on it (one of which was a Turner, so it wasn't old tat) a conversation ensued whereby my mother pushed me forwards saying "My son can paint, show him your stuff!" so I showed him a couple of images on my phone. He said that he thought it had commercial potential and I complained that I wouldn't know how to price anything... He suggested some values I could start with and told me as I sell to keep pushing upwards... he told me that if I was to pop along to his gallery he might select some to sell on my behalf. My personal opinion is that I am to novice for such an offer at present but if I build a body of work I might look into it and pay him a visit... I am sure the commission would be astronomic but an attic full of painting is no good to me. Another approach I think might be with the price of printing services coming down to affordable levels it is possible to have a photo book made up of work with a short write up for each painting (dimensions, medium etc) which you can leave with galleries for them to sell/refer from... it offers them a chance at a sale (and commission) without a loss of wall space.

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by Daveyboyz

With Sarah, Phil, Ellen, Rose the dentist, and the granddaughter whose name I forget.

Robert Jones, Napa

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Your mother sounds like a VERY useful ally - imbibe deeply of her confidence, and push yourself: though I agree with you - when you're ready; you've got to feel comfortable with yourself ... doesn't mean being complacent, but that you know yourself and your work well enough not to allow yourself to be exploited. You've a good eye, and sense of line, form, and volume: so there's no reason why you shouldn't look to a career in art at some point - and unlike many of us, you have the inestimable advantage of time! You may not think so, given I think work swallows a lot of your waking moments, but in terms of years you have the room to grow, and decide the direction you wish to take. On the basis of my own mistakes in life, I'd say - if you see an opportunity, grab it hard: don't be half-hearted about it; and don't muck it up!