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Undervaluing yourself.
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Message
Posted
I know this has been a thread in the past but I think it's worth airing again. I've just been to view a small exhibition in a local church hall, the proceeds from sales , entrance fees and hanging fees are for community funds.
I have some of my own paintings in it. I have come away slightly shell shocked at the prices of the majority of the pictures in there. £25.00 - about £ 60 .00
. The frames on some of them are worth about that amount . Admittedly some of the paintings are done by very obvious beginners but others are skilled and attractive. I think about six of us realistically put on sensible prices, cover the frame, the materialsi do paint ,the hanging fee , commission if sold and something for me.
It cheapens what I do and makes me look mean and grasping. But why should I undervalue my work.
I do paint for my own pleasure and often do things that I give away especially bereaved pet owner paintings.
Any other thoughts please.
Posted
This subject does crop up quite regularly and is an interesting one for most of us, and the forum was in danger of stagnating a little so a welcome topic.
This range of prices is about par Sylvia for let's say 'rank amateur' work, in fact I've seen stuff offered at a tenner in small venues. Yes, of course it's ridiculous but that is the value that the artist puts on their work, in many cases probably spot-on. But, as you say, those more talented should really be thinking about more realistic pricing but the size and location of the venue will generally dictate prices. Many I expect will be only too happy to have the 'prestige' of selling a painting, the money being very much secondary.
Galleries in the towns and cities won't sell work for peanuts, they wouldn't survive and in the main (not always) the art is of a more professional standard. As for how to value your own work is another subject altogether, there is no sliding scale to use as a guide, basically, it's what you can get away with, the prospective purchaser will be the final judge as to whether you have it right.
Posted
I've got three price bands - my usual one, which I publicize (and having taken a look at my website, so long neglected, need to adjust upwards), my secret one, when I paint something for somebody I know hasn't much money to spare but still really wants something - which is between them and me, and stays that way - and the give-away: those I do as presents.
I think this has been covered really - but if you put your work on open exhibition, and charge a stupidly low price for it, i.e. one at which you have no chance of making a profit, you're doing yourself down and you're doing other artists down too; because people will come to expect pin-money prices. Of course, if you're a complete beginner you're not going to command hundreds of pounds for a painting (although we'll all have seen some awful stuff being sold, and wonder if the buyer shouldn't have spent their money on new specs instead). But if your work is presentable, to put it no higher than that, then charge a realistic price - that's one which covers the cost of your materials, including framing, and gives you sufficient profit to make selling it at all worthwhile: of course it's always good to be able to mark 'sold' on your work, but I don't see any prestige or any point in selling work at cost or at a loss. I'd much rather give something away than sell it as a derisory price.
Edited
by RobertJones
Posted
I agree Sylvia. Not that I've sold any of my work.....yet.... I used to do parchment work which is very labour intensive what with embossing colouring etc., and did sell quite a few when friends asked me to make cards for special occasions such as weddings. I stopped doing it in the end because people don't realise the time involved and weren't willing to pay their worth.
I have painted quite a few cards this year but I give them only to people I feel will really appreciate them. I gave one to a fiend who was eighty yesterday and she rang me today to say how thrilled she was to receive it. I knew this would be the case as she is a former art teacher and I knew she would really appreciate the time taken to paint it.
If I do sell any work in future, I will certainly be putting a realistic price on it having learned so much from this forum.
Posted
I.m fed up ,I am sick of it, I have been a slave all my life . I did not get enough wages ,I hated the boss ,the next door neighbours house is bigger than mine ,and he's had new windows in ,o.and I went and met this woman, .that,s a nightmare story .I never get out for a painting ,well.most of us who go see a show are ,tight rss artists any way and watching every penny .,I am thinking of buying a little dog hanging a poster around his neck that says please help an hard up artists and sitting on the corner , ,,now I will make money and buy a new sports car with a loud horn,snifff snifff sniff ,,,,I should have emigrated when I was younger, any one join me,
Edited
by alanowen
Posted
The prices in our Art Club exhibition in September ranged from £15 (for a small stained glass work) to £450 for a wildlife acrylic. We sold 42 works at an average price of £82. I don't think that proves anything except there is room for wide differences in pricing and generally people will understand price and quality. Our exhibition is not selective and any member can enter work whether beginner or professional as we aim to encourage all but the differences in quality are readily discernible and people are happy to pay appropriately.
Posted
I don't know how many works were entered Peter, but that seems to be pretty good sales at 42 pieces and encouraging for your members. I am thinking of a solo exhibition next year to try and shift some of the many hundred's of paintings that have accumulated during the past few years. I held one a few years ago but didn't come close to selling that many.
Posted
The sales are pretty consistent year on year. The previous year we sold 44 at an average price of £78. We are helped by the exhibition being in a tourist hotspot and close to a major regional attraction (steam railway). I have thought of a solo exhibition but haven't summoned up the courage. however a couple of others have tentatively suggested a joint exhibition so that might be on.
Posted
I've been away for a few days and have only just caught up on this thread which, for me, is quite timely.
I currently have a number of paintings on display in a local gallery where sales have been encouraging and where the prices include both commission and VAT. This pushes the price upward somewhat but to a price which I consider to be reasonable in a retail market. At the same time just a short distance away my local art club held it's annual exhibition where the average prices were around the £75 to £80 which is way below my net price and far far below the gallery prices.
Clearly I would not want to undercut the gallery in a local market and I have long held the view that the retail price in galleries is the price I should set on all my work which is on public display. This does mean that the prices in the exhibition are way out of sync with the other work on display and I rarely get sales as a result - also it does raise eyebrows with other members of the club but this is something I have to live with. Direct sales and commissions are another matter entirely of course where I can offer net prices depending on the circumstances.
Edited
by MichaelEdwards
Posted
People - has anybody on this forum ever walked into a gallery / dealer with a framed work and tried to sell it ? I would be interested to know how they got on , i.e. were they laughed out of the door , were they given genuine critique from a person whom they considered qualified , did they manage to get a decent price and was it accepted , what was the mark-up , was it sold ? . I should like to think that one day I will have the guts to try this .
Old Russian proverb , " there are two fools in every market , one asks too little , the other asks too much " .
Steve
Posted
It would not be wise to simply walk into a gallery without a prior appointment, in fact it is unlikely that you would be seen.
Years ago, before digital technology, I used to make appointments and then take along a portfolio of work, this gave me quite a bit of success over the years. Obviously, no gallery will pay you up front (none that I have dealt with anyway), so it was a case of leaving what the gallery thought saleable and taking it from there. Most galleries will have their own framing facilities and they do like to have control over this (quite often but not always).
In today's digital arena, you will need to either email of telephone your contact, I prefer to telephone, if, and it's a big if, they are interested in taking on new artists then they will ask you to send in digital jpeg's in the main. Don't hold your breath though, acceptance is far from certain as I can verify, yes, it can all get very disheartening, but if you are determined enough you can make some headway into the smaller provincial galleries.
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