If you have not been selling your artwork, then it may be wise to test how saleable it is before approaching galleries. There are a couple of straight forward ways you can do this: Do outdoor shows in your area and enter nationally renowned fine art competitions. Outdoor shows are a great way to learn about the business of framing and preparing your works for sale - and you’ll get face-to-face feedback on what folks like about it. The competition is fierce with national competitions, but if you place at all - it’ll be a good step in proving the worth of your work.

For example, if you enter an Oil Painters of America show (you must be a member), and your work is accepted, this lets you know that you’re on the right track. If your painting sells at the show... whatever you’re painting, keep on painting it. There are also great magazine competitions by American Artist and The Artists’ Magazine. For these, you only need the image of the painting. You won’t need to send the work to a show.

Your Body of Work

It takes some time to prepare for gallery representation. Here’s the part that’s hard to hear: You should have at least 10 spectacular paintings, same style, and preferably similar subject matter. These paintings should be framed professionally and ready to hang. Artists who sell well in galleries and gain a following of collectors have developed their own style. There work is not "all over the place" with subject matter or color or brushstrokes. The work is recognizable from across the room as this artist's work. Some artists do paint many different subjects, but they have a distinct style.

If you don’t have a body of work like I described above, and you haven’t developed a style, I suggest you look through art magazines and dog-ear or tear out pages that have paintings that you love. Most likely, you’ll begin to see that these paintings have something in common - and it’s also likely that your eventual style will be similar. Copy the works of artists that have been dead for at least 75 years (to avoid copyright problems). Then paint and paint .... paint your own compositions (from life or your own photos)... and you will arrive at a style after a time. How long it takes depends on how often you paint. I’ve been developing my style for a number of years - I enjoy Hudson River School type landscapes and realistic floral still lifes. That is who I am, and that is what I strive to paint.

There is a market for all kinds of subjects and styles, but don’t try to get away with saying your paintings are impressionistic or abstract unless they are very well designed. It is far easier to paint in a realistic style than to construct a fantastically composed abstract work. There is so much more to it than what meets the eye.

Unless you’ve built up some credentials through placing high in competitions or have had many sales at local galleries, submitting your work to well known galleries that advertise in magazines may be a waste of your time. Sure, if you’ve had your work published in magazines and got honorable mention in American Artist’s Cover Competition, you probably can reasonably submit to a top gallery. These galleries have such high rents and costs that they really cannot afford to take on an artist who is unproven with collectors.

The good news is that there are many, many other galleries in great gallery districts across the nation that sell very well. But before you call anyone up or send a letter, make sure you select a gallery that sells work that is similar to yours (not the same, but the same type of art). For example, I would not approach a gallery that sells abstract works. My work would fit in best for collectors who appreciate historical paintings or realism. If you are an abstract artist, don’t bother contacting a gallery that shows realism. Good galleries don’t have work that’s all over the place either... they know their clientele, and they don’t try to sell to every taste.

Unless your work is known nationally on some level, it’s a good idea to target galleries that are within a day’s drive of your home. For one thing, it saves on shipping costs, and it’s easier for a gallery to stay honest with sales if they know you might be stopping by. The closer to home my gallery is, the easier it is for me to work with the owner. For one thing, I live in New England which means I can easily paint in New England - and galleries in NE will sell scenes that are local. Still life doesn’t matter so much, but even so, tastes in New England have a traditional bent.

So once you’ve found (and visited) several galleries you feel your work will fit well in, you might call and ask if they are accepting artists submissions. Of course, the person you’re talking to will say no... they have all the artists they need.

So, preface your question with, "I paint Hudson River Style Landscapes in oil, and my work won third place in International Artist Magazine’s landscape competition. I’m looking to add a gallery in your location. Are you currently looking at artists’ portfolios? You have to have some ammunition to hit them squarely between the eyes to get their attention. That is why I say that it is better to prove your work by getting some credentials before approaching the better galleries. If they are interested. Ask for the gallery manager or owner - then ask if they prefer to see a portfolio (photos, bio, and resume) or your web site. If and when they ask you to bring work in for viewing, only bring a few of your very best works. Never show the gallery person everything you’ve ever done... not only will you bore them to death, you won’t look like a pro.

Now some local galleries - that are frame shops or are not in art districts or tourist towns, are much easier to get into... especially if you paint realistic subjects that have a wide appeal. Most of these galleries sell prints and some original art. I advise not to let the gallery frame your work before it’s sold, because if it doesn’t sell, you may be stuck with hundreds of dollars owed for custom framed paintings. Always do your own framing or let the gallery buy your work at a 50% discount of retail unframed at the onset.

Well, I’ve gotta run, so I’ll need to continue this talk at another time. I’ll delve into how to get ready for that appointment with the gallery.

Hope you enjoyed reading this and got something from it.

Sincerely,

Lori