Being a gallery owner was rewarding, exciting, challenging plus fulfilled my desire for creativity in ways that nothing else in my life ever has. I loved that my time, energy plus resources were being used to promote art plus artists. My contribution to the international was one in which creativity plus beauty was shared.
However, I learned that making money in the art business is very difficult. Most people who came into my gallery would say wonderful things about the work, but the percentage of art buyers was very low.
Not only do the buyers need to find a piece that they like, but it also has to be the right size plus dimensions. And most importantly, they have to have a place to put it. And art buyers buy lots of art – so they usually don’t. So you need to reach more people by marketing your business.
You have to spend money on advertising plus spend lots of time out in the community. You must attend events, meet with people plus become a well-known (and well-liked) art professional. The ongoing operational costs are massive. If you have employees, the costs can skyrocket. Art fairs are becoming an industry standard to reach collectors these days. The fees plus costs to get you plus the art there is not even within reach of many galleries. So I found it very difficult to survive, plus I have immense respect plus admiration for those who do.
Gallery owners are running a business, plus they need art that sells in order to remain viable. So if they like an artist’s work plus it fits in well with their roster plus they think it will sell, they will want it in their gallery.
If they like the work, gallery owners will want artists who are professional, who are constantly creating, constantly learning, constantly working plus who have a clear vision. They also want an artist who has several pieces ready to ship that are part of a consistent plus cohesive body of work that represents who the artist is. It’s great to explore different ideas plus techniques, plus I would never discourage that. But when a gallerist wants to see your work, make sure you present them with pieces that are part of collection and/or that are in a particular style.