Bobbruch1@AOL.COM on sat 24 aug 02
<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<$500 pot every now and then, but I make what I want, I don't have an excess
of inventory and when I come home from that art fair it's with fat pockets
and a customer list with customers that are interested in more of my work.
###############################################################
This has not been my experience. I have been making ceramics for a long
while, and when I decided it was time to sell, I choose to go the route of
working through a gallery. In my first year (2001), found that I sold a
significant percentage of pieces at prices from $50 to $300 in the one
gallery I tried. In the second year, I started making more complex work, and
found that I could sell some work in this gallery in the $300 to $700 range.
I have found a second gallery that handles more expensive work in order to
sell more pieces in this range.
In the first gallery, I am selling less work in the $150 to $300 range than
was the case in 2001. This is due to competition from two glass blowers who
each appear to have a small production facility to enable them to turn out
lots of work and keep their prices low. They do beautiful work, but are they
selling at levels where volume is obviously an important ingredient. I am not
sure that selling at craft fairs would help, as these two artists (and many
others like them) keep their prices in the fairs at the same level as in the
galleries.
I am now making even more complex work and want/need to raise my prices
accordingly. I do not see craft fairs as a vehicle to move work in the $700
to $1000 and above range. It is my feeling that I need a gallery owner using
their client list to market this type of work. Rather than trying to expand
my client base on my own, I feel that it would be best to expand my list of
galleries. Part of this comes from my assessment of fairs and the type of
work that I do, and part of it comes from an assessment of my willingness to
set up a tent and deal with the public for 3 to 5 days. Some of this latter
assessment is based on comments that have been made by a number of people on
Clayart.
After going through this process, I will need assess my ability to sell at
higher prices in what everyone seems to describe as the worst art market in
the last 50 years. I guess we all have to determine what type of work we can
most easily sell juxtaposed against what we really want to accomplish as
ceramic artists.
Bob Bruch
Brandon Phillips on sun 25 aug 02
First, let me say that I agree with what you're saying. Second, it was not
my intention to create a craft fairs vs. galleries battle. I have nothing
against galleries, in fact my more expensive work is in a couple galleries.
I absolutely agree, $300-$1000 pieces do not do well at art fairs. My
original post was about the attitude of many young potters that I've come
across and their unwillingness to work for what they want. I was mainly
speaking of production/functional potters whose amount of work tends to be
far more than can be sent to galleries. If you make a living selling only
through galleries than by all means continue! You've obviously researched
your market and galleries and know what you're doing and I think that's
fabulous. I was only using the craft fair vs. gallery as an example of
attitude in young people. I myself am young and am certainly not an expert
at anything! I was just sharing some of my observations. I know I made a
generalization and it certainly does not apply to everyone, including you.
Brandon Phillips
>This has not been my experience. I have been making ceramics for a long
>while, and when I decided it was time to sell, I choose to go the route of
>working through a gallery. In my first year (2001), found that I sold a
>significant percentage of pieces at prices from $50 to $300 in the one
>gallery I tried. In the second year, I started making more complex work,
>and
>found that I could sell some work in this gallery in the $300 to $700
>range.
>I have found a second gallery that handles more expensive work in order to
>sell more pieces in this range.
>
>In the first gallery, I am selling less work in the $150 to $300 range than
>was the case in 2001. This is due to competition from two glass blowers who
>each appear to have a small production facility to enable them to turn out
>lots of work and keep their prices low. They do beautiful work, but are
>they
>selling at levels where volume is obviously an important ingredient. I am
>not
>sure that selling at craft fairs would help, as these two artists (and many
>others like them) keep their prices in the fairs at the same level as in
>the
>galleries.
>
>I am now making even more complex work and want/need to raise my prices
>accordingly. I do not see craft fairs as a vehicle to move work in the
>$700
>to $1000 and above range. It is my feeling that I need a gallery owner
>using
>their client list to market this type of work. Rather than trying to expand
>my client base on my own, I feel that it would be best to expand my list of
>galleries. Part of this comes from my assessment of fairs and the type of
>work that I do, and part of it comes from an assessment of my willingness
>to
>set up a tent and deal with the public for 3 to 5 days. Some of this
>latter
>assessment is based on comments that have been made by a number of people
>on
>Clayart.
>
>After going through this process, I will need assess my ability to sell at
>higher prices in what everyone seems to describe as the worst art market in
>the last 50 years. I guess we all have to determine what type of work we
>can
>most easily sell juxtaposed against what we really want to accomplish as
>ceramic artists.
>
>Bob Bruch
>
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