Too sick for studio time, so we pivot.
Every Saturday I share my art practice over the past 7 days. I’m fascinated by artistic practice – it’s not just about creating art but the entire process. From influences and ideas to materials and skills, each artist’s unique approach shapes their work, making it more than just a finished piece.
This week, despite being diagnosed with pneumonia, I’m grateful for the opportunity to engage in my art practice. Although I’m unable to visit the studio or work my day job, I’ve been productive by listing items on eBay and planning for upcoming events like the Bath Contemporary Art Fair and The British Art Fair. Despite facing rejection from the programme, PAOTY 2024, I remain determined and have reached out to venues like The White Horse Bookshop and KMAC to explore new opportunities. I’ve also entered art competitions and joined networks like The Artist’s Network to expand my reach. Exploring innovative sales strategies, such as offering prints to local galleries on a profit-sharing basis and reaching out to galleries in different states in America, excites me. Despite setbacks, I’m optimistic and committed to pursuing my passion for art.
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Thank you,
Thank you so much for joining me in my art practice this week.
This week I have been diagnosed with pneumonia but I am in good spirits. I’m not well enough to go to the studio and I am off work from my day job. When I feel up to it, I have been listing some more items on eBay. As I said before, I felt like eBay wasn’t the place for selling art, but I’ve figured that a) it won’t hurt listing my work and b) the more I have on there, the more visibility I will have.
You can check out my profile here (Bread and Buddha was my old brand for my web designs, I’m not sure if I can change it): https://www.ebay.co.uk/usr/breadandbuddha
I’ve decided to sell my work at Bath Contemporary Art Fair on Sunday 9th June 2024 and Sunday 14th July 2024. I did apply about 2-3 years ago but the lady said my style didn’t fit in with the conservative style of Bath. Anyway, I’ve decided to reapply with my orange and blue abstract expressionist style, let’s see what they say. It’s only £40 for a day, so I will give it a go. It’s a lovely undercover venue, and I’m sure they will have great footfall, especially in summer. They have 9 slots per year so perhaps it could be a regular thing, I do love visiting Bath!
I have applied to exhibit at The British Art Fair, hosted at London’s Saatchi Gallery.
Weirdly, I was thinking “When will I get the notification about PAOTY 2024?” Then I got the rejection email 10 minutes later!
Oh well, I will keep on applying.
I contacted The White Horse Bookshop, a bit of an institution in the town I grew up in. They have a big arts focus, so I asked if I could sell some art prints there.
I contacted Art Basel to see if I could have some exhibition space as an emerging outsider artist.
They replied very quickly!
More eBay listings…
I listed this print on eBay… The more I add, the more I think, “What the hell! I’ve got nothing to lose” It’s quite freeing!
I just signed up to ANASAEA for free, whereby you can add 10 artworks and have one free virtual gallery. Check mine out.
I often struggle with whether registering in a platform is worth it, or if there is any action around selling my art. It’s a frustrating business selling art, or is this just a silly belief I have? Probably…
Anyway, let’s keep going…
I went to Moma.co.uk and looked for free art competitions to enter.
This looks really cool, here’s the blurb:
”Artists possess a powerful tool to evoke social change. Without uttering a single word, they can enlighten, educate and effect change around the world. Embracing Our Differences© invites you to participate in creating a society where diversity is embraced and individuality is celebrated. Become a part of this change by submitting your original art to Embracing Our Differences© and its annual international outdoor juried art exhibit featuring 50 billboard-size images measuring 16 feet (5m) wide by 12.5 feet (4m) high.
Each work of art is created by local, national and international artists reflecting their interpretation of our theme “enriching lives through diversity and inclusion.” The exhibit will be on display January through April in Sarasota and St. Petersburg, Florida. Since 2004 the exhibit has hosted over 4.5 million visitors plus another 529,000 students for a very unique opportunity to experience the importance of diversity and inclusion in our lives”
Looks cool heh? I would love my work to be shown on a billboard.
Here’s the work I entered:
Together We Are One by SLART
I’ve joined The Artist’s Network, a network of over 30,000 UK Artists. It’s a pretty good deal for £38 per year as it includes insurance, which I pay £40 per year currently. And it’s due for renewal next month, great timing!
An important mission statement, I’m sure you’ll agree! I’ll be looking into the benefits over the coming weeks, so I’ll keep you posted.
I’m watching dancing fruits with my daughter and I had a bit of a brainwave.
It’s not fruit-related. I was thinking about how I could find local independent galleries and shops to sell my art prints specifically.
My idea is to offer a certain number of prints free of charge to the interested businesses, then split the sale profits 50/50.
The owners can pick the prints they want to stock. Then if they sell, I can either carry on the same arrangement or they can buy from me at wholesale price. See, here’s the entrepreneurial streak coming out.
There are not many places in Swindon, but there’s an opportunity to post items. Also within 1 hour’s drive, I have Oxford, Bristol, Bath and Reading on my doorstep. Plus London is within 2 hours.
It will need a bit of persistent work, but it’s just a numbers game as to who will be interested. It’ll cost a little bit to get the artwork printed upfront, but not too much.
What do I need to consider?
Write a draft email making an offer
Find out printing costs (I have a great local printer).
Ask if my printers can post orders. That way I can offer wholesale prices to retailers once the connection has been established, I will cover costs and make a small profit. My work will get out there in the world.
Make a spreadsheet of contacts (hate this part).
Create a PDF of the prints available so they can visually choose
I was thinking it’ll be good to send my studio tour video so they can ‘meet me’
The spreadsheet part really does bore me, I think I will send out some emails minus that part. They will be saved in my sent folder anyway.
So I contacted about 15 galleries and independent shops and got a reply from one an hour later!
It’s nice to get a reply. Now there’s the mental trap of hoping they’ll say yes, but I won’t play that game. I’ll just email some more people.
Then I proceed to carry on emailing independent art galleries and shops, and I get the idea in my skull of emailing main galleries in different states in America. I don’t know if I am naive and it’s a waste of time. But I’m doing it anyway, I figure even if it’s a no, they might be able to share some other ideas with me.
Next week, I’ll see how I feel, I’d love a return to my studio to do some more painting. But for now, I will keep on contacting people.
Have a good week!
Orange and blue in my day-to-day life this week:
Just look at how stunning these Adidas trainers are! I might have to buy them!
Thank you for joining me in my art practice for this week.
If any of my art moves and inspires you and you’d like to make a purchase. All you need to do is get in touch via steve@slart.me or reply to this email.
Best wishes,
SLART
P.S. If you have any questions, please comment below.