Doing business online

One of the most asked questions concerning the business of art I get has to do with selling art on the Internet.

Here are just three (of my many) simple online rules to live by:

1. -If something appears too good to be true it usually means it is.

2. -Very few (if any) good galleries will ask you for money to either:

• have an exhibition
• review your slides / images
• represent you
• all of the above

3. -An Internet based business doesn't run itself.

I have been fielding so many calls and emails of late that I am preparing to give several seminars over the next few months on this very topic at The Studios.

Stay tuned

"Drawing" under the paint.

Art instructors will often tell you that you can sketch out your painting using vine charcoal or a light pencil. A couple of problems arise when using both these drawing mediums to plan out your image on your canvas. First, you may find it difficult to erase your drawing without leaving marks on the surface. Secondly you may find it difficult to hide the marks under lighter coloured areas of your painting. Thirdly your lighter colours may pick up either the graphite or charcoal and get muddy.

One of the secrets I share with my students is to use a light blue watercolour pencil to sketch with instead. Corrections to the drawing can easily be made with a sponge or wet rag, and blue is far more easily covered up than grey or black and the impact on your final colours in minimal.

Painting over old paintings

I often get asked if you can paint over old paintings. The simple answer is that you can paint over some kinds of painting better than others. What happens in some cases is that your previous image or textures appear under the surface of your new painting. This can be very distracting especially where the texture or brushstrokes don't match the new image. An artist should always consider scraping down and sanding the previous surface to eliminate any remnants of textures and strokes.

That being said, I definitely don't advise painting over old oil paintings. The reason behind this is because as oil paintings age, the paint films become more transparent with time and in some cases the previous painting begins to appear under the new one. This effect is called pentimento which can sometimes been seen in some Dutch masterworks from the sixteenth century. These "ghost-like" images often are the result of the artist changing his/her composition, making corrections and moving figures and forms around. They can be very distracting to say the least

Once again this brings me to the importance of planning out our work and making our decisions before undertaking our final work. It is important to take all the necessary steps to ensure that our works are compositionaly sound, that the proportions and the drawing elements are right and that we have a definite idea about our colour choices and technique.

We shouldn't be trying to work out problems on the finished piece. That is why I encourage my students to do drawings, colour studies as well as an actual study of their final work. We often discover ideas for new works during these processes, which are invaluable for all of us.

Framing your work...

Finding a good framer is hard.

What exactly is a good framer in my books?

1. Price Point: Most frame shops are way too pricey in my opinion. On the average they charge over three or four times what they should be to supposedly cover things like overhead here in Montreal. My advice is to shop around and ask lots of questions. Certainly I wouldn't give my work to the first framer I met. You should be getting at least three quotes, from different frame shops.
2. Materials: Acid-free mats are an absolute must. Things like using masking tape and scotch tape to hold the work to the mat are a big no-no. If you can, ask to see the area where they are doing the framing. If they allow you to see the work area, see how they are putting things together and ask questions. If they say no...I would say no to them as well.
3. Work done on location: Is the work actually framed on the spot or do they ship it elsewhere? If they ship your work elsewhere it can lead to damage, loss and lengthy delays in getting the work framed. The more hands that touch the work the more likely the chance for problems and delays.
4. Delivery time & servicing: Most work should be available within a week or less. The longer your work is away the more chance for something to go wrong.

The most important thing is to develop a good relationship with your framer. A good framer will also like to develop a good business partnership with you as well. Like any other relationship communication is key.

Don't be afraid to ask questions, and if you don't understand something ask again. A good framer should be able to give sound advice and be knowledgeable about things like conservation. Be wary of sales people trying to get rid of overstock. When you hear sales pitches like: " Oh, look how this green mat brings out the green in the trees..." I would be very leery. Metal frames used to be in style as were coloured mats. Personally I dislike coloured mats because they take away from an artists work. Ask to see examples of the work they have framed. Remember clients also ask for specific things, and peoples tastes vary. For example some people like coloured mats...:)

And shop around.

Making Art as career

There are as many self-help books out there as there are artists...well at least it seems that way. One of the things they don't tell you in books is that the steps towards a career in the arts is different for each of us.

There is no right way or wrong way to proceed to get your work on public display anymore. The Internet has changed the world forever, especially the artworld. Artists no longer have to rely on galleries and gallery owners as much as they once did...or thought they did. The grass roots movement in the visual arts has been going full force since the late eighties and early nineties. One of the great things about globalization is that there truly is a venue for all kinds of work and many artists are discovering now what many of us have known for years: Relying solely on galleries will get you no where fast. Artists are an amazing bunch of people. On one hand they are innovative with their materials and lifestyles, yet very few are innovative when it comes to the business of art. The world is moving very quickly indeed. So is business.

An artist who wishes to live from their work must become business-like or get left behind...pure and simple.

Thinking things through

Artists...

We have to think our "product" right through to the end. We have to plan it right through until it reaches our clients wall. We must make sure that our materials are safe and of the best quality. We must make sure that our framing and supports meet only the highest safety standards. We must make sure our work is finished correctly, varnished and protected to last our lifetime and beyond.

We must become better craftmen and women...

Varnishing

To varnish or not to varnish...that is the question.

I say varnish.

As with solvent not all varnishes are created equal therefore there are differences between them.

First of all an oil painting must be dry before applying a varnish. How long? Depends on how thick the paint has been applied, what mediums have been used, atmospheric conditions...you get the picture.

As a general rule an artist should wait at least a year before applying a final varnish. We should wait at least 3 months to put a protective coat of retouch varnish on a painting, and once again this depends on many factors.

As a general rule a varnish should do the following:

-A varnish should be transparent and without colour or tint.

-A varnish should be reversible for later cleaning and restoration.

-A varnish should have the appropriate "gloss" for the work in question.

-A varnish shouldn't yellow with age.

-A varnish should be applied in a thin layer so as not to disturb the textural effects of the painted surface. A thin coating of varnish is less likely to crack. Too thin can actually be removed too easily and potentially permit damage to the surface of the painting.

-A varnish should be able to expand and contract in different environments especially when the painting is on a flexible surface like canvas. The varnish must remain flexible for it's lifetime and not become brittle.

-A varnish must protect the painting from atmospheric contaminants and impurities like dust and other substances found in the air.

Acrylic paintings should be varnished too with the same considerations. An artist doesn't have to wait a year to varnish an acrylic painting however if one considers that it takes about one month for acrylic gesso to dry completely, the same consideration should be taken for a finished work. How thick the paint has been applied should also be considered. Trapping humidity under the surface of any varnish whether it be oils or acrylics may cause a condition called "bloom" where the varnish actually becomes cloudy and looks like the painting has a cataract...yuck!

The secret to this stage of your work is patience. I was told as a young student that an artist should live with his or her work for a while before letting it go out into the world. I see far too many painters letting their paintings go without letting them dry properly or getting a basic protective coat of varnish. For example I saw some very impasto oil paintings for sale in early January dated 2008...the paint couldn't be dry and there wasn't any varnish...and yes they were oil paintings!

Very poor craftsmanship indeed!