Month: March 2014
How Many Paintings Are Needed For Your Art Show?
How Many Paintings Are Needed For Your Art Show? This a question that is predicated on the space that you will have available. Most outdoor art events spaces are limited between 10’x10′ and 10’x20′ spaces. The larger meaning you would register for two areas adjacent to each other.
My suggestion would be to have three different sizes of your art work. Large, medium and small as an example. With different sizes you are able to accomplish a couple of things. One is an exhibit that is more appealing and secondly allowing you to have several price points. A good rule of thumb would be between 20 to 30 pieces per 10’x10′ space. Another factor will be determined by the time you have to create the work needed.
study your exhibit space carefully and take pictures and measure the space. Make a scale drawing either on paper or computer of the wall/exhibit space (I’m assuming for flat work) and use “to scale” shrunk down cutouts or paste ups of your work and then start playing around with the layout of what you will hang. You may be limited in the number of pieces just by available space alone. Also, will you have access to track lighting, ambient light only and so on.
If you don’t have enough art work of your own, a great idea is to share your booth space with another artist that complements your work, as well as your art work with theirs. My experience has shown me that when colaborating with a partner you become twice as smart and that results in great marketing strategies to help both you and your partner’s success in your art show.
If you are passionate about your art and enjoy sharring your creative talents with the world, you will figure out a way to create enough art inventory for your art exhibits. So now back to the question, how many paintings are needed for your art show? The answer as you can see varies from show to show and the area you will have available.
Is Your Art Good Enough For An Art Show?
Is Your Art Good Enough For An Art Show? Lets defines terms here. By ‘good’ in terms of an art show meaning interesting, engaging and that ultimately someone would be willing to transfer money from their bank account to yours to own it.
What’s the perennial question that a good half of all artists face?
It’s not a lack of inspiration, or the money to sustain oneself. From our survey, It seems that its simply – How do I get noticed?
I have always had the mindset that, if I wanted something bad enough, as long as it didn’t defy God’s Law that I had the capabilities to accomplish the situation. Even though we are creative, sometimes we must come out of our cozy self-created wonderland and ask the question “Is my art any good?”
On the internet, you will find an overwhelming range of quality in art, everything from random pencil doodles scribbled on lined notebook paper to the most highly polished, professional artwork that exists. Since the range of quality is so massive, there really is no “standard” whatsoever for what should be shown publicly. What it really boils down to is what your motivations are for showing your art. If you are looking to work professionally, my answer would be to get over it and get your work out there immediately. If you’re making art for yourself, then go with your instinct and do what you are most comfortable with.
When you finally do make the decision to show your work to the world, you have to brace yourself for the wave of comments that occurs and be ready to handle it. Showing your art can be both incredibly rewarding and difficult at the same time. Every time you show your artwork publicly, it is like walking the plank. Putting your work out there is a big risk every time. I have had people say lovely, moving things to me about my work. I have also had people make brutal, insensitive, comments.
I had a professor in graduate school who came up to me in person, completely unsolicited, one day and said to me ”I am very disturbed by what you do,” and then went on to describe in great detail what a terrible artist I was. I was so completely startled by his comments that I was left speechless. Fortunately I did not let that get me off course from my dreams, goals and accomplishments.
Are people really interested in your art? Do people stop and stare when they pass your art?
It is all relative of course. If you are a beginner artist then your art may not have reached it’s full potential yet, but there has to be a certain something about your art no matter what level of experience you have that makes people stop, look and get interested if you want to have any chance of success with your own art show.
Related Article: How To Sponsor Your Own Art Show