Category: Art

Advice about British Art Exhibitions

3/4/2019

There's an excellent Facebook Group for those artists who attend art fairs called "Art Fair Buddies". It's used essentially to provide:

practical support to those new to art fairs
feedback from those attending art fairs about how effective it was and the level of support received (or not) from the organisers
news of new art fairs and the closure or cancellation of others

This group is a collection of artists who want to share
information about Art Fairs and the logistics of doing them!
From hotel info to which ones to do.....and everything in between. We will also invite Art fairs to use this group to promote 'calls to artists'!

It often involves long feedback posts when things do NOT go according to plan - or according to expectations based on representations by the organisers.

What follows is one such post by a chap whose Facebook Page is Mark Brighton Art. It's a good example of:

what to do when you feel you've been badly let down by organisers - in terms of failure to deliver what they promised
how to write a letter to organisers to request a refund

The letter BELOW relates to an operation called British Art Exhibitions run by Karl Percival who purports to be an advertising/promotions specialist.

It's followed by an update from Mark - although Mr Percival has not as yet contacted me.

Examples of Instagram images used to market the Macclesfield Art Fair - but where were the local flyers and other advertising?

The email

It is a bit lengthy but here is a copy of the email I have just sent to Karl from British Art Exhibitions about the show in Macclesfield and my request for a refund. He did say at the show that he would give me a refund - so let's see if he does! Mark Brighton Art

Dear Karl

I would like to explain the issues that I had with the recent exhibition in Macclesfield: what my expectations were as opposed to what was delivered.

When I arrived on Friday at around 11.15am, I was fully expecting that display boards would be up and that I could hang my work. I waited for an hour, in which time nothing happened, and then I had to get home. I left detailed instructions with one of the hangers who promised it would be hung for me. If I had known my work wouldn't be hung I could have come back that afternoon and done it myself in time for the preview.

When I arrived at the preview around 5.15pm, I eventually found my art on the floor propped up against a board, as indeed were the works of many of the other artists. I then asked you for a screwdriver and screws and hung it myself. Judging by the state of the room at that point, I didn't believe my work would get hung that evening. This meant that I couldn't use the preview time to network or even talk to fellow artists and visitors.

As I was working to get my pictures up, the artist next door was getting agitated and complained that I was in the way as she tried to show her guests her work.

I then noticed that even work that was already on display had no artist profile or labels attached. We were later told there was a problem with the printer, so price labels were handwritten and still nobody had an artist profile up. Again, if I had known this I could have brought my own. But we were all told that these would be provided as the exhibition was supposed to have a standard look.

I was also told by you that that there was a website on which my own and other artists' work could be displayed. Having looked at The British Art Exhibitions website, there is no mention of exhibiting artists at all. There also appeared to be very little marketing of the event itself to the general public. I have unsuccessfully tried to access this via Macclesfield Town Hall, your own site and that of British Art Exhibitions. None of them had any publicity or advertising regarding the show, so how was anyone supposed to know it was happening? Besides which, there were no fliers, leaflets or posters visible on the run up to the show.

I rang you three times with questions regarding drop off and pick up times and I also emailed as you didn't get back to me on any of my phone queries as was promised.

There are obviously basic organisational issues here: a clear, general email explaining the requirements for the artists - drop off and pick up times and what to expect when you get to the venue. Also, it is polite to keep artists in the loop when they do send you information so that they know that you have it all and they have completed the requisite paperwork successfully. And If you offer to hang an artist's work, make sure you do.

Perhaps, in future, it would be better to charge less for people to exhibit, take some commission but actually do some advertising for the general public, rather than aiming all the marketing at the artist and not the buyer. As an exhibiting artist, it felt as if I had paid my money for very little in return, and this is why I would like a refund, as agreed by you, as what was offered was not delivered. I presume you can refund me via Paypal. If you need any more information from me, please do not hesitate to contact me on this email address.

Many thanks for your help in this matter.

For the record Karl's response was to offer a refund and free exhibiting at other art fairs.

However Mark has not yet received his refund.... (I'm happy to update this when he has).

UPDATE: The response - and a FULL refund for Mark

The following was communicated to me via the Facebook group. It's very good to see that Mark Brighton got a full refund as promised by the organiser.

Mark Brighton Art Good news - I recieved a full refund from Karl yesterday. I threatened to get my bank involved & this seems to have spured him on to actually do something & honour the refund he offered at the show. I urge everyone else who went to do the same.

Mark Brighton Art hi Katherine - I have just had a message from Karl who has read your piece. Unfortunately he has taken exception & wants a few things corrected. I have now recieved a full refund from Karl so it would be fair to point this out to your readers. He is also querying the suggestion that he is only in it for profit - he says he has taken legal advice. I imagine this is just bluster but I would appreciate it if you could add a correction of sorts to your article. Many thanks Mark

I'm not sure what Mr Percival wants corrected as to date all I have done is highlighted a letter sent to him by somebody who attended one of his Fairs and the response from the same individual with respect to the refund given.

As I have indicated I am happy to correct anything which is factually incorrect.

However I would point out that Mark's comments were n0t isolated in connection with this particular fair. Others wrote about having the same experience - and I've made a note of their comments too. I only ever write these sort of posts when it is evident that a number of artists have been let down.

BEWARE business models where the artists provide the income

One of the things artists need to beware of are business models used by entrepreneurs where the entire income stream is delivered by the artists and not by the success or otherwise of their sales. (It can make you look at art galleries in a whole new light!)

For many years, there have been websites which supposedly provided a place for artists to sell their art. In fact the business model for the website is entirely predicated on making money from artists. Such websites on the whole do not serve artists well in terms of selling art. - because the owners make few efforts to help them. Instead they make money for the owners from the fees the artists pay to get their art online.

The exact same business model can be used for art fairs.

Artists can draw conclusions about art fairs from

the level of effort and finance employed by organisers to make them successful.
recommendations from other artists as to how well marketed they were and how well they did in terms of sales (i.e. did they attract the right sort of people)
comments from those who signed up for fairs in terms of their actual experience

What artists do NOT need are art fairs which involve:

organisers who run art fairs on a shoe-string
poor planning in advance
poor marketing (or none at all) to the public (i.e. customers)
poor preparation and execution of services on the day
under-resourced relative to the demands of setting up

If you are thinking about booking an art fair stand with British Art Fairs (who organised the Macclesfield Art Fair - see above)
I RECOMMEND that you:

attend one of their art fairs/exhibitions first to check out the level of professionalism and standard of presentation and operations; and
talk to artists (when they're not talking to punters) about how well supported they feel and whether or not they would recommend British Art Fairs to other artists.

Or join Art Fair Buddies and find out about the art fairs that people do think are worth attending.

TIP: If you pay an art fair organiser by credit card or PayPal and organisers do not deliver what is promised then you can also seek reimbursement from your card service or PayPal.

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Want to know how to pack pastel paintings for travel or shipping?

19/8/2018

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a new dedicated page about packing pastel paintings

How to wrap and pack pastel paintings for travel and/or shipping is a bit of a niche topic - for everybody but artists who work with soft pastels and/or charcoal.

However it deserves a dedicated page - and now it's got one. Last week I set up a new page in the Shipping section of this website - dedicate to how to wrap and pack pastel artworks for shipping.

Objective - your pastel artwork gets to where it needs to be in one piece and with no "pastel drop".

It includes advice and links to information from people who have packed and shipped pastel paintings all over the world.

It's also relevant to all those returning from summer holidays with pastel artworks packed in the bottom of their suitcase. The principle is the same - and if you follow it you'll have no accidents to either artwork or the rest of the contents of your suitcase! I've brought pastel paintings back from Greece, France, Italy, Bali and the USA without a problem. You can too....

Image: part of The Concord Meadow by Childe Hassam gouache and pastel on canvas

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NEW: The Best Art Business Books for Artists

4/4/2018

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The Best Art Business Books for Artists is the new home for information from another site I developed with the same name. It's a work in progress at present but now has enough content to make it worth highlighting and my other site is about to be closed down.

Initial categories cover:

Short Art Business Guides - for a quick read
Starting Out - for those who aspire to an art career
How to have a career and make money as an artist
How to sell your art
Understanding Art Galleries
Copyright
Art in Transit
The Artists' Resale Right
Art Legacy Planning

Interestingly most of the books on the new page are EITHER new OR new editions of books that have been around for a while.

So much has changed in the past few years. In particular the emphasis on business online is now much more important.

I'm finding that I really need to look long and hard at content as I do the transfer - and I'm needing to buy new editions of books I've loved in the past.

Plus I know than a few authors have recognised the need to update and have new editions in the pipeline.

For example, a couple of days ago I was contacted by Caroll Michels - author of How to Survive and Prosper as an Artist (a book I really rate!) - about the NEW edition of her book which is published later this month. This has got a LOT of new content to reflect the changes in the workings of the art market and the new challenges for all artists - even established ones. For example:

the use of social media and website development as marketing and publicity tools – what works and what doesn’t work;
the confusions between the “art-buying public” and the “consumer market”;
neighbourhood gentrification and the growing challenges of securing a reasonably priced work/live space; and
the pros and cons of the new business models for artist career development.

So I hope you'll join me in my investigation of what's currently on offer and the best books about the art business for artists which offer both great content and good value for money!

There's a lot more to come and this page will be continuously updated over the next few months - and years!

Subscribe to Art Business Info. for Artists - NEWS by Email
and receive every post via email.
Your subscription is only activated after you verify the link in the email you will receive

Tell me about YOUR favourite art business books!

I'm also interested to hear about what new art business books you've been buying and getting value from.

If you'd like to share your recommendations with fellow artists just leave a comment on this blog post - or contact me and give me a recommendation.

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Keep Calm and do your Tax Return NOW!

22/1/2018

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If you are a self-employed artist living in the UK and earning income from your art, this is a little REMINDER that The deadline for paying tax for the 2016-17 tax year is 31 January 2018.

If you haven't yet started - or completed - your tax return then now is a good time to find that file with all your invoices and tax receipts and get stuck in!

That's because the fines for late filing of your tax return AND payment of any tax owing kick in after 31 January.

Estimate your penalty for Self Assessment tax returns more than 3 months late, and late payments.
HMRC

Plus you don't want to get caught up in the meltdown of submission which always seems to happen at the end of January when all those who left it to the last minute start to wail when it's difficult to log in to the system and file your tax return and pay any tax owing.

Or maybe HMRC have fixed that?

TOP 5 Tax FAQs

These are the TOP FIVE most frequent questions which get asked about tax this month

Do I need to fill in a tax return?

Check if you need to fill in a Self Assessment tax return

How do I know how much tax I owe?

NO NEED TO WORRY! When you fill in a tax return online, it automatically works out and displays how much tax and Class 4 National Insurance contributions you owe. It will also allow you to print your calculation.

How do I register to send my return online?

I’ve lost my User ID and password, what do I do?

Watch the HMRC YouTube tutorial below to find out:

When does my 2016/17 return need to be completed?

Your online Self Assessment tax return needs to be in by 31 January 2018, otherwise you will receive a £100 fine.

Which brings us back to where I started!

Tax Tips for Artists

If you need any more help, you can try looking at my page on Tax Tips for Artists . I can't promise it has the answer to every question but it will probably steer you in the right direction. (Please note I do NOT offer advice to individuals and information is offered without any liability.)

I'm going to be updating this page in the near future while preparing my Tax Tips for Artists talk on 5th March 2018 for The Heatherley School of Art in Chelsea - which is free to anybody who wants to come (but there is limited seating!)

Finally here are some of my past blog posts on the topic of tax

Ten Tax Tips for Artists - some of which are reminders for me! Plus some links to guidance on what to do and what not to do!
Ten More Tax Tips for Artists - Round about this time of year - just as I'm submitting my tax return to Her Majesty's Revenue & Customs, I write a blog post about tax - for artists.
Do Hobby Artists need to complete tax returns - reasons why people who are not full time professional artists living in the UK might need to complete a tax return.

You can also find more GENERIC help on the HMRC YouTube Channel.

Here's their Self Assessment Video about the weakest excuses and worst expenses they've had from taxpayers!

Subscribe to Art Business Info. for Artists - NEWS by Email
and receive every post via email.
(Your subscription is only activated after you verify the link in the email you will receive)

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The Artist as Market Maker - Damien Hirst

8/12/2017

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I've always maintained that Damien Hirst's real talent lay in marketing and selling. For me he is a classic example of an artist whose ability to work out how to market his art - and to manipulate the art market for his benefit - considerably outweighed his talent as an artist.

RECOMMENDED READ:
The False Narrative of Damien Hirst's Rise and Fall
by Felix Salmon in the New Yorker (6th December 2017)

This article is a "must read" because it highlights how Hirst has fundamentally challenged the notion of:

how art is sold
the role of the art gallery
the relationship between artist, art gallery and art collector
how much the artist gets when his or her art is sold to a collector

With the 2008 auction, Hirst moved out of the world of commodities, which are bought and sold speculatively with a profit motive, and moved into the world of luxury goods, which are bought to be consumed and enjoyed. Which is exactly what art should be!

It also focuses on the fact that by moving art sales to "direct sales" between artist and art collector, a considerable amount of art market data has moved out of the reach of those who purport to know about 'value'. All they know about now is the amounts which are in the public domain because of art sold at auction. That's not always where the important sales are done any more.

After (his 2008 auction sale) Hirst started selling his work directly to collectors, at scale, and stopped playing by the established gallery-system rules. Hirst’s galleries were furious, but there was nothing they could do about it. Freed from gallery constraints, Hirst could make the work he wanted to make, and sell it at whatever price his collectors were willing to pay.

Hirst is obviously an artist operating at the very high end of the market. He's ripped up the rule book and started to reinvent the art market.

After partnering with an auction house in 2008 to create a gigantic sale of his work, in 2017 he partnered with a Francois Pinault (the French luxury goods billionaire) and took over two museums to create an enormous thematic show and made the Venice Biennale an explicit commercial venue for buying art.

Hirst says that sales from his latest show, in Venice, reached a jaw-dropping three hundred and thirty million dollars as of early November.

One has to ask to what extent artists operating further down the food chain can do the same thing:

make what they want,
sell it where they want - and
dictate their own prices?

To my mind it's perfectly possible - but only if artists hone their marketing and selling skills as well as those related to creating art and partner with the right people and platforms.

We've already seen it to some extent with the achievements of those who have created a credible art business by selling direct to collectors online.

Now we need to see whether artists start partnering with venues to sell their art in new ways - just like Damien Hirst...

Like I said - it's a recommended read for those who acknowledge that marketing has a lot to do with how value is created in the art market.

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Art Business Info: NEWS

Advice about British Art Exhibitions

The email

UPDATE: The response - and a FULL refund for Mark

BEWARE business models where the artists provide the income

Want to know how to pack pastel paintings for travel or shipping?

NEW: The Best Art Business Books for Artists

Tell me about YOUR favourite art business books!

Keep Calm and do your Tax Return NOW!

TOP 5 Tax FAQs

Tax Tips for Artists

The Artist as Market Maker - Damien Hirst

Art Business Info. News for Artists

Visitors so far

Author

Archives

Categories

Art Business Info: NEWS

Advice about British Art Exhibitions

The email​

UPDATE: The response - and a FULL refund for Mark​

BEWARE business models where the artists provide the income​

Want to know how to pack pastel paintings for travel or shipping?

NEW: The Best Art Business Books for Artists

Tell me about YOUR favourite art business books!

Keep Calm and do your Tax Return NOW!

TOP 5 Tax FAQs

Tax Tips for Artists

The Artist as Market Maker - Damien Hirst

Art Business Info. News for Artists

Visitors so far

Author

Archives

Categories

The email

UPDATE: The response - and a FULL refund for Mark

BEWARE business models where the artists provide the income