10 Ways To Sell Your Art

Are you looking for some fresh ideas on marketing your artwork? It can be challenging and a little scary conquering this beast; however, in today’s environment it’s never been easier (not easy, just easier). If you are a brand new artist or an emerging artist, you have so many more options and opportunities than artists of past decades. Many of these also have the added benefit of you being in control of your destiny. Here are some ideas for you to explore, they each have some pros and cons and some may be more suitable depending on where you live. Since there is a mountain of information here, I’ll give some pros and cons for the first 2 and will continue to work through the list in the future.

1. Art Fairs

   • Pros

     • Generally low cost to exhibit

     • More available than you have the time or energy to attend

     • I have found them to be a FABULOUS place to connect with potential collectors and get my name “out there” and let people get to know me.

     • Great opportunity to add to your Social Media following and your email list

     • You get 100% of your sales, no one gets a commission except you

     • Great way to develop community with other artists

   • Cons

     • They are physically taxing. It’s a lot of work setting up and taking down.

     • Tents, walls, display racks, etc. are expensive and you can easily spend hundreds of dollars when you are first getting started

     • Weather dependant. Bad weather can keep attendance down, potentially damage your art and it’s no fun being cold, hot, wind blown, etc.

2. Local Restaurants/Cafes/Coffee Shops

   • Pros

     • Depending on where you live this can be a long list to select from

     • Generally there is no commission fee and if there is it’s usually small

   • Cons

     • Can only place one or two pieces at a time

     • It can take a long time for a piece to sell

3. Website

4. E-Mail

5. Social Media

6. Art Exhibitions and Organizations

7. Interior Decorators

8. Frame Shops

9. Online Galleries

10. Home Furnishings Stores

A few final thoughts. DO NOT get discouraged and give up. It is very likely that it may take a while for pieces to sell and that doesn’t mean that you are a failure or the art is, it just is what it is. Things you may view as a failure are just steps in the direction of your success. It took a year for my first piece in a local coffee shop to sell and I have sold 3 more since. If you are creating solid, authentic art and keep putting yourself and your art out there, you will see some magic come from it. I like to think of it as throwing as many darts at the board as I can knowing that eventually I will hit the bullseye.

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White Light Night 2022

This was my 3rd time to participate in an art fair. It was a very cold night but it was totally worth the effort. My daughter made a surprise visit from Houston to support me, I sold 6 paintings, met lots of new people, raffled off a painting and made someone very happy and I increased email subscriptions and IG followers. I decided to share this with you because the first time was an out of this world disaster. Someday I might tell you the story, but you won’t believe it. Once again, the point here is persevere. Every perceived failure is just another rung on the ladder of success.