How to Sell Art at Open Studios

I recently attended a San Francisco Open Studios weekend and and would like to share my thoughts with all artists everywhere who participate in such events. The setting is three large studio buildings at a former military base, Hunters Point, where several hundred artists have studios and simultaneously present their work. Visitors walk from studio to studio, meet the artists, and see plenty of art. All studio buildings are at the same location which means that once you're there, no additional driving is necessary. Nice.

Paintings, sculptures, prints, watercolors, drawings and more are available in all price ranges, from five or ten dollars per piece well on up into the thousands. The typical artist offers between several dozen and several hundred works of art at his or her studio. Altogether, at least 10,000 to 20,000 pieces are available for viewing and purchase-- an awful lot of art for anyone to digest in one weekend (I only have several hours, and I'm sure most of the hundreds of people who were there along with me did too).

So here I am, confronted with studio after studio, artist after artist, painting after painting, sculpture after sculpture, photograph after photograph, and so forth and so on ad infinitum. To be fair, I don't know anyone; I've never been to these studios before. The map I'm handed means nothing. My plan of attack is to randomly pick a hallway and start walking-- probably not much different a tact than many visitors take.

At the start, everything is interesting-- new hallway, new artists, new studios, new art. I spend time in individual studios, observe working environments, get my bearings, speak with artists, peruse all manner of art, and generally acclimate myself to the event. As time passes, and I get the general idea of what's going on, I spend less time in each studio and begin skipping those studios that are basically repeats of ones I've already seen. As the afternoon progresses, art-overload controls my actions more and more. I stop only at those studios that, for whatever reason, stand out from all others. The rest, I ignore.

For example, I spend time at one studio because the art's selling at surprisingly affordable prices-- a refreshing change from the sea of "retailness" that seems so pervasive. Good-sized pieces can be had for as little as $200 to $400, some for even less. I have no idea whether the artist's "open studio prices" are much lower than her regular prices or whether she's selling special art created just for the event, but she seems to realize that open studio goers tend to be value buyers looking for affordable art, and that they don't usually have big budgets.

And she's selling plenty of art; red dots are everywhere. Open studios works bigtime for her as she moves plenty of art out of her studio and into the public where more and more people can see it, while making money at the same time. (Remember-- your art is your business card and the main way people learn about you is by seeing your art first in someone's home, office, business, or gallery). This artist's art isn't even my style, by the way, but her mastery of what it takes to make an open studios event a success definitely impresses me.

Many artists don't seem to realize that at open studios they're in direct competition with each other. Each and every artist may believe that his or her art and studio are unique, stand apart from the rest, and that no further efforts to attract attention to their art are necessary, but nothing can be further from the truth. The facts are that card carrying members of the general public are not good at making fine line distinctions between one artist and the next. With the immense amount of art that confronts them, one studio begins to look pretty much like the next after a while, so you can't simply sit there and expect sales to come to you. You have to go out and get them.

Attracting buyers and selling art are arts in and of themselves, two goals that must be accomplished in order for open studios to be worthwhile and profitable for you. So with that in mind, here are several recommended do's and don'ts for your forthcoming open studios adventures...

Do's:

* Catch the attention of passersby with your most arresting works of art. Engaging visuals coax visitors out of the halls or off the streets and into your studio. Think of yourself and your studio like you're the proprietor of a store in a huge mall, and do what you can from the "show window" and "signage" standpoints to buff your selling environment as enticingly as possible.

* Make your guests feel comfortable. Say hello, offer to answer questions, be hospitable. If you have problems relating to people, talking about your art, or dealing with money issues, have a friend or acquaintance on hand to help you out. Keep your greetings brief, then let people browse at their leisure.

* Have at least several works of art clearly displayed in what might approximate a gallery setting. These pieces should be properly lit, separated from one another, and not surrounded by clutter. Many people have trouble appreciating or understanding how art might look in home or office settings when too many nearby objects distract them (including other similar works of art). Take a lesson from the art galleries on this one.

* Offer art in all price ranges. A small initial sale may lead into a larger one later. For the most part, people go to open studios to buy modestly priced art or even find bargains. Those who spend thousands of dollars tend to know what they want, buy it at established galleries or from established diealers or from artists they already know, and are not inclined to impulse buy in those price ranges from artists they've never met or whose work they've never seen before. A journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step. Corny but true.

* Have business cards, a short resume, or other promotional materials available for the taking. Do whatever you can to keep your name in the minds of your visitors-- especially those who may be on the fence about whether or not to buy your art.

* Consider all reasonable offers. Offer payment plans. Take initial payments and hold the art until paid-in-full. Your number one mission is to make as many sales as possible, so do whatever you have to do to make that happen.

Don'ts:

* Don't make yourself so inaccessible that no one can comfortably approach you. For example, don't get lost in conversations with friends, bury yourself in work, give one or two word answers to questions, ignore or refuse to acknowledge the presence of visitors, or show any kind of attitude when talking about your art. I was surprised at how many artists were difficult to talk to.

* Don't hide your most affordably priced art and only show the expensive stuff. That instantly eliminates a huge percentage of potential buyers.

* Don't jack up your prices for the occasion. If anything, lower them. This is your big chance for major exposure, and to meet and sell to people who love art and-- here's the biggie-- who you've never met. First time buyers are the charm! Putting certain pieces on sale or reducing all regular prices by a set percentage for a limited time are great ways to attract new buyers, and please your regulars.

* At most, keep your prices at 40 to 60 percent of what they are at galleries (assuming you don't have exclusivity arrangements with dealers or galleries that show your art). Once again, collectors do not go to open studios to pay full retail. That's the absolute last thing on their minds.

* Don't display your lower priced pieces in such a way that they look like crap you'd just as soon throw in the trash. If this is how you present it (and how you present yourself and any aspect your creative output), that is exactly what viewers will think of it-- and you. Convey the idea that you respect every single work of art that you produce, no matter how much or how little it costs.

* Don't show every art piece you've ever created. That's a great way to overload viewers, confuse them, and cheapen the overall impact of your art. Offer a carefully selected representative sampling and show more only when asked.