The Reason to Stick to a Style When Working with a Gallery
Many Artists Struggle with Style.
Best explanation I’ve heard on why galleries require style.
Tina Swindell
This post began as a reply comment made in the Older Artists Facebook group I founded and had to close because 220k members became impossible to manage. I screengrabbed the artist’s comment and created a graphic I used to repost his comments to the group.
In a matter of hours, it got a 4,000+ post reach, with hundreds of comments and many shares, all indicating significant interest and varied opinions on dealing with sticking with a style as an artist.
Let Me Be Me.
I understand and sympathize with artists who want the freedom to make any art by any means they like. The reason for publishing this information is to help artists understand why galleries work with artists whose work is recognizable. If you are interested in the subject of art gallery representation, I invite you to read my four-part series on How to Get into Art Galleries.
I also aim to help self-representing artists with this post because they deal with the same challenges as gallery owners when marketing their art.
What do galleries like?
This comment from the defunct Older Artists Facebook group is the genesis of this post.
I think one of my failings as an artist is that I paint in quite a few different styles, and this often confuses people!… I think galleries like a more uniform approach to your work when staging an exhibition. They don’t seem to like a mixture of styles from one artist hanging together.”
John William Smith
The following is my reply to his comments…
The pros and cons of sticking to a style.
What you make as an artist depends on your expectations for your art once it is complete. If you want gallery representation, you must fill its needs. Having worked in several galleries and advised artists on marketing for three decades, I can say that having a distinct style matters when creating interest and demand.
Consistency is powerful when persuading buyers to own multiple pieces of an artist’s work. When I’m marketing and selling, it’s a huge advantage anytime I don’t have to start from scratch. Having buyers with an ongoing interest in collecting artwork from a genre like yours is how galleries get repeat sales for artists.
Here’s an Activity Suggestion:
Take a break, clear your mind and evaluate the difficulty level in developing and consistently engaging a set of valuable contacts for your self-representing artist business. It’s just as hard for gallerists.
Finding an active buyer from a pool of potential buyers with similar interests is a big challenge. And you can’t count on crossover interest when you are in the business to make a profitable living from selling art. Instead, think about the challenge of a gallery owner in cultivating a buyer of abstract art, and then imagine the gallerist convincing them to buy wildlife art from the same artist who won’t be pinned down.
It takes considerable time, money, and talent to develop possible patrons for a style of art—and that’s just the first step in producing a buyer from them. Gallery owners don’t have the resources to build unique collections of potential buyers whenever an artist changes styles. Plus, whether rational or not, it can confuse and even anger previous buyers who wonder why the artist is no longer creating in the style they purchased.
There are no wrong decisions here.
Make all the art you like in as many styles as you wish. But understand the marketplace will rarely embrace diversity. And that brings us back to your expectations. If your priority in making the art you like to make is all over the board, you should know it will limit a gallery’s ability to build a cohesive audience likely to buy your work more than once. And the same if you are a self-representing artist.
Nothing is impossible, but the degree of complication depends on artists’ decisions about what they make.
My best advice for artists who want steady sales is to find the look or style that generates the most sales fast. Go with the country saying, “Dance with the one who brung ya!”
There are no rules that say you can’t keep making different art. Just realize it’s probable you will need a new group of prospective buyers or other galleries to market it.
Jumping styles may inhibit mastery.
A final caveat. Just as creating unique prospect pools for different styles waters down your ability to get your work to market, it also taxes your ability to take your skills in making a particular style of art to the next level.
The paragraph above marks the end of my reply on Facebook. I hope it clarifies why a consistent style benefits galleries and artists in marketing their work.
In many ways, the intent of this post exemplifies the mission of the Art Marketing Toolkit Project (AMTP). It emphasizes creating harmony between family, finances, career demands, and artistic desires. Its goal is to educate artists about their marketing options and to help them use them.
AMTP members use the group’s resources to develop a plan for living a rewarding life that balances their competing demands. Members get practical advice on marketing their art to match their personalities and needs. They learn to make intelligent choices on which tools and techniques are the best for their plans.
I intend to help visual artists lead well-lived, joyful artist lives.
I’m not trying to compete with anyone else. I’m very much at peace with selling access to my information at the giveaway price of $4.99 per month with no contract for two reasons:
- I believe gaining access to world-class marketing training should not be expensive.
- I believe I can do the most good by applying the philosophy of no artists left behind.
If you would like to enjoy a community of like-minded artists and help market your artwork, please consider joining the AMTP. You have much to gain and virtually nothing to lose. Hit reply if you have questions or if I can help you.
