[TheForge] Pointless complaining

Fri Nov 1 07:40:01 2002

Bob,

You have to remember the market that they are selling into, rich people with little actual life experience that has challenged them. There are the exceptions for people who made their own fortunes, but most art collectors are "old money" in my experience. Also scuplture is the hardest sell of all in the art world. Paintings sell the most, then the more decorative pieces in ceramics and glass, and then way down the food chain is metal  sculpture. And then the value of the work is arbitrarily set by the gallery, the artist, and believe it or not my how exotic the material. The more exotic or unique the material the more the work earns.

I consider myself a scuptor who does some blacksmithing. I don't consider it a stretch as I don't consider myself experienced enough to be considered a real blacksmith. 

Plus in the right market being a blacksmith becomes exotic and exciting to the art clientele' at the opening where you are selling your work for four or five figures.

The main thing is that when you are approaching the art market the most important thing to remember is that if they don't appreciate you for who you are, go to another gallery. That is true no matter what kind of artist you are, painter, or whatever. You really have to be able to develop a serious relationship with them. I had a gallery in Miami represent me for a while. The owner exhibited by work in the SOFA (Scupltural Objects Functional Art) exhibition in Miami and gave me great exposure, but she was impossible to deal with and I ended up withdrawing my work for her gallery.

Ray Miller
Cincinnati

> 
> From: Bob Evarts <[email protected]>
> Date: 2002/10/31 Thu PM 06:34:05 EST
> To: [email protected]
> Subject: [TheForge] Pointless complaining
> 
> Why is it that, when calling fine art galleries to make appointments to
> show my work, if I say I am a blacksmith that does sculpture, I can't
> even get an appointment most of the time.  If, however, I say I am a
> sculptor who works in steel, I'm welcomed with open arms and told how
> hard it is to find sculptors who work in metal these days.  I don't
> really expect an answer, it just fries me that "blacksmithing" is still
> considered a craft rather than an artform, yet if I change what I call
> myself, then it's well recieved.  Just isn't right.
> 
> Bob Evarts
> Forging a good life from the raw material of time
> 
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