Business Matters

Back in April of '07, Shelley at Wild About Music gave me a chance.

That chance has allowed me to do what I do today.

WAM had a location in Santa Monica, CA across the street from where my mom regularly eats breakfast. She'd been on the lookout for places that might be interested in my Vinyl Art. See I'd sold them only through word of mouth locally to people either my wife or my mother-in-law knew. The goal was to be able to pay my own health insurance for a year. If I could do that, then I'd be able to keep going.

I needed a more steady source of sales in order to follow my passion. Wild About Music was a perfect fit for my work. SXSW was coming up in Austin, so Shelley, after looking at a packet of inkjet prints of photos of my early work, decided to show several during the craziness in Texas. The Led Zeppelin Page and Plant and the Stevie Ray Vaughan I sent sold before the festival even started.

Since then, both the Zeppelin and the SRV pieces have done consistently well. B.B. King, Willie Nelson and others have sold occasionally. But thanks to the sales from WAM, I was able to pay my health insurance.

As the economy tanked, art sales predictably have dropped. Fortunately, my online presence has kept me afloat with sales here and there and now has led to more opportunities for wider and more focussed exposure.

But Shelley's still there, with a couple pieces of mine in the front window and a bunch more hanging on the wall as you go downstairs from the merch section to the gallery section. Last month the SRV sold again.

So I'm doing something special, for Shelley and hopefully for my art. I'm sending her the double portrait above. It'll be marked at $325, less than what 2 separate pieces would be, even though my costs, all told, are higher. I want to draw attention to her store, my art, and as a result our precious memories and culture. So go if you're in the neighborhood. Because business matters.

Peace.

ON CONSIGNMENT - 07/22/09

Up Front

Shelley has my work up front in the window at Wild About Music on 6th in Austin, TX. Very cool. Hendrix sold last month so I get to replace it with another piece on consignment.

She's been wonderful to work with from the start. The start is, after all, the important part in a relationship with a gallery, or really between any two parties.

Getting the issues squared away upfront sets up the guidelines and framework for the entire relationship, the whole tone. WAM's contract is stellar, and they even added a couple clauses on my request that clarified some additional points. I felt trusted. Even though they have an online presence, they don't yet sell my work online, but Shelley certainly wants to ensure that neither of us is undercutting the other. We even went through a price increase on her end successfully.

Now, I had the opposite happen with another gallery. I should've known, again, from the start as I was treated with suspicion and my integrity questioned based upon that gallery's experience with other artists. Among other things, they didn't want my last name to be associated with my work, and they wanted me to ultimately stop promoting myself online.

After some back and forth communication, we did initially arrive at an agreement and they signed the first contract they'd ever signed with an artist. Yep, they'd never made contracts before. I modelled the agreement after mine with WAM. So I was protected, if not insulated from their distrust. Eventually we ended our relationship as they couldn't understand me or look beyond their own hangups.

It's that communication that enables understanding. Yes, the structure of the relationship between artist and gallery, musician and record label, creator and distributor is changing, but if the issues are addressed at the outset, then both parties feel comfortable enough to readdress those issues and to consider new issues as they arise. Creatives and middlemen might live on different planets, but if Venusians (women) and Martians (men) can relate successfully, then we can too. Just be upfront.

Peace.

ON CONSIGNMENT - Jimi Hendrix 04/21/09

In Demand!

Well, I went from having no work to do for commission or consignment to having 5 in one day. Wild About Music in Austin sold my B.B. King, Stevie Ray Vaughan, and Led Zeppelin, and Roy Robbins in Pacific Palisades wants 2 Sinatras for my first repeat celebrity client! Woohoo! I'm also doing a few pieces for a show in September at Primitive Kool in San Diego.

Also, the Rage Against The Machine arrived safely fortunately. I'd thought it might have been lost between DHL and the USPS, but apparently because it didn't have very far to go, it got delivered before the tracking info got transfered, so it just never showed up as "delivered". Whew! My faith in delivery hasn't been broken.

I was asked to donate a piece to a local fundraiser for a team that's going to walk in the Breast Cancer 3 Day Walk. The silent auction is at a golf tournament, so I'm not sure who to paint. Maybe Olivia Newton-John or Carly Simon? Or Melissa Etheridge or Marianne Faithful?

What do you think?

Peace.

SOLD - Frank Sinatra 08/19/08

How Would You Choose To Choose?

Commission or consignment?

The Elvis Presley I painted was a very successful gift from the Mississippi plantation owner to his son-in-law. Satchmo is for himself. He's going to put it on display somehow at their gift shop!

But this brings up the question I've gotten a lot: "How do we sell more?"

Galleries would tend to say consignment because their clients usually expect to be able walk out with the piece they specifically want. It's quite exclusive to be able to have a gallery owner make a special request of a represented artist as it means the supply isn't limited and prices won't stay as high unless it's a rare occurrence.

Boutique shops might say commission because it saves them on display space and storage, and they don't usually convey to customers that supply is limited to what they see. Also, because they sell mostly gifts, getting to sell custom items is a plus because people like the personal touch.

Each choice, though, has a different impact on the potential purchaser.

Consignment implies that these are all there are and it's up to the artist to choose the subject matter, so it's rare. Yet at the same time it makes it easier for the client to choose if they or someone they know loves the subject matter of one of the currently available pieces. They don't have to think about the subject matter, only who would want it. Also, they can see what they're actually buying. However it excludes potentially passionate people who would go crazy if they could just get the singer _____.

Commission gives them that opportunity and still makes it special because it's just for them, even though supply isn't limited. But it requires the client go on faith that a special order will receive as much attention as one display example and match its quality. It also forces them to think of the best choice of subject matter for their friend _____. Although, people like choice and like feeling included.

This has led me to ask places to have a good selection of pieces on display of suitable favorites and to alert interested patrons that custom pieces are also available. This gives customers enough examples to demonstrate quality and consistency as well as letting them walk out with one if they know someone who loves the usual suspects. It also gives them the opportunity to feel special receiving their own unique creation to enjoy or give away.

I've set up my gallery page the same way.

So, how would you choose to choose?

Peace.

SOLD - Louis Armstrong 06/02/08

Whew! PayPal Can Be Nerveracking!

I did get it to work though. Now in my website's online gallery page at www.vinylart.info/why.htm, there are a few paintings that I still have on hand which are available to purchase directly through PayPal using your account there or a credit card. I just pay a minimal fee for the transaction and it allows me to accept credit cards! Pretty sweet.

The rest of the paintings in the gallery are either sold or consigned to a gallery. I do work largely on commission however, so if there is one you are interested in me painting again or a different one, please let me know! I require payment upfront for commissions, but the time I need to get it to you is only around a month currently.

I'll be adding others I still have available to the gallery soon as well. You never know, I might've already painted the musician in whom you are interested! Just ask! But you won't know unless you:

CHECK OUT MY WEBSITE AT: WWW.VINYLART.INFO

and, please, give me feedback either by E-Mail or comment here!