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28.05.02 Talking about prices
When it comes to pricing artwork a lot of factors come into play.
There are no fixed guidelines that apply in every case. Some artists/galleries
actually charge by the square inch, a method that always seemed
to me to skew intrinsic artistic value to the level of floor carpet.
Of course size is a factor in every gay buyers mind, but surely
quality accounts for something:-) But in my case it was irrelevant,
as every painting I have done to date is 11x14, and even the most
size-oriented customer will have to make his decision on other preferences.
So, in the end, it comes down to a rating of my personal favorites.
This in no way should imply to you that if you like a painting on
the lower end of the scale, that it is inherently inferior to one
at the high end. Ten years of illustrating for the magazines proved
to me beyond a shadow of a doubt that my preferences have nothing
to do with the reactions of the viewers.
I remember one painting that I was particularly enthralled with
having done, lots of things about it delighted me, particularly
the beautiful treatment of the cock and balls. My best friend's
comment on seeing it for the first time was "his hand looks funny".
His eyes picked up on some-thing that was totally inconsequential
to my enjoyment. Of course thereafter I had to rework the funny
looking hand, managing all the while my indignation about the rude
treatment I seemed fated to endure, thinking who the fuck cares
if the fingers are perfectly delineated. (It's still my Achilles
heel, as I paint fast and detailing knuckles slows my tempo down.:-)
But, thanks to experience and criticisms like that, over time the
"funny-looking stuff gets harder to find. It's usually there, like
Waldo, it just takes longer to find:-)
So back to prices. I've been on ebay long enough now to have a feeling
for what things bring on auction there. Then I see what online galleries
and other artists are asking for their work and mentally compare
my prices with theirs. If you like my art, and I don't think you'd
have read this far if you didn't, I think you'll find my prices
extremely com-petitive with other artists you might like too. In the auctions on Ebay I've let some really nice stuff go for a
lot less than had you asked me before the auction.That's also a reason
i started the email list, so that potential buyers would be notified
when something was up for auction. For now I've adopted a 1 through
10 scale, and rated every-thing subjectively. It's a continuation
of the marketing I began last April, as now I'm starting with some
new stuff that I wont show for awhile. But on ebay I'll do some
"spring cleaning" of paintings not in this group. Perhaps you'll
find some to your liking there and get a great deal at auction.
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