Long time member Ginny Herzog who has been out there fighting the art fair wars (oh, I meant showing her work on the streets of America), recently sold six large original paintings to a client in Malaysia, a commission that came about because of connections she made by participating in art fairs.
Ginny has been in this business a long time. She primarily sells original abstract paintings. She MARKETS. She works all the angles and she never gives up. If you ever want to give up and think that this is just not going to work for you I suggest you meet Ginny. For decades she has supported herself and her children by painting and heading out to the art fairs on weekends.
As a result of her relentless spirit and her recognizable style she has put together a fine client list. Don't ever think it has been easy. She epitomizes the spirit of believing in herself and making her chosen field work for her.
She has a long time relationship with her framer supplier, MetroFrame in Minneapolis. They recently interviewed her about her marketing. Lots of good info in here, Marketing Tips from a Pro.
Replies
Thank you, Connie, for sharing the blog article. I just wanted to add one thing. The original connection was made at the Uptown Art Fair many years ago - 20 maybe?? An architect purchased my work at the show and we stayed connected. So you never know when a big break may come from connections made at the shows.
Also, I want to give a shout out to the businesses mentioned in the article. I was one of the first artists to use Ampersand panels when they first went into business in 1994 - twenty years ago! I use their products exclusively. I feel I'm one of the luckiest artists, that I live in Minneapolis with some of the best suppliers and services for artists. Metropolitan Picture Framing (Metroframe) designed the float frame for my architectural paintings and are only ten minutes from my studio. Vongsouvan (gicleés) and Museum Services (crating and shipping internationally) - both were very professional and flawless in executing their services for this big sale.
Looking forward to seeing you guys on the road this year!!