Studio

Eternal

Sharon Roberts

How do I price my art?

Tuesday, 19 May 2015

An interesting question was asked today, over lunch with friends, about how my artwork is priced.

What someone has already paid for an equivalent artwork of mine sets a benchmark;

I only use professional quality materials;

then there is often the cost of framing, and freight, and exhibition costs (all before the painting is shown).

Although not every painting is an exhibition piece, they all contribute to the process of developing future artworks.

There is also the idea or concept which may take days, weeks, or months to develop, process and plan. 

I almost always paint in multiple layers, some of which may take up to a week or longer to dry depending on the pigment, medium, and weather, and some of which may progress more rapidly but could have ten or more layers in a painting. My painting process is one where each layer informs the subsequent ones, which means they each need to “work” compositionally, conceptually, tonally and with colour, and they each feed into my decision making for the next layer. Sometimes I may put it aside for a significant period and then a minor adjustment or tweak and I'll know it is complete. Sometimes it all comes together much more quickly but is informed by all the work that has gone before; maybe after a long struggle with another painting, or paintings, as the ideas and processes are clarified.

However, a painting which comes together in a shorter space of time or with less angst is not necessarily worth less than one that has required a longer process. 

I don't start with a ‘picture’ in my head and then make a painting of it, but I do start with an idea or concept and an idea of how I would express that. For example “Eternal” above, took over six months to complete back in 2005. I would get to a certain point and need to consider where to go next in order to express the idea, so I'd put it aside and continue working on other pieces, then come back to it and take it to the next stage. I can’t remember how many layers of paint are on that canvas. What I learned in making that painting has continued to inform my arts practice since.There might not always be a lot of hours in actually applying the paint (or there might be), but there are many more hours thinking and making decisions and these are no less significant. 

So no, I don't price it for the time.

The price is also a reflection of my experience. The size of the work is relevant but I don't price by the metre. The cost of production is relevant but I once heard someone say that artists are paid for their vision, not for ‘time + materials’. The conceptual and artistic strength of the work are highly significant aspects.

My paintings are personal and come out of my life journey and are an outworking of my faith, life and thinking – expressed in paint. 

If someone purchases a painting I am encouraged because their connection with it is of such significance that it would cause them to want to encounter the artwork every day, and they are prepared for it to cost them something in order to do so. 

In our consumer society I think there is a commonly held idea that if you buy something it is because you want to own the object and that is all. However when an artwork sells the artist has often already allocated the money to some bill by the time it is received (or the portion left after the commission comes out – galleries also need to cover operating costs so that viewers can have the opportunity to view, and artists have an opportunity to show) or else the money goes on the next canvas, frame, or tube of paint. Many artists have another job, or teach, to pay for the arts practice, or to put food on the table.

I think that when a buyer purchases an artwork they are buying into that artists career; they are adding their support - making a statement to the artist that his or her artwork and dedication is valued; providing encouragement to persevere. People often don't realise what it means to the artist when an artwork is purchased... 

...or even what it means to the artist that people take the time to see the work, to visit an exhibition and ponder it, to make a comment, or to ask a question seeking understanding of where the artist is coming from. 

Maybe you could own an original artwork, something that has significance for you, that fits what you can afford, that encourages an artist in your community. 

Maybe you could do more than you realise.