In my first gallery
I’m absolutely stoked to be in my first art gallery! I met with Todd Rubin, the owner of Art Center Gallery in Mission Viejo, and he was cool enough to give me my first shot in a legit art gallery. His gallery is vibrant, colorful, HUGE, and in a great location, so I couldn’t be happier.
I met with Todd two weeks ago, brought in seven or eight pieces, and he thought three of them may sell in his gallery. There were so many things that I appreciated about our time together:
- That he would see me at all. Whether he took any pieces or not, I was elated just to be there.
- He gave me candid advice.
- He explained the basics of the sales process and what was valuable to him as a gallery owner.
- We worked out a hand-shake deal and I trust that it will work out for both of us.
- He treated me kindly. This should probably be first in this list.
Selling art
Todd said that he would start by selling the abstract art at a discount. He thought they were worth more, but as he put it, “If I can’t sell them for cheap, I can’t sell them expensive” and I totally get it. I’m as interested to find out if they sell as he is.
What to do now?
The hardest thing about this entire process was when Todd asked me, “What do you want to get out of this?” My response was something along the lines of, “Hell if I know. I was stoked just to make it through the door.” A question like this forces me to think, and it is a hugely valuable question. Do I want to tweak my art to fit the style of Todd’s gallery better? Do I want to seek out other galleries and keep painting in my current style (whatever that is?) Or do I spend a few bucks and hit every art fair in the area and see what kind of reaction I get? I’m leaning towards all three at the moment. Stay tuned to see what happens.
Todd, thank you for the opportunity. I appreciate it.
