Brompton Flock

As every artist knows, one of the biggest challenges of being an artist is finding places to sell your art. For many artists, the ultimate dream is being represented by a reputable gallery that will look after all the marketing and selling so that the artist can focus on what he or she does best: making art.

So how do you find a gallery to represent you? The first thing to do is compile an initial list of those galleries for which you believe your style of work would be most suitable. You will refine and focus this list as you gather information about the galleries. It's a waste of your time and theirs if you approach galleries that are not suitable for your type of artwork. On the other hand, if you narrow your focus to people most likely to share an interest in your body of work, some of them will express interest in your work and become your best prospects.

It might surprise you to know that I don't recommend the Internet as the best place to start looking for a gallery. That's because it's actually your real-life contacts that will yield the best results. Talk to other artists about who represents them, and whether they can get you an introduction. Also, if you are a regular visitor to a gallery that you'd love to belong to, find out what their submission process involves and then go for it!

In addition to online and in-person research, there are several good publications that serve as resources on how to sell art. One recent publication that I like a lot is Artist Survival Skills (C.T. Productions, available at ww.artistsurvivalskills.com).

It may seem like an impossibly complicated task to figure out how to sell your art, but remember the saying "The way to eat an elephant is one bite at a time." In selecting galleries or other organizations to approach, your advance research will help you minimize rejection by finding the most appropriate gallery or organization to sell your art. Good luck!