Painting What Sells?
Do you paint only what you want without a thought to the work being sold? How's your attitude toward your artwork - "if it sells, it sells" or do you paint with SELLING as your ultimate goal?
Do You Paint for the Purpose of Selling?
Favorite Themes that Sell
- the person's decor
- the size of artwork
- colors used in the artwork
- the person's budget
- Traditional Landscapes and Local Views - from tranquil mountain, field and forest scenes and farmlands to your local-to-you hot spots and historical spots. I found that while in Occoquan, have artwork OF Occoquan.
- Modern and Abstract Landscapes
- Seascapes, Beach Scenes, Harbors - these remind many potential buyers of a great vacation and dreams of "where they wanna be".
- Abstracts - probably includes paint pours. Emotion, mood, color, size all must appeal to the viewer.
- Dogs - You know people and their pets, dogs in particular. Dog and Cat pet portraits done well at good prices, that is pay dirt in my opinion.
- Wildlife - Lions and tigers and bears, oh my. I've seen a lot of sales of sea turtles and birds, so sort of knowing what favorite critters are, and cute depictions of various critters, and larger than life animal life paintings have appeal.
- Impressionistic Landscapes
- Figure Studies and Nudes - these appeal to a lot of people because people like looking at other people -with and without their clothes. Frankly, I admire the artists that are good at painting the human form.
What Size of Paintings Sell?
Some artists only work on a large scale big-butt canvases, while others may work on a mixture of sizes. Some artists can work in miniatures and small sizes with great detail, while another artist may find that too confining a space to work in.
The big as a couch, over-the-couch paintings, diptychs, triptychs - the multi-panel paintings, are considerations for the buyer as focal point walls, which also means that the color(s) plays an important part when people decorate their homes.
Much harder to tote around huge paintings for art shows - for you and the potential buyer, these impressive pieces do have impact, eye-catching effect. Delivery and or shipping, pickup - all have to be considered, perhaps by both.
I think the artist has to analyze when displaying and showing his artwork what will most likely sell AT that art event. This past year I started the "3x4 mini painting with easel" trend for my own artwork. A good price point, a good gift, easy to find a space for it in a home or office, they do sell. And the animal ones seem to sell the best.
A question I have asked at some of our Prince William Art Society events is "What has sold best in the past at this event?" Often, it has been the smaller paintings for the reason of price and carrying the purchase around.
Some may see it as I can sell one large piece for big bucks as opposed to nickle and dimes for many small paintings - well, maybe if you are already a successful artist. Your opinion needed on this one...
What Media Sells the Best?
Prints - obviously because they are generally less expensive than the original artwork. People can support the arts without buying that original piece and the most popular sellers are the limited-edition prints - from offset-litho and giclee prints.
Oil and acrylic paintings are still the next selling media, with watercolors coming next.
Next thought is how well mixed media does - I'm interested in how well these trends are as I see many artists in our group producing some fascinating work in mixed media.
What Color Sells the Best?
Where Do You Sell the Most Artwork?
Do you sell more online or offline? Where online? Do you do well at local art shows, art galleries, libraries, art events?
Do you sell more locally or internationally?
Maybe a lesser question is do you find a better time of year to sell your artwork?
"Seasonal" Art?
Holiday, snow scenes, pumpkins - there is definitely artwork for certain times of year, but do you leave it up all year? Do you leave a snow scene or a Santa Claus painting hanging in its spot throughout the year? Or do you cycle your artwork out depending on season?And Before I Put the Paintbrush Down...
I recently sold a painting called "Just Look Up" and hearing from the new owner, she said, "Whenever I look at my new painting, it makes me happy." As the poet Robert Frost said, "And that has made all the difference."
Local Art: Visit us at Clearbrook Center of the Arts at Tackett's Mill in Lake Ridge, VA on Saturdays and Sundays from 1 to 4 – it’s free to see the artwork! Want to join PWAS? Go to https://www.princewilliamartsociety.com/membership
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Author: Donna Liguria
An artist member of PWAS in Woodbridge, VA and Artistry Spin Blog Admin, specializing in acrylic
painting. She paints landscapes, seascapes, animals and many subjects.
Visit her Website at DonnaLiguriaArt.com, Donna's Etsy site and her Blog at Donna’s Cave Paintings.
