Technique #3 – Use an Automated Email Management System We all like to think that our query letters will arrive like silver bullets in the perfect gallery and bring us instant fame and success. … The same applies to galleries and other arts professionals: They may not be ready for new work when you first present yourself, but at some point they will be looking.

Galleries are quickly becoming much more comfortable with operating on the internet. Most have their own websites so it makes sense that they are willing to work with you online. A very useful approach to a gallery is to email them to request their submission guidelines for new work.

Arts professionals are visually oriented people. So, by all means sweet talk them with eloquent words – but don’t forget to bowl them over with a beautiful piece of your work too.

For many artists, the primary purpose of their website is to attract the attention of art galleries and dealers. A well designed website showcasing quality art will get the attention of arts professionals when they see it. But how do they find you in the first place?

I came across a post dissecting some gallery designs at AFC’s Best Dressed List which I think is worth reading. Personally Bitforms has one of my favorite gallery designs. The AFC grand prix goes to Sikkema Jenkins & Co whose site design by Kyung Jeon is virtually flawless. The design is simple, elegant and versatile, (meaning, you could upload the picture you took of the floor by accident and it would still look artful). Straight forward and easy to navigate this sight sets itself apart from a great many gallery sites.

The more traditional version of this tip from the established art world was: “Have one theme in your art, and continue to make images or creations consistent with this theme throughout your career”!!… Even more important, if a piece created by an artist has just sold to another collector, they like to have several more pieces on hand of similar style so that they can sell to the next client…. Another artist might have, “Landscapes”, “Portraits”, and “Still Life”, etc Don’t get carried away though – Three is probably a good number of gallery sections if you still want to appeal to arts professionals.

Artist’s website development prices range from a few hundred to tens of thousands of dollars. Typically, bigger design firms have larger overheads and will be significantly more expensive. On the other hand, Joe down the street can probably build you a website for $200 – but you probably don’t want that website!

The most important thing when choosing a designer to create your artist website is to remember what you are trying to build – a beautiful online gallery space to elegantly show your beautiful work

Understanding how the use of space, fonts, color, and images work together to promote a piece of art uses quite a different skill set to actually creating the art Can you wait months for the site to be ready?… Do you have all the computer software and the relatively-new computer needed to build a high-quality website?… The point we are making is to think about the actual cost of developing your own site.

If a buyer likes your work enough to bring out their checkbook, they will normally be happy to call you to close the sale. It’s also handy to be able to sell directly from your website, especially if you sell lower-cost reproductions…. PayPal offers a very nice solution for artists which avoids the hassle and cost of setting up a regular merchant account.