“Do you find it hard to sell your art? An extension of you!”
This was a question I received from a fellow artist last week. When we, the artists, spend so much time, energy and creative juices bringing forth a new work, I can understand where this question comes from. For some of us, this act of creation can feel similar to connections we make with our children or our pets. At first I did struggle emotionally with selling my art.
Then a few wonderful things happened to me:
I sold two paintings to a couple during a group exhibition in Omaha. I was married at the time, and my husband got laid off for a month. I used the sales of the paintings to pay the mortgage payment. That felt great. Then something even better happened. After the exhibition I arranged to drop off the paintings to the buyers. They invited me into their home. They showed me where they planned to hang the paintings. Then brought out the paint samples. They were going to repaint their living room to best show off the work! Then they explained that purchasing the art was the first major purchase that they made in building their new life together. Not only was my art to decorate their home, it was to kick off their new home together. I consider this such an honor.
In college I painted, “A Road to Home” while completely homesick. It features a mountain road going through the Coastal Redwoods. A wonderful woman bought this piece for her husband upon his retirement. He had worked for the Forest Service for 30 years and their first home together had been deep in the Redwoods. My return home was their return home.
Another time an old friend purchased a painting of the sunlight streaming through the redwoods. He hung it in his office. When he and I first became friends he was a homeless teenager. He works for an agency where he does outreach to homeless Veterans. As you can imagine, he is quite good at it. He wanted their first experience in his office to be both uplifting and relaxing. He positioned the painting to the side of his desk so that both him and his client can see the painting. Again, I was honored by the thought that went into the purchase and the role that my art plays in his life, and the lives of those around him.
None of these three experiences would exist without sales. I love to sell my artwork now. For me, the buyer completes the painting with their own story. It always seems that they complete it more beautifully than I can do alone.
Interested in a painting to join your story? Click here for available work.