How Artists Can Begin Selling More Artwork by Kara Lysandra Ross

Home / Articles

How Artists Can Begin Selling More Artwork

A review of Eric Rhoads' book Make More Money Selling Your Art

by Kara Lysandra Ross

Published on 27 July, 2018

As someone heavily involved with the 21st century art movement, I see time and time again fantastic artists who contact me because they have trouble selling their works or can't find gallery representation. They often look for advice on what they are doing wrong or if I can help place them in a gallery. Sometimes they wonder if it has something to do with the quality or content of their work. Considering that there are so many purely conceptual artists out there somehow hitting it big and making a name for themselves without the technical skills to back it up, one has to conclude that there is another factor at play. Many people think it is all about who you know and what connections you have. Although these things can and do help, a lot of what makes an artist successful financially and enables them to sell their works has a lot to do with how they present themselves and their work. In short how they market themselves and their work to the public and the powers that be. When it comes to being financially successful as an artist, painting, sculpting or drawing amazing works is not enough, because if you don't get your works out there for people to see, no one will know about you. In Eric Rhoads book, Make More Money Selling Your Art, he addresses this concept and how to market oneself as an artist in a systematic way to make it easy for artists to understand how to market themselves and their work.

As Rhoads discusses in his book, sometimes artists, and in truth, individuals in other professions as well such as authors, often feel like pushing their work or accomplishments amounts to a form of bragging. They are just not comfortable with it. They want someone else to do it for them so that they can focus on their own creations. Although this is also a good way to go if you have an avid supporter who is skilled at marketing, the majority of artists do not have this luxury and in order to be noticed, have to do this for themselves. An artist has to build their own brand which Mr. Rhoads' book is specifically written to help an artist achieve.

Make More Money Selling Your Art is thorough and goes through all the different aspects of marketing and more so, the thought process behind how to create a good marketing strategy; addressing concepts such as what makes you different, how to attract gallery attention, social media, advertising, pricing strategies, building a community, knowing your buyer, making your website presence work, and a large variety of additional concepts that are vital to the success of one's artistic career.

To all those artists out there who are looking for help and guidance in furthering their career and trying to get their paintings out of their studios and into galleries or collections, reading this book is a good way to start. No one will care as much about your career and your future as much as you do. There is no shame in supporting your own interests nor is there any reason not to further your art education by adding in the vital knowledge of how to market and sell art, which this book specifically addresses.

To purchase a copy click here. This book is also available through Amazon.

Kara Lysandra Ross is the Co-Chair and Chief Operating Officer for the world renowned Art Renewal Center (ARC). She holds a BA in Art History from Drew University. As an art educator she has been a contributing writer for Collections Magazine, and Fine Art Connoisseur, and has been published frequently in other magazines and newspapers. She was the co-editor of the William Bouguereau Catalogue Raisonné and author of chapter 28 in the published second edition. She served on a panel focused on the future of representational art at The Realist Art Conference (TRAC) in 2014 and in her role at the ARC spearheaded the introduction of the live exhibition associated to the ARC Salon Competition serving as chief organizer and curator. She is an ARC Salon Judge, and has served as juror in other competitions for organizations such as the International Guild of Realism, the South African Portrait Society, IX Arts, and the Ani Academy. She is also an expert on 19th century Academic French and English painting and is currently researching and writing the catalogue raisonné on Edmund Blair Leighton, for which she is accepted as the world authority, authenticating works by this artist for Sotheby's, Christie's, and Bonham's among others.