Name Your Price

In a previous blog, Doing Things Differently, I talked about the challenge of being self reliant and finding new, innovative ways to market art and promote oneself as an artist.

Success is never guaranteed, but failure is certain if no action is taken.

Simply repeating what is no longer working is not good enough either. Doing the same thing again and again and expecting a different result has been described as a definition of insanity.

In the first week of December I have an exhibition opening and trying something different. All work is to be sold by silent auction. The exhibition Name Your Price is to be held at Jack's Cafe, part of our local art trail.

The Guidelines established for the auction are:-

A low reserve price, but one that means paintings are not given away.

A short time frame. The exhibition/silent auction will run for eight days, from 4.00 pm Sunday 2nd December 2012 until 5pm Sunday 9th December 2012.

Only bids received during this period will be accepted. The usual price of each painting will be listed as a guide to value. This can be used or ignored. The collector decides what they are willing to pay for a piece.

Bids are silent. What is offered for any painting is between the bidder and the artist. An indication of how many bids have been made is displayed with the painting, but not what the bids are.

Bids can be made at the Café using a catalogue created for the purpose.

Paintings can also be viewed and bids made online at www.richardrogers.com.au. Clicking on the ‘Paintings’ link takes you to the gallery page where the Name Your Price exhibition is top of the list. The ‘Contact the artist about this painting’ can be used to register bids.

Bids on multiple items are permitted.

A person with winning bids on several items may buy them all, or they can select the painting or paintings they want the most. The remaining paintings will then go to the next highest bidder.

People with winning bids will be contacted in the week following the close of the exhibition to arrange payment, and pick up or delivery of their painting.

The obvious advantage to the collector is they have a chance of buying original art at the price they are willing and able to pay.

Am I devalueing my work with this approach? I don't think so. If a collector feels like they have got a good deal I'll be happy. I want my art to find homes where it will be appreciated and it is likely the buyer will come to the next exhibition. I'll not be advertising what paintings went for, but I will be gathering important feedback from my clients about what they like and what they think my paintings are worth. I will also have the opportunity to build on the database of people who have expressed interest in my work.

Check out the exhibition. I'll let you know how it goes.