ANN BALDWIN'S ART STUDIO
Staging
a Successful Open Studio in Your Home
Most
cities or counties of any size now hold an annual open studio event. It is
usually organized by the local arts council or non profit art organization, who
publish a map giving the locations of the various artists' studios which is
distributed to local art stores, bookstores, and libraries. Some organizations
publish a catalogue which lists the artists’ names and contact information
underneath an image of their work. This catalogue is a lasting reminder to
visitors of where they've been. All the publicity costs money and artists may
expect to pay anything from $50-$200 to participate in the event. To my mind it
is well worth it. Although I attract many visitors to my studio through my own
mailing list, every year a few more people find me through the well-publicized
countywide event. The benefit to artists comes not only in extra sales, but also
in increased exposure.
Some artists have studios in large, easily accessible complexes, but even
those of us who live on the outer limits of the county can attract the more
adventurous art seekers armed with a map. In fact, there can be some advantages
to being out on your own: those who take the trouble to make the trip are more
likely to stay longer.
To clean or not to clean?
The
experience of visiting an artist's home studio should be somewhat unique. Don't
try to turn it into a gallery or a store. What the public wants is a glimpse of
your life as a working artist, as well as a chance to see a wider range of work
than they have previously seen in exhibitions. While obviously you will want to
remove some of the day-to-day clutter from your work surfaces, such as old
newspapers, dried up paint tubes, etc., if you remove too much you will be
hiding some of the very things that made your visitors curious to see where you
work in the first place. By all means keep dangerous substances like solvents
and sharp tools out of harm's way, but let some of the other 'stuff' remain.
Many of you have probably seen photos of Francis Bacon's extremely messy studio.
It's a wonder he was able to get near the easel! Nevertheless the glimpse these
photos provide of the man himself is fascinating. Believe it or not, the public
finds our lives glamorous.
Striking
a balance between a formal art show and a working studio is my aim. I tidy my
paints and brushes, but leave them where people can see just how many I use. I
leave out one of my palettes. I display sketchbooks and pin studies casually to
the wall. I tidy the shelves containing all my source materials for my collages,
but keep them within reach so I can get them down if necessary. My large
collection of art books and magazines will be in my bookshelves, as well as
scattered over coffee tables. Many visitors will sit down and go through one of
them, detecting influences. I sweep the studio floor. At one time I would paint
the concrete white to cover the drips and spatters, but I've found that visitors
love to see the spontaneous signs of art making. I scrub my counter tops, so I
can display unframed work without background distractions. I tidy my notice
boards that display postcards of other people's art picked up in galleries or
received in the mail, prospectuses for art shows, thank you notes from buyers,
and my calendar. All these things shed light on my artistic persona.
Which
art should you show?
There
are different schools of thought here. Some artists prefer to concentrate on a
particular body of work, usually their latest. The reasoning behind this is that
here is an opportunity for a solo show, which should be cohesive and consistent.
Gallery owners or important collectors might come by and the artists will want
to show only their best work, the work for which they are seeking recognition.
My view is that, if you have no other opportunities to stage this kind of show,
it might be worth looking at it this way. Otherwise, you should take advantage
of the fact that your studio is not a gallery, that you are the
sole curator, and that for once in your life you have complete liberty to show
what you like. It is a good idea, however, to be something of a self-critic and
leave out earlier work that might have 'student' stamped all over it. I hide all
paintings that I regard as failures, and put away all work that is more than a
few years old unless I am keen to sell it, in which case I have a special sale.
If I'm experimenting with a totally new technique that I haven't yet mastered,
I'll also remove this work from sight. After all, I can always launch it on a
surprised world later!
I'll display a couple of works in progress in order to show something of
my process. Artists who do several different types of work (and there are plenty
of us) should consider setting aside a separate area for each style, otherwise
their open studios will look like group shows. It can also help to put up signs
to label different series, e.g. Southwestern Landscapes, Pond Studies. Prices
should be clearly visible. I also display a Pricing Policy to help people
understand how I arrive at a particular figure. This, I have found, has helped
many a potential buyer accept my prices as logical and fair.
Opening
up the whole house
My
studio is in fact a semi-converted garage. The interiors of the garage doors are
painted white and so are the walls. Every couple of years I repaint the walls
and fill some of the worst holes. It doesn't look beautiful, but at least it
doesn't detract from the art. I have installed inexpensive track lighting
throughout the studio and house. I hang all my largest unframed canvases in the
studio itself and the smaller, framed paintings in my living room and dining
room. My husband complains every year that, after an open studio, our walls are
full of holes from the hooks!
Opening up the house as well as the studio has its problems. For one
thing, we have to move out a lot of the furniture and store it in the bedrooms.
I display greetings cards in 'spinners' on the dining table alongside various
publications showing my art, fliers, piles of giveaway postcards, and business
cards. Between the rooms I have a print rack full of limited editions or matted
originals in clear sleeves. I encourage visitors to wander freely round the
house by having plenty of welcome signs and directional arrows. However, I also
make sure that I have plenty of assistance at busy times so that I know what the
visitors are up to. I haven't lost a painting yet.
Encouraging
visitors to stay around
Then
there's the question of food. In the kitchen I put out plenty of attractive
snacks on the counters, not just chips and salsa: bread sticks, crackers,
cheeses, cookies, apple cake, melon slices, olives, fresh cut raw vegetables and
dips. I also provide coffee and tea, as well as a variety of soft drinks.
Excessive? I don't think so. I spend around $100. I believe it encourages people
to stay around for more than half an hour, and that gives me a chance to engage
in conversation with them. One artist I know provides live flute music for the
same reason. A word of warning here: don't get drawn into social chitchat with
groups of friends, ignoring your guests. I have had this experience several
times when visiting other artists' studios. It makes a visitor feel unwelcome
and is discourteous.
Art
talk
Learning
to talk about your art is a very important part of opening up your studio. Some
visitors want a guided tour; others prefer to browse alone until their interest
is piqued and they ask questions. Most of my sales are made after I've built up
some kind of rapport with potential buyers, either by explaining my methods, or
by listening to their own responses to my paintings. In this way, they don't
feel threatened by a hard sell, but they do take a deeper interest in the art.
Buyers at open studio want to be able to take away a memory of their meeting
with the artist, as well as a piece of art.
Measuring
Success
Is
an open studio successful even if you make very few sales? It could be. Success
may also be measured in terms of heightened awareness and increased appreciation
of your work. This may lead to later sales, as well as other opportunities. In
my experience many regular visitors to my studio require two to five visits
before they finally succumb to buy a painting they just can't live without. I've
learned to be patient. The timing of an event is also important. Every Fall I
hold an open studio a few weeks after my annual appearance at a local art
festival. Several visitors who couldn't make up their minds at the art fair come
to firm decisions in the relative calm of the studio. Follow-up is vital. I try
to make a note of guests who have expressed an interest in a particular
painting, then send them a card with that image on the front (printed on my
computer) to thank them for coming. That way they are reminded of what they
missed. People will often come back the following year clutching the card and
hoping the work has not been sold meanwhile!
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