An artist’s life… how to make a living from your art
So you can paint. But can this provide an income you can live on?
For many visual artists, their dream is to paint and live comfortably from sales of their art. While it’s obvious this is easier said than done, there are Australian artists doing exactly that.
Calendar talks to 2009 Archibald Prize winner, Guy Maestri, about painting for a living.
Getting started
By the time we’re adults most of us would have had some experience creating art in one form or another. Early schooling normally gives children exposure to a number of different art forms – and for some aspiring artists, this is where it all starts.
Once you’ve decided art is your thing, what’s next in making it a career? According to Guy Maestri, it all starts with the proper education. ‘Go to art school and get educated,’ he says. ‘I had been mucking around (with art) on my own accord for most of my life but I realised that I needed a good education so I spent four years developing my skills and understanding of art.’
Depending on the course you choose, education can give you a grounding in a variety of art forms and this can help identify the mediums and styles that best match your need for creative expression.
When preparing to make the jump from student to professional artist, some may choose to specialise while others spread themselves across different art forms. Here, it may be tempting for up and coming artists to seek gaps in the art market and offer works that appeal to certain collectors. Maestri, however, feels this is risky. ‘The best art comes from people who are doing it for no reason other than for their own personal expression. That’s where the strength of it lies,’ says Guy.
‘You can’t really approach it in any other way. You can’t tailor what you do to any sort of market. For me personally, that sort of thought never came into it.’
But can an artist make it based only on their passion and ability? Maestri found that – in his case – he couldn’t do it without a close working relationship with his gallery.
‘It’s a symbiotic relationship with the gallery,’ he explains. ‘In most cases it’s the fundamental key to an artist gaining exposure and to sell their work, because generally the last thing artists want to do is be involved in trying to sell off their wares.
‘It also frees up the artist to do what they do while the gallery takes care of the business side of things, so it’s a good relationship to have.’
‘I guess the artwork is the most important thing and the gallery has a role in promoting you and increasing the value of your work and introducing you to the correct clients. These are all things that are important and you can’t do them by yourself.’
Before you approach any galleries, it’s paramount that you do some research into the sort of artists they already represent, so you can ensure there’s a good fit for your art. With the art world warming to digital communications channels, it’s now easier to find out more about different galleries via the web.
‘There’s enormous diversity in galleries and I think it’s just about understanding what gallery is going to be suited. Pick the ones you really like and work your way down from there,’ Guy adds.
Working it all out
When it comes to work ethic, every artist has their own way of getting the job done. Some may methodically devote many hours to the studio while others approach their art more erratically. For Maestri, his apprenticeship as a boat builder helped instil a tradesman-like work ethic, which helps in a career that requires discipline and self-motivation.
‘You’ve got no one telling you to get up in the morning and go to work. But by having that foundation in a trade, I approach my artistic career in the same way, in that I go to work each day and make sure I’m productive.’
Guy credits this work ethic in winning the 2009 Archibald Prize for his portrait of Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu. He had previously entered the competition nine times without success, but appreciates the value of getting knocked back in his overall artistic development. In hindsight, he feels some of his entries weren’t up to scratch but acknowledges they were all necessary in his growth as an artist.
‘I’m the sort of person that needs to do ten paintings to get to the next step,’ he says. ‘Some people develop really quickly while others need to churn out a lot of work – and I seem to be that sort of guy.
‘It’s just about working hard and trying to continuously develop and reassess what you’re doing.’
While winning prizes like the Archibald can obviously be a turning point in an artist’s career, Maestri recommends finding a balance between not taking awards too seriously and maintaining the enthusiasm to persevere and develop as an artist. Awards can garner exposure for the artist –reaching audiences outside the art world – which normally helps to increase demand for their works and subsequently fetching a higher price for sales. More so, some award programs offer prize money which is always well received by the artist.
But a major accolade can be a double-edged sword. With the added exposure comes increased pressure and more attention from art critics, which Guy described as ‘stifling’.
‘You know that people are waiting for what you’ll do next and there’s a lot more people being a lot more critical. Certainly the show I had after was a pretty tough time in the studio.’
The bottom line
After establishing a relationship with a gallery, artists can immerse themselves in what they do best. But there’s one thing that a gallery cannot do on behalf of an artist – managing the all-important cash flow.
Income for an artist can be incredibly erratic and depends on environmental factors often outside the control of the gallery. Whilst art shows can be planned, this doesn’t guarantee regular sales, so artists have to be extremely careful with how they use their income. It’s because of this, that many artists supplement their income with other work such as lecturing or teaching.
Maestri’s income is derived solely from art sales, which means he has to be ‘sensible’ with money to keep his head above water. ‘By the time a show comes around – if it’s been six to nine months between shows – most artists have gone into debt,’ he reveals.
‘It’s something you need to be careful with, all of a sudden you have a big wad of cash – that might have to last you five months, so it can be a bit frustrating in that sense.’
So what about commissioned works? Guy feels his type of art doesn’t really lend itself to being reproduced easily, so taking on commissions isn’t something he does. ‘The way I work is sort of intuitive and abstract – and it’s impossible to reproduce for a client.’
But if the style of art can be replicated he recommends giving commissions a go. ‘If you do the sort of work that can be reproduced, reasonably easily, it can be a benefit, as you’re working on something that is potentially already sold.’
Pricing your art is also a fundamental consideration. Artists normally start off by making their works affordable so they can establish a reputation amongst collectors. From there, how your art is priced is a collaborative effort between you and the gallery – and depends on factors such as the demand for your work and how long you’ve been around.
‘The gallery promotes the growth in the value of your work. And obviously different galleries have different reputations and appeal to different types of collectors and curators. That can govern what your prices are and where they go.’
As with most industries, the internet is rapidly changing how artists and galleries interact with buyers. Artists and their works are now more visible than ever, and while most collectors will want to see the work in person before buying, digital communication channels can be the initial hook that creates a sale.
According to Guy galleries will not become redundant, but the internet will play a larger role in promoting art. ‘I don’t know many people that would buy something without seeing it,’ he says.
‘I definitely think things get reserved though. That has been a change I’ve noticed, that when email invitations go out you can view the whole show online and a lot of art gets reserved quickly.’
So is it all worth it in the end?
Maestri answers enthusiastically. ‘I still feel incredibly privileged that I do what I do, you’ve always got energy to put into what you’re passionate about.’
‘I work pretty hard – I’m in my studio nearly 7 days a week. But I love doing it.’
Guy Maestri lives in Sydney, and paints out of his studio in Waterloo.
Photography by Richard Birch.