How is the recession effecting the Art Business?

Today’s announcement that BoundlessGallery.com is closing down permanently as of March took me by surprise.  I have been a member with them on and off  over the past 5 years.  Due to lack of income, they are closing their doors forever.

Ebay has completely dried up for original art, except cheap knock offs from China. Other online art retailers feel more like graveyards.  Not only are fewer folks purchasing original art, but fewer are online looking at it as well.

Many of the physical galleries have closed.  The little store with such a huge heart that represented me back in 2007 closed it’s doors last year.  (Current in Woodstock, Georgia).

Galleries across the country, both online and physical, are closing down.  Even  Fay Gold Gallery in Atlanta closed last year.  Only the strongest remain.

Selling artwork on the Internet has changed dramatically since the recession began.

I have followed some  who made it big with Internet  without traditional art galleries for over 7 years now.  I have watched of a few of these big names begin to use what I would label “desperate” techniques to  sustain their income through these lean times. I have watched them give up on ebay and online auctions, returning to fixed price venues.

I whave atched some who formerly cleared six figures a year disappear completely from the Internet.   I listen to others tweet and facebook , endless pushing their goods like hot dog street vendors, tiring their collectors and fans with the same ole message – buy me, buy me, buy me.  I am still watching.  But I am growing tired of the desperation.

Most self-representing artists are marketing more and painting less.  Current art advisors tell us to make small works until things pick up again.  I disagree.   Unless you enjoy making small works.

A few months ago I made an executive decision about the direction of my art.  (I love getting to use the term excutive decision, so funny since I have no employees –  only me!)

I went back to basics.

I stopped buzzing and bubbling around making little artsy-crafty things to sell and focused on my true love  –

making large original art.

No more little art journals, small prints, etsy shop, 20-somethings, tile boxes, coasters, street fairs, wine markets for me  …   I got back in the studio and forgot about the recession.

Along the way, I realized that I already had a viable means of adding supplement income to my art biz.  I swallowed by artistic pride and I pulled out my old programmer skills and began building websites for money.

Expanding Flint River Web Design has indeed helped me survive the recession and allowed me to keep painting the BIG, ORIGINAL paintings that I so love to create.  I have been spending my days with a 50/50 split between my art biz and my web biz.  (2011 update – I closed Flint River Gallery in 2011 – switching over to freelance web design for extra money.)

Sure I paint less, but I am STILL painting.  And that is what is important to me.

By the way, I have been invited to exhibit in a large space at the Atlanta Defoor Art Centre  later this year.  A solo gig  –  my largest so far.    The space needs about 60 large pieces to fill it up.  What a coincidence!   Hold on to your dreams artists, there is a light at the end of this recession !