London Artist
DON’T SQUEEZE – Graffiti Canvas
When you realise they were going in for a fist bump and not a handshake, AWKWARD!!!! ???????????????????????????????????? Who else has had the moment when you go to shake a hand and you're met with a fist! Do you squeeze the fist or do you turn the shake into a bump?...
Art on Spray Cans
I try and use as much of the paint in a can as possible. The last squirts of paint in some of my paint cans go on other empty spray paint cans. That's almost recycling art right?! I have given these cans away to friends kids and then they draw on them with a sharpie...
Art of Van Style Trainers
From rags to riches!! I always get spray paint on my clothes, especially my trainers so I decided to make a NEW pair so everything was fresh and clean and I could actually wear these to an art show I was exhibiting at. I am not a show-off and these started as a basic...
London Art and Artists
London has many well-established and talented artists and this can make it very difficult for newcomers to get their art into a gallery. London galleries have to have art in their galleries that give them a good return on investment, especially as rents are extremely high. A gallery taking on a piece of art from an unknown artist in London just wouldn’t pay the bills! It can be hard to understand rejection from galleries unless you look at it from a pair of commercial eyes, they probably like your art but buyers of art often are looking at the investment opportunity and resale value later down the line. Why would they sell your art for thousands if the gallery can get millions for something like a Banksy piece instead?!
The beauty of having your art in a gallery is they know exactly how to display your work and they have a client base to sell it to as well. Try going outside of the main city of London, going a few counties away can be the difference between a yes or no to taking on your work.
New Artist Challenges
When I started in the art world, I decided to use the power of the internet to reach what I believed would be an even bigger audience than many galleries could offer me, especially for the ones without much authority outside of the town their gallery is situated in. I work hard to promote my brand.
To be a good artist, you have to be creative and original, it is the same for promoting yourself. After all, you found this page!
Can you make a living from your art outside of a gallery?
I believe artists can potentially make more money outside of the gallery if they use their initiative and have something to offer a buyer or collector. Remember, not everyone buys art because they want to hang it on their wall. The internet, especially now with social media, is great for promoting yourself and your art, many artists don’t even exhibit in a gallery and use YouTube, Instagram and Facebook to become well known. I used all the tools available to me when I built my art portfolio and so I now have buyers of art come to me directly when they see something they like. This puts more money in my pocket, takes less out of the buyers pocket, it’s a win-win if there is no middle man like a gallery
This doesn’t mean you cannot enjoy the excitement of showing your work in a gallery. Try and build a business relationship with the owner of galleries because you can help each reach success.
Visiting London Galleries.
Most galleries in London you will not just be able to pop into like the ones in Brighton or Manchester. This is due to the high value of some of the art pieces (millions), they are very much by appointment only, especially where Banksy sells his paintings. Always check by visiting the gallery websites.