I donated a painting to a local theatre company's silent auction fundraiser (Intimacy, the first post on the blog). No one bid on it.
It was well over twice the price of every other item on auction, many of which had starting bids between $10-$30. My starting bid was $140. I don't feel like I overcharged, but the price stood out in its company like a sore thumb. It was also the only painting there. The rest of the items were things like gift certificates for day spas and coffee and car repairs (notable exceptions include some really beautiful jewelry and, I'll be damned, some photo-realistic art done on Etch-A-Sketches. These sold, btw). Perhaps it was in the wrong company.
I'm less bummed about the lack of sale than I am feeling like I've had an instructive experience. Art's expensive, and a luxury commodity. Maybe this was not the proper venue for the art.
The thoughts I'm resisting are those which say the piece itself wasn't somehow 'good' enough, 'worthy'. I think it's worthy, and that's an important milestone as an artist. To think one's art is 'worthy', when every single social/economic message is screaming the contrary in our faces, is a big thing.
Don't know the fate of the work in question. It will remain with the company who may try to sell it, and if they can't, they'll return it to me. Thankfully, I learned the name of a local fine art print making outfit from the Etch-A-Sketch guy, so I'd LOVE to get it back and invest in some prints, besides the crappy photos I've been taking.
Sometimes you sell the painting, sometimes you don't.
Maybe it would be a good idea to borrow the piece back to make prints then give it back to them to sell if they would like. Certainly they can part with the piece for an afternoon for you to create prints.
ReplyDeleteEspecially if you place those prints in local galleries. This way, the next time they have an auction, your work, and more notably: that piece, will be well known.
They may also prefer to have a print of the piece, instead of the original, to auction off if all of their items are of lower value. Prints may suit them.
That's a really good idea!
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