Think of the art business as an art competition

About our guest blogger: John R. Math is the owner and director of a gallery located in Jupiter, Florida. The online art gallery Light Space & Time hosts monthly themed online competitions and art exhibitions for new and emerging artists from around the world. John is also an art photographer selling his work on the corporate art market and an art marketer.

He shares his brilliant advice on the importance of the presentation and business of art as a competition:

The definition of the word “competition” is “the act of competition; rivalry for the championship, prize, etc.” Each month, Light Space & Time Online Gallery receives hundreds of entries to enter our online art competitions. After five years, we still receive a large amount of sloppy or incomplete work from artists. If this happens to us, it also happens to viewers and potential buyers of this artist's work!

Think of presenting your art like competing with any other artist. This is true whether the art is online, in person, or in print. Who will win this competition? The winner will be the artist with the best artistic skills, as well as the artist with the best presentation of their art.

I can't say why some artists don't present their art professionally. Maybe some artists don't care, or they don't want to compete, or they think their art will sell itself. Every artist needs to understand the challenges of showing their art well, getting enough attention for people to look at their work, and finally motivating someone to actually buy their art.  

Every time your art is showcased in person, in print, online or on social media, this is your only opportunity to make a big impression and present your art just as if not better than any other artist. Think of this presentation as an art competition. Mediocre and careless presentation of your work will not cut and you definitely will not win!

Here are some ways to improve your presentation when entering art competitions or showing your art online, in person, or in print.

• Label your entries accurately and consistently (at least your last name and the title of your work).

• Before you frame your artwork, take a photo or scan it (no iPhone images).

• Correct the color and crop the images (There is no excuse for not doing this. There are free programs on the Internet that you can use).

• Don't show backgrounds, floors, or easel stands (see above).

• Have a well-written artist biography that is spell-checked and has good sentence structure. (The list of art exhibitions, events, and awards is not a biography.)

• There is an artist statement. This tells the viewer what your art is about and what your motivation is for creating your art (in other words, give the viewer a thoughtful meaning to your artwork).

• Show a consistent amount of art that shows you are serious about your art. (Art galleries, artists, designers, and art buyers want to be sure you're a serious and dedicated artist.)

Remember that you are in competition with all the other serious artists who want the same thing as you, recognition and ultimately the sale of their work. For this to happen, your presentation has to be better than any other artist.

Interested in learning more from John R. Math?

Visit the site to apply for online art competitions and art exhibitions and learn more fantastic art business tips.

Want to start your art business and get more art career advice? Subscribe for free.