Open Studio How-To's

 

Guidelines for Visiting an Artist's Studio:

• Greet the artist. If you're visiting a large artist building and decide not to enter a studio, but the artist catches your eye, wave.
• Be polite like your mother taught you. Don't make a bee-line for the food. Don't ask how much the studio rent is. Don't talk about your cat. Ask permission before you photograph.
  
• Don't assume that the prices are negotiable. Don't come at the end of the weekend and ask for a discount. Art is a luxury, and if you can't afford it, don't go fishing for bargains. Don't ask for discounts unless the artist is driving a nicer car than you are. 
• If you've seen the artist's work at a gallery, tell them, and don't try to get a better deal by going around a gallerist. The artist will have to pay the gallery their commission whether you bought it at the gallery or their studio.
• Share what the work makes you feel, what pieces communicate to you and why. Tell stories that they bring to mind, even if they are heavy.
• Thank the artist when you're leaving.
  

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Guidelines for Hosting an Artist's Open Studio:

• Send out postcard invitations, emails, Facebook notifications, and Instagrams. Be the squeaky wheel. There's a lot of competition out there.
• Hang up your very best work, stuff that's personal and real, art that would hurt if it sold. Don't paint to sell. 
• Have good lighting and signs. Make a good music playlist, songs that deepen the art, and have good speakers. Label everything and have a guest sign-in sheet.
  
• Wear comfortable shoes and stand as much as possible. Don't read, and stay away from sugar.
• Greet your guests as they enter, and let them know you are the artist.
  
• Pray for one honest real interaction and know that that's enough. Give yourself permission to not listen to the cat lady, but remember that everyone coming through is made in the image of God.
• If the guests initiate conversation, then you can talk freely about the work.
• Remember that the guests are not coming for the food or to see what you're wearing. Don't waste your energy on those things. They are there to see the art.
  
• Observe which pieces attract attention.
• Never reduce your prices.
  

 I've written before in this blog that my paintings are like my children, that they aren't complete until they've gone out in the world. Open Studios are a place where they can speak and have a life independant of me, whether they are sold or not. I am deeply grateful for everyone who has come to my open studio and shared their stories, such as the couple who looked at "No Visible Means of Support" and told me about their cancer year, the man who saw the flying woman and told me about his late mother, the woman who cried when she saw the mother and child painting and told me how her mother had died when she was eight. Those are sacred moments. I am humbled when I see how art can transcend barriers between people, can stop us in our tracks, can catch at our throats and remind us what life is really about, that we all have souls.