Ideal Artiist Locale??
larry seiler
I have developed a great deal of prowess as an artist in Wisconsin, but
after struggling for nearly 20 years as an artist can safely say that
Wisconsin is a real deficit to try and make any financial sustainability
selling one's work. I'm hoping to change a little of that with internet
making the world a little smaller.
At any rate, I am really curious what part of the country some of you
live in, opinions on some of the art meccas such as Sedona, Arizona..
Jackson Hole, Wyoming..etc; Once my last son graduates high school in a
couple years..I may consider moving if that's what it comes to.
Thanks for your thoughts and comments in advance! :) Larry Seiler
David Harleyson
In article <32C631...@edp.net>, lse...@edp.net says...
>At any rate, I am really curious what part of the country some of you
>live in, opinions on some of the art meccas such as Sedona, Arizona..
>Jackson Hole, Wyoming..etc; Once my last son graduates high school in a
>couple years..I may consider moving if that's what it comes to.
If cost of living is a consideration to you, you won't like what you
find trying to live and earn a living in a resort town. Nice places to
visit but who would want to live there. Santa Fe is a fairly large city
and the State Capital, and used to be one of the most affordable
places to live in the USA, besides having a nearly ideal year around
climate. NOT ANYMORE. Not since the paparrazi decided to make
it their playground. I know artists who were very comfortable living
there for a long time who have had to move because it has become
too expensive -- from taxes to groceries and gas. D.H.
Pardus
In <5a6gmh$p...@geraldo.cc.utexas.edu> no...@email.com (David Harleyson)
writes:
I, too, live in Santa Fe and struggle to make a living as an artist.
Although it is difficult and I have had to supplement my income through
various other sources such as teaching, I really enjoy living in a
community that supports the arts. The capabilities of networking with
others of like mind is also an advantage when you live in a city with a
high concentration of artists. I'm originally from Buffalo, NY - and
that was a struggle! Very few galleries, people think it's a joke if
you tell them you're an artist, and virtually no market except outdoor
fairs in which to sell your art. I'll take the disadvantages of a
tourist location any day, if I have more opportunities for my work. A
good book I can recommend for finding an art locale to settle down in
is: "The 100 Best Small Art Towns in America" written by John Villani
and published by John Muir Publications located here in Santa Fe.
L. Roach
larry seiler
Roach...thanks for your thoughts..someone private posted e-mail to me,
and santa fe came up. I was a prominent wildlife artist in Wisconsin at
one time..but that market has been flooded and is losing steam. In a way
I am glad it has..for it has meant moving on to a new chapter in my
life. I did not join the wildlife art bandwagon, basically was a
wildlife artist before due to where I was living and out of experiences
I had. Currently, I am enjoying very much doing landscape paintings
some wood sculptures..and a few semi-realistic abstract pieces. I
anticipate that the majority of interest in Sante Fe, is western art or
landscape art. Thanks for the suggestion on the book. Peace..:) Larry
larry seiler
David Harleyson wrote:
>
> In article <32C631...@edp.net>, lse...@edp.net says...
>
> >At any rate, I am really curious what part of the country some of you
> >live in, opinions on some of the art meccas such as Sedona, Arizona..
> >Jackson Hole, Wyoming..etc; Once my last son graduates high school in a
> >couple years..I may consider moving if that's what it comes to.
>
> If cost of living is a consideration to you, you won't like what you
> find trying to live and earn a living in a resort town. Nice places to
> visit but who would want to live there. Santa Fe is a fairly large city
> and the State Capital, and used to be one of the most affordable
> places to live in the USA, besides having a nearly ideal year around
> climate. NOT ANYMORE. Not since the paparrazi decided to make
> it their playground. I know artists who were very comfortable living
> there for a long time who have had to move because it has become
> too expensive -- from taxes to groceries and gas. D.H.
DH..whew..that seems to be what I saw at Jackson Hole, Wyoming too. I
was amazed at the art community, the number of galleries..and recently
heard Jackson Hole is one of the top five art communities in the
country. BUT....Californians coming over and thinking buying a home at
about $500,000 is such a great bargain has driven real estate so high
and the cost of living that many locals there have a hard time living.
It made me think living about an hour or two away from there would be
better..finding perhaps a couple galleries to represent work.
Larry
David Harleyson
In article <32C874...@edp.net>, lse...@edp.net says...
>It made me think living about an hour or two away from there would be
>better..finding perhaps a couple galleries to represent work.
The reply from someone actually living and working in Santa Fe
as an artist is verbatim information, I'm sure. But I know too
many artists who move to these locales, only to find out they
have to move away in order to survive. I have spent many years
of summertimes in a small mountain resort community in
southern NMex -- Ruidoso. I have seen an endless procession
of businesses -- not just artists -- come and go every summer,
not realizing that they must compete for the weekends-only
business and make enough on weekends in the summer to
survive the rest of the year. That is not to say that there are
not some businesses that have survived over the long haul,
but the latter are outnumbered something like 100 to 1 by the
number that have come and gone. D.H.
larry seiler
Thanks David...Much to think about before my son graduates. I have a
studio/gallery addition onto my house in a small rural (55 population)
town outside Eau Claire, Wisconsin (70,000) population about 16 miles.
The highway in front of my house sees many Minnesota license plates pass
by during the summer, and I am hoping to build upon some clientele.
Sounds from what you're saying that maybe trying to see what
possibilities the internet may have to offer and staying put would maybe
be better than trucking all over the country!
Perhaps..and I've thought along these lines..it would be best to
annually take about three or four trips to major art shows..take many
reference photos and small en plein aire paintings and simply establish
a number of places each year to deliver works. I'm concerned though
that my impressions as an artist of a mountainside stream, (though true
impressions upon experience) may not be favored marketably coming from
an artist in the more mid-west/central part of the country..as to one
living in closer proximity to those galleries. :) Larry
David Harleyson
In article <32C947...@edp.net>, lse...@edp.net says...
>Thanks David...Much to think about before my son graduates.
clipped
>simply establish
>a number of places each year to deliver works.
The secret to success as an artist is MARKETING -- an
all too obvious statement, you say. But it takes time and
a great deal of effort to establish a network of galleries that
will represent you and your work and know the market well
enough to tell you whether or not your work will sell in their
gallery. Once your gallery network is established, and you
have begun selling, it matters little where you live and work.
Producing and shipping are all you worry about then.
It's getting established that is the hard part. If you can
satisfy yourself, and earn enough to justify doing it, there
are many different avenues for getting your work sold --
depending again on those old buggabears, supply and demand.
Traveling around, selling at weekend shows and fairs is
one way that many artists and craftsmen find satisfaction,
and some seem to do well at it -- meeting the demand is
again the key. OR having a unigue product that others will
want. D.H.
David Harleyson
>The highway in front of my house sees many Minnesota license plates pass
>by during the summer, and I am hoping to build upon some clientele.
Sounds like a winner to me, if you can put up a sign to advertise
your wares and have off-road parking to accomodate the passing
public. I have known any number of artists who did just this -- set
themselves up in a location where passerby could see them and
examples of their work and they thrived for years off of drop-in
customers. Just as the key to success for an artist is marketing,
the key to success in marketing lies in the three little words:
location, location, location . . .
So if you already have the location, you are a jump up on the
game it seems. D.H.