Unit 1 part D research into potential career opportunities in the arts
An Interview with Artist Sarah Watson
Sarah’s Website
Sarah Watson is a fine art artist who specialises in beautiful expressionistic landscapes.
Below is an example of here work.
What courses did you need to take to become an artist?
You don’t need to take any courses to be an artist. I believe anyone who draws or paints or sculpts for the sheer joy of it, is an artist. If you mean, to make a living as an artist, you still don’t need to have taken any courses. There are many famous, self-taught artists who never had any formal training.
Van Gogh and Frida Kahlo are just two examples. But, of course, those of us lucky enough to have had any tuition in art practice will no doubt have learned new techniques and different ways of looking at things. Courses are also wonderful for meeting other artists and being inspired by what they are doing. I did a BA (Hons) in Combined Arts & Humanities (in which I specialised in Abstract Painting, photography and the History of Art). All those courses taught me a great deal, but above all, it’s the memories of working alongside other student artists that influenced my work to this day.
What are the difference career opportunities in art?
Well, there’s practical (commercial art such as illustration and design in book covers, advertising, marketing, record covers … so many things, or if you are really lucky, portraiture or even as just an artist of your own work). Then there is taking your knowledge of art to curate exhibitions, work in a gallery or museum or of course teach what you know to other people.
Would you say it’s difficult to earn a living as an artist?
As an artist doing purely your own work, it is very hard, indeed very rare. Or at least, you aren’t likely
to be rich! A lot of artists do a combination of all the things listed about. I do my own landscape
paintings, undertake portraiture commissions and of course teach, all of which have their own
advantages. Even if I earned enough money just from my painting, I would still continue to teach
because otherwise I would live in a bubble, and potentially never speak to another person all day!
Teaching helps me get out of my studio and interact with other artists and be inspired by students of
all ages and experience.
to be rich! A lot of artists do a combination of all the things listed about. I do my own landscape
paintings, undertake portraiture commissions and of course teach, all of which have their own
advantages. Even if I earned enough money just from my painting, I would still continue to teach
because otherwise I would live in a bubble, and potentially never speak to another person all day!
Teaching helps me get out of my studio and interact with other artists and be inspired by students of
all ages and experience.
How do you establish your name as a new artist?
These days it’s easier because of social media. Instagram is by far the best way of getting your work
seen by many people. You can also join local art societies, take part in group shows and get involved
with other art community projects whilst all the time making the most of the joint publicity and
marketing. Get yourself written about in the local paper if you have won any awards. Talking of which,
enter all the art competitions you can! Most importantly you need to sell work or do commissions,
the buyers of which then show it to their friends, they commission you or buy a piece of work …
most of my portraiture commissions are from people who are friends of someone I did one for.
seen by many people. You can also join local art societies, take part in group shows and get involved
with other art community projects whilst all the time making the most of the joint publicity and
marketing. Get yourself written about in the local paper if you have won any awards. Talking of which,
enter all the art competitions you can! Most importantly you need to sell work or do commissions,
the buyers of which then show it to their friends, they commission you or buy a piece of work …
most of my portraiture commissions are from people who are friends of someone I did one for.
What are the most commercially viable ways of pursuing art as a career?
You can go your own route these days and have your own website and sell directly from there.
When you have come to a distinctive style of your own, you can start to pitch yourself to galleries
to sell your work, or if you are lucky, they will approach you. Facebook and Instagram also do a great
advertising deal, it’s really not much money to push a post. You can have your work in various
galleries around the country so long as they all agree that it’s OK if you show with someone else
outside of a certain radius, so that they have a bit of geographical exclusivity.
You also have to be consistent in your prices and not demonstrably undercut the galleries anywhere
on your website or with each other. Most professional galleries take approx. 50% commission from
the sale of a painting, and they are almost always ‘sale or return’. This pushes the prices up which
can be a good thing in terms of establishing your name as a contender but it also prices out normal
people from being able to buy the work which is a shame. You sell less but you earn the same,
so it’s a balance you have to strike. The worst deal I have had commercially was to sign with a very
posh art gallery on an exclusive basis, which meant only they could sell my work and I was
not allowed to post pictures of my paintings on any social media including my own Instagram and
Facebook pages! In all that time they did next to no marketing or advertising and only sold two
paintings in nearly two years! After I left, I sold around 12 pieces at the same prices within three
months.
When you have come to a distinctive style of your own, you can start to pitch yourself to galleries
to sell your work, or if you are lucky, they will approach you. Facebook and Instagram also do a great
advertising deal, it’s really not much money to push a post. You can have your work in various
galleries around the country so long as they all agree that it’s OK if you show with someone else
outside of a certain radius, so that they have a bit of geographical exclusivity.
You also have to be consistent in your prices and not demonstrably undercut the galleries anywhere
on your website or with each other. Most professional galleries take approx. 50% commission from
the sale of a painting, and they are almost always ‘sale or return’. This pushes the prices up which
can be a good thing in terms of establishing your name as a contender but it also prices out normal
people from being able to buy the work which is a shame. You sell less but you earn the same,
so it’s a balance you have to strike. The worst deal I have had commercially was to sign with a very
posh art gallery on an exclusive basis, which meant only they could sell my work and I was
not allowed to post pictures of my paintings on any social media including my own Instagram and
Facebook pages! In all that time they did next to no marketing or advertising and only sold two
paintings in nearly two years! After I left, I sold around 12 pieces at the same prices within three
months.
In what ways do you promote yourself as an artist?
Now that I am back to being in charge of my own promotion, I use Instagram and Facebook,
alongside my own website as my main tools of promotion. I currently have an exhibition which has
given me a month-long excuse to ramp up the advertising. I put posters up, gave out invitations to
the Private View party and nice-looking flyers to the poshest shops and hairdressers, beauty salons
etc locally to have on their waiting area coffee tables. Once my exhibition is over, I will offer the
remaining paintings to a few local galleries who want to show my work, including Gallery6 in Newark
and The Old House Gallery in Oakham. I will also update my website and add direct buying options.
I was very lucky to be accepted into the Lincolnshire Artists Society which is very prestigious
and puts on fabulous group shows where all you have to do is submit your work and they do all the
marketing and hanging in excellent spaces. Bliss! I also occasionally get invited to give paid talks
to societies and groups, which introduces my work to new people. Last year I did a talk and slide
show about my painting at the Usher gallery to the New Monday Art Club, from which one member
then booked me to do the same at the Collection Museum to the Friends of Lincoln Arts &
Heritage society. The more you do, the more it will snowball. Hopefully!
alongside my own website as my main tools of promotion. I currently have an exhibition which has
given me a month-long excuse to ramp up the advertising. I put posters up, gave out invitations to
the Private View party and nice-looking flyers to the poshest shops and hairdressers, beauty salons
etc locally to have on their waiting area coffee tables. Once my exhibition is over, I will offer the
remaining paintings to a few local galleries who want to show my work, including Gallery6 in Newark
and The Old House Gallery in Oakham. I will also update my website and add direct buying options.
I was very lucky to be accepted into the Lincolnshire Artists Society which is very prestigious
and puts on fabulous group shows where all you have to do is submit your work and they do all the
marketing and hanging in excellent spaces. Bliss! I also occasionally get invited to give paid talks
to societies and groups, which introduces my work to new people. Last year I did a talk and slide
show about my painting at the Usher gallery to the New Monday Art Club, from which one member
then booked me to do the same at the Collection Museum to the Friends of Lincoln Arts &
Heritage society. The more you do, the more it will snowball. Hopefully!
Once I have the time, I will approach the bigger city galleries but this time not agree a nationwide
exclusive deal. However, I am pleased to say most of the larger pieces in my exhibition have sold
so I will need to build up a new body of work over the next 12 months or so.
exclusive deal. However, I am pleased to say most of the larger pieces in my exhibition have sold
so I will need to build up a new body of work over the next 12 months or so.
These are my promotional outlets:
ART LESSONS WITH
SARAH WATSON
SARAH WATSON
I take art lessons at Harlaxton's Home-school group every other Tuesday with Sarah Watson. She teaches us different styles of art from working with Pastels and charcoal to creating collages and painting landscapes. She shows us the different techniques and tricks that she has learned and teaches us to apply them to our own work. The lesson usually lasts about 30 minutes which has also taught me to plan and finish my art within a time frame. This is really helpful since I tend to take hours or even days to finish a piece of art at home and these lessons teach me how great can be achieved even in a short amount of time, and how to not take it too seriously or be too precious over it. Sarah has also taught me to not try to perfect all mistakes otherwise the art could lose all of its expressive, originality. I have definitely learned a lot from these art sessions. They have made me improve in my work using all art mediums and even in my time management skills. Here are a few pictures of the process from my last art session:
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