RE: Dealing With the "Business End" of Being an Artist
I used to sell my small paintings in galleries ... 8 x 10 oil on canvas on board for $1,000 a painting. The Gallery would keep $500 and I would get $500 .... which I would claim as income and the Government would take $250 so I was left with $250 .... then I learned that I could donate a painting to a Charity Auction to find a cure for Cancer or build a house for Habitat for Humanity ... they would put my paintings g up for auction and since people with deep pockets would bid on my work they would sometimes sell for $2,000 ... this money would be used to build a house for the Honekess and I would get a tax receipt for $2,000 which I could use as a Tax Credit against my income so I would save almost $1,000 on my taxes. As an Artist this is the way to go....
It is wonderful what you do for a noble cause.
If-- as the artist-- you are not dependent on selling your art for income that is almost always the best way to go... especially if you have good connections to upscale galleries. Wealthy people will often pay "above market" for auction items if it's in the name of charity.
It's actually an interesting dichotomy because the very same people-- as art buyers-- are often the stingiest who'll spend an eternity haggling over a price like they were in a Moroccan flea market!
That's awesome man.