Workshop: Preservation, Presentation and Pricing

These are my notes from a workshop I presented last weekend. I posted the first section of the workshop a little while ago, this is the entire information. Please note that these notes are made for the South African market and as I say to my students, these are my opinions so if you have a different opinion fell free to let me know.

                                         ARTKAPTURE
           PRESERVATION, PRESENTATION AND PRICING

Introduction
It may seem strange to group these 3 topics together, but one cannot really decide on how to price your work without considering the quality of the work.
By quality, I mean, the quality during the production of the work, the preparation decisions.
These decisions can add value to your work and protect your reputation.
In this workshop we will look at how preservation and presentation can add value and affect your pricing.
Preservation
Preservation of artwork has to do with doing as much as possible to prevent possible deterioration of the materials you use.
Most people think that preservation of art begins at the completion of the artwork, so where and how we display art and we store art, but in fact preservation starts even before you, as an artist, embarks on creating an artwork.
What are the possible damages from which we need to protect art?
Possible causes of damage include:
Sunlight/Light
Acid
Insects
Humidity/moisture
Air pollution/air quality
Oxygen
Unstable nature of the material or medium

All artwork does and will deteriorate but, by doing everything we can, we can slow this process down and ensure a longer lifespan.
So, preservation begins with the choices you make as an artist in respect of the materials you select as well as the way you encase (or frame) your work.
Paper
There are 2 types of paper
Wood pulp paper
Rag paper (fabric)
Wood pulp contains a substance called lignin. Lignin helps the fibres in trees to bind but during the pulping process lignin is broken down and releases acid. Acid is like kryptonite to paper. The acid can cause the fibres to break down, discolouring the paper. It can also cause chemical reactions with the pigments you lay on the paper (paint, pencil, charcoal) and can also damage the mounting around the work.
There are some wood pulp papers from which the acid can be removed during the production process, either by a chemical process which removes the acid or by adding alkali to neutralise the acid.
Rag paper, on the other hand, contains no acid as it is made from the fibres found in cotton and linen for example (no lignin)
If you are using paper you need to ask the supplier the following questions:
Is the paper wood pulp or rag?
If it’s wood pulp, is it acid free?
Is it archival or museum quality?
Archival or museum quality paper have a hundred-year guarantee against discolouration caused by acid.

Canvas
Today most artists trust commercial canvas producers to deliver on quality, but if you are going to use these canvases avoid student quality and spend the little extra. The correct preparation of a canvas will protect your art from oxygen or moisture accessing the paint from the back of the work, this would create bubbling and the paint separating from the canvas. For that reason, make sure that it is primed well, no light should penetrate from the back. Good beveled inner edge will reduce contact of the canvas on the wood. Large canvases must be braced to avoid warping. There should be key slots to allow for tightening if the canvas sags a little.
https://www.thoughtco.com/priming-a-canvas-for-acrylics-or-oils-257384
Paint
In the past artists would make their own paints from pigment and each artist would have their own tried and tested recipes. They therefore had a great understanding of the chemistry behind paint production. Nowadays, though, there are very few artists that really understand pigment chemistry.
The making of paints is a very complicated science, but I think it’s important for artists to understand at least a little more than just the colour science and colour wheels.
Colour science is understanding how the eye reacts to certain colour combinations to create harmony and balance or vibration.
Pigment science or pigment chemistry is understanding what happens at a chemical level.
Why do you think this important?
Pigments are derived from various sources, it can be organic or inorganic using base metals, plant matter, animal matter. Each of these components is a chemical. What happens when we mix different chemicals? Sometimes they react well. At other times there can be negative reactions and the chemicals can cause unfavourable and unwanted changes. Depending on the source, certain pigments can be more sensitive to light or more resistant to the effects of light. Pigments themselves also dry at different rates and so, using pigments with big differences in drying time can cause cracking.
https://www.britannica.com/technology/pigment
www.rsc.org/learn-chemistry/resources/art/discover/pigments-and-colours

Sculpture
Any form of metal sculpture is prone to corrosion of some form. Some metals corrode faster than others. Metals are affected by humidity, moisture, pollution. Did you know however that a thin layer of initial patina (corrosion) can help protect the metal from further corrosion, creating a buffer between the patina and the environment. Obviously we do need to protect them from further damage, so a good quality antique wax can do that.
Natural materials like marble and some stone are prone to damage caused by acid rain. Carbon dioxide in the atmosphere combines with moisture to form an acid which reacts very strongly with the calcium carbonate in marble to dissolve it. High carbon dioxide levels are part of climate change and acid rain is a consequence of air pollution.
Wood must be treated to prevent insect damage and wood rot even indoors.
Collage and Mixed Media
Collage and mixed media art are very popular at the moment, but you need to be particularly careful when creating this type of art. I have spoken to a few art restorers and they said mixed media are going to be nightmare or probably impossible to restore in the future. The rule of restoration is whatever is used in the restoration process must be removable and if you are using mixed media then that becomes impossible… to remove something you need to use some kind of solvent that won’t affect the original work.
If you are creating collage work, you need to consider your source material. Magazines or newsprint may not be acid free. Furthermore, the adhesive that you use needs to be acid free. I’ve seen artists over the last few years using masking tape as a material, this becomes brittle in just a few years and loses its adhesiveness. The glue often contains starch or sugar which are firm favourites for certain insects such as cockroaches.
Digital works/Photography/Video
Printed artwork is extremely sensitive to light. This has been improved over the years, but you must ensure that the paper used by the commercial printing labs is acid free.
When it comes to video or animation… these forms of art also need to be preserved. If we look at the history of film and video, the technology is often now obsolete. Thankfully technology has made it possible to transfer film and video into digital formats. It does, however, make one wonder if what we are creating in existing formats may become obsolete in future. Ensure that the programmes and apps that you use can be updated to newer formats if need be.
At the end of the day, whatever material you choose to use, take the time to do some research and spend the little extra money on quality materials. This will ensure your work will last and that you develop a good reputation for delivering on quality.
Questions?
BREAK FOR TEA

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                                                 PRESENTATION

The general public may think that mounting and framing is about aesthetics but it has a much more important role. Mounting and framing serves to protect and preserve the integrity and quality of the art and prolongs the life of the artwork. This particularly important for expensive high end artworks which are regarded by the buyer as an investment.
But let’s look at aesthetics first.
What are your thoughts on the look of a frame?
What is the aesthetic purpose?
To me, a frame should never overpower, overshadow or distract the viewer from the artwork. A frame should enhance or make the artwork stand out. As a gallerist or art dealer an overpowering frame tells me that the artist does not have confidence in their work, hoping that an impressively ornate frame will impress. There are times that ornate frames suit the work, but overall it can put galleries and buyers off. An understated frame and mount very seldom offends and can suit different styles and tastes. It is a safer option if sales are the purpose.
The contemporary trend in framing is a simple white, black, brown or natural frame in wood or thin metal (very trendy). Just be aware that, with the thin metal frames, a large heavy work is prone to warping if not hung correctly off two nails from the sides of the frame. This creates better weight distribution. Many buyers though don’t know how to level two nails so they attach a string and in no time the frame has warped.

Now let’s look at the preservation and protection aspect of framing.
Remember what we discussed about wood pulp paper vs rag paper. This comes into play again when considering mounting and mat boards. Mounting boards and mat boards also need to be acid free. If they are not, the acid contained in them will leech into your artwork causing discolouration of the paper and possibly also your paint and digital printing pigments. The mat board behind your work (which is not always visible), and protects against warping, also needs to be acid free as well as your backing board for all of the reasons already mentioned.
What about the method used by framers to attach the different layers? Any glue or tape that is used should be able to be removed without damage to the art… as well as also being acid free.
In the past there was very little option when it came to glass. There was a choice of normal glass and non-reflective glass. That’s it. Please, please, please never use non-reflective glass over your work. You lose intricate details of your work as well as making everything look like a print (it seems to pixilate). Thanks to technology we have new options, plexi glass as well as UV protected glass (UV glass is very expensive though) so it is not generally used (R1000 per square metre as opposed to R100 per square metre for normal glass). This is a wonderful addition to preservation as light and sunlight are destroyers of art and modern architecture is all about allowing loads of natural light into our homes and that’s great, but not great for our art collections.
All these protection options do cost money, so my advice is: if you have to frame, use acid free mount and foam core mat boards, use acid free adhesives and a simple wood or metal frame and use normal glass. Remind buyers to avoid hanging work in direct sunlight or on an outer wall.
If you don’t have to frame, give the buyer a small flyer with framing advice as well as a list of reputable framers in the area.
As a side note to buyers in respect of framing: irrespective of where the artwork was produced and or purchased it is best that it be framed in the climate where the artwork will be hanging as the humidity difference can be huge and mounting and adhesives may warp if, for example, it is framed here in Pretoria and sent to a coastal region.
Further consideration is that not all your work is going to sell immediately, so how do you store you work with preservation in mind? If you are a painter, they can be difficult to store just from space issue. A simple shelf system will do. You need a space where the works are not exposed to direct light, variation in humidity, moisture or insects. Hang insect tape nearby. I have a very small studio so space is problem. I put up a chain from one wall to the opposite wall connected to the wall with bolts, about 60cm from the ceiling, I use hooks in the chain links and hang the paintings with string from the hooks.
Paper works should be window mounted with a mat board to protect the work from bending, folding and fingerprints. There should be acid free board and acid free tissue paper separating each work and they should be kept flat in drawers or an architectural plan chest. Please protect against fish moths by using moth balls in your plan chest.
Lunch Break
PRICING YOUR ART
Now we come to the part the most difficult part. Pricing your work can be extremely emotional. You need to separate your emotions when you start pricing your work. Now you need to look at the art industry from business and buyers point of view. Like in any business, research is of the utmost importance. You need to make research second nature and be brutally honest when looking at your work.
• Understand what the style of your work is. Commercial, decorative or contemporary work all have different price points and criteria.
• Knowing the style will help you define your market, as well as the type of gallery to approach and their price points.
• Now begins the real research. You need to know and understand what and why other artists are pricing the way that they are. Search galleries and on-line sites and find artists with similar resumes, subject matter, styles, mediums and size as yours and see what they are priced at.
• Resumes would include art studies and qualifications, exhibitions, gallery representation, number of years as a practicing artist. Be aware that not all art is priced correctly, so don’t get excited when you see an artist with a price point of R 20 000. These works may be over-valued. Dig deeper and find out if they are actually selling at that amount, how many works they are selling per month, as well as whether works are being discounted in order to get them sold.
• You cannot compare a one-year art career with a 10-year career, and here’s what hurts: your work may be better, but you still can’t price the same way!
• Get professional objective advice, not friends, not family. A gallery or dealer can advise you best because they have a broader understanding of the market. Family and friends cannot be objective nor do they have insight into the current market.
• When asking a professional for help, ask for complete and brutal honesty. DO NOT GET DEFENSIVE. Pricing your work is not purely about the strength of your work, it is about being market related. The availability of works of similar style is an important factor. Remember, you have competition out there! Generally, the number of artworks for sale far outweighs the number of buyers and competition is real.
• Gallerists and dealers are there to help. The gallery is there to make money and will earn more on higher valued work, but they need the work to sell and so do you. Pricing is not about validating your work, it’s about finding a price point that will increase the possibility of sales. So if a gallery says you’re overpriced LISTEN.
• Your work may be contemporary or it may be commercial, but it is always a good idea to understand how each is priced and why. So look at a wide spectrum of art. It quickly becomes apparent that the two genres have different criteria. This will give you scope to price your work correctly for various contexts. (Example miniature exhibition at Art Lovers and a group from an art group.)
• Once you’ve decided on a price point, stick to it. Galleries and buyers want to know what the art is valued at and if your prices fluctuate, essentially it has no objective value. Don’t become known as an artist that slashes prices out of desperation, believe me people get to hear about it. Galleries won’t exhibit if they know and buyers will wait till they see desperation and will make low ball offers. Furthermore, they will quote to you when, where and to whom you sold for a lot less. Slashing prices is not the same as a discount for regular buyers or supporters, a 10% discount is fair. In special circumstances even 15% would be acceptable.
• Having said that, remember that galleries add commission, this can be anything from 40% and up, depending on the type of gallery. So remember to include a commission structure to your studio sales. (a safe % is 40%). Know how to work out commission. A 40% commission is not the same as 40% mark up. To work out commission AP/0.6=SP (40%).
• Also, some galleries need to add VAT. This is only to be added to their commission earned not on the total sale amount.
• I mentioned just now that pricing is about valuing your work and that means that, irrespective of where you sell, the value remains the same. So if you sell in a gallery or direct from your studio, the price remains the same. If a gallery knows that you sell directly to buyers at a lower price (price excl commission), the chances are slim that they will offer you an exhibition because they know that buyers would rather wait till after the exhibition and possibly buy at a lower price.
• In a gallery setting, a buyer sees 3 works of similar style, quality, size, resume etc. one is priced at R 2 000, one at R 3 000 and one at R 4 000. Which work do you think stands a better chance of selling? The buyer may ask for the gallerist’s or dealer’s advice.
• Remember that every sale you make is advertising. To be able to post on your art page or web site that a particular work has sold looks good to buyers as well as galleries considering you for exhibitions. Having a work hanging somewhere in a home or office means more people are getting exposed to your work, increasing your chance of future sales.
• If you have two works of similar size, style, medium they should be priced the same. Just because you are more emotionally attached to one or think one is better, does not affect the value. In fact, the message that you’re actually putting out there is that some works aren’t as good in your opinion. In my experience, what you as the artist thinks are your best works are not always perceived that way by the buyers.
• When starting out, most artists will be supported by friends and family. This is a good thing, but friends and family may pay more than the value of the works, so don’t use these sales as a benchmark to what your works should be valued at.
• Offer a range of price points by varying sizes. In this way people that would like to support you will find something they can afford.
• If you have a website, separate the sold items from available items. What you don’t want is buyers seeing something they really like and then seeing it’s already sold. Use Available works and Past works in separate windows of your site.
• I see many artists’ sites and websites that don’t show the prices. I guess there’s an argument for that, but my own feeling is buyers prefer to see the price and make a decision based on affordability as opposed to the embarrassment of having to ask and then come up with an excuse because actually it’s more than they thought or they can’t afford. Galleries and dealers also very often search the internet for new artists to offer representation or exhibitions, but as a dealer I want quick accessible information in order to compare to the various artists I’m considering.
• Artists that have other jobs or careers often use the value of their time in order to price their work. If for example, they earn R200 an hour in their professional positions, they want to use that as a basis for pricing their art. There are a couple of issues with this: If you’re a new artist you may be spending many hours on a work, purely from inexperience and still learning the technique. Some mediums just take longer. Some artists can work extremely quickly and still produce far superior works to many other artists. It is the artwork that is being priced not the time spent!
• When should you increase prices and by how much? The general rule is to increase annually by 10%. Do some careful thinking and analysis before increasing? If your sales are strong then a 10% annual increase is fine. But if your sales are slow, or worse yet decreasing from previous years, this could indicate that your valuation of your work has been too high or it’s a simple case of the economy being really bad and people being careful with their spending. Hold off on an increase until the economy improves, perhaps until the following year. Do not drop your price point. Buyers that have invested in your work may be upset if you start devaluing their investment.
• There are people out there that believe that art must be expensive in order to be regarded as being good and there may very well be buyers out there that do think that way. The issue for me is that, you can always increase your price point, but you cannot decrease it. So why take the chance? Rather start low and build it up gradually. The second issue for me is about that buzz word, sustainability. If you want to make art your career, you need to make sure that you can sell your art for the next 30 or more years with steady increases and consistent sales.