art and ambition 2017
Sixpenny Handley
Aim
6 years ago I began to create & sell my own artwork with exceptional success now I want to establish myself within the real world art market
Richard Witham
I am a self-taught artist who has been creating and selling my work for 6 years. I have achieved continual sales using my own blogspot - website - email database and eBay. This has allowed me to continue to fund and develop my work and slowly realise a lifetime ambition even though I started at the age of 50.
My work has been bought by customers from as far as the US and Singapore and many customer have bought more than two pieces and I have a number of customers who have purchased several pieces for personal use and within their company offices. Further to this I average 8 commission pieces per year.
To understand my work and my journey please visit my blogspot which is a primary marketing platform for new work which I link to my emailouts which I send out on a regular basis.
My ambition for 2017 is to take the next step and work directly with targeted galleries as well as stage my own shows and move into the mainstream art world in which I believe my artwork will be well received.
I have over the past three years shown a number of pieces in galleries in London and Exeter which resulted in several pieces being sold. Therefore I am confident I can establish myself working with a number of selected galleries.
This move requires I remove myself from eBay. Although having been an excellent place to launch and establish my work it will conflict with working with galleries due to price conflict. Obviously this will remove an operational income as the return via galleries though much greater will work on a longer time lag in relation to sale versus revenue received.
The funding will be used in key areas enabling me to take this next step.
- To rent a larger studio space for an initial 12 months - I currently work from a small room at the top of our house the size of which prohibits the size and amount of work I can work on at any given time. I would like to work on far larger format pieces which despite several commission request I am unable to do.
- To fund the creation and framing of 20 large pieces to place with selected galleries and to promote to the London Gallery and Interior Design markets.
- To fund the creation of 10 further pieces and to fund the staging of my own autumn/winter shows in the South West of England.
- To fund the creation of promotional material to support my own marketing campaigns and shows.
- To fund the 'lean months' as I establish a presence in the real world art market and support me during the time lag that occurs whilst waiting for sales revenue to reach me from gallery sales. My eBay sales revenue will have ceased on the commencement of my plan.
My artwork started as a hobby but year by year it has developed in to a serious career opportunity due to the success I have enjoyed.
To be able to take this transitional next step would mean I would be able to fulfil a lifetimes ambition and focus on creating my art 100% of my working time.
This project closed unsuccessfully on 6th December 2016