recession proof artist

Wow, I thought I would be better at doing this. Thing is I get so caught up into working on my art I forget about everything else. It is only when I am bored or really passionate about a subject that I need to chat on here. This recession is not doing so well for us as a family. I have done a few commissions here and there but gallery sales have dropped like a rock. I asked my friend Jeremy Lipking how his sales were doing and he said he hasn’t noticed a difference. This got me to thinking. Are there really some people out there that are not getting affected by the recession, or are people with a lot of money really addicted to art? I love Jeremy’s art he is a master of his craft. I would like to see some more multi figure paintings but that is just me. How does one get to the point Jeremy is in? Whenever I ask him he just tells me that he was lucky, but he was also represented by a gallery that sold his work and never paid him. That also kind of happened to me with the exception on; they just hung my art and sold it. They didn’t try to move sales forward by advertising for me. When they did sell sometimes I wouldn’t find out the work sold until a year later when I was going to pick it up. Eventually they paid but come on, that is not good business practices and no this was not the Rive Gauche Gallery in Scottsdale, they have been fantastic.
I read an article from a gallery about selling art in a recession. The gentleman stated that it is a great opportunity for artists to get back into their studios and paint the things they have always wanted to paint and build their portfolio so when the economy builds again they can present their work to galleries and sell. I am sick of having to work with galleries to sell, there has to be a way that we can sell our work without a middle man and still be taken seriously. Lately I have thought about quitting art all together, which I know other artists have too. There are two things that keep me going. One is Bill Whittaker said to me that I will never be successful because I don’t have what it takes. The other is my love for painting. I think there are so many other artists out that are so much better than I. But on the other side of the coin, I am better than a lot of other artists. So I have come to a conclusion. I don’t know where I will be in 5 years or what I will be doing. I do know I will paint and continue to work hard in producing better art. I want my art to be more interesting and personal. I want my art to look like paintings not photographs, so I might produce less and paint more to get to where I want and if can support me then great. So how does an artist get through a recession? Just like anyone else, push forward and continue to work, it will eventually end!
McGarren Flack
www.flackstudio.com