[Jewelry making - Article 00940] - Re: [Orchid] Wholesaling one-offs

[James Binnion]

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>     I was wondering about your thoughts on artists who are new in their
>     careers. Your name carries a lot of weight with galleries and I was
>     under the impression that between you and someone just starting,
>     you would have more say in who carries your work and what the terms
>     are. 

    The big secret is that galleries and stores are desperate for good
    new work from new craftspeople. Think about it, when you go into a
    gallery don't you want to see new things? The difficulty is that
    when we are starting out we typically lack self confidence and are
    more often than not intimidated by the whole process. If you make
    well designed,well made work you will be able to find stores who are
    interested in buying it. 

>     How do you feel about consignment for someone who wants to get the
>     maximum exposure? 

    I am not a fan of consignment as I have stated. I think it can be
    used to further your career if used judiciously. I will consign work
    for special shows or to build up a display for a "designer show" at
    a store but both of those are limited time events. Since most of my
    work now is gold or contains significant amounts of gold the truth
    is I can't afford to have much of it on consignment. If I were
    working in less costly materials then there would be a little more
    latitude in doing consignment. But again when you consign you are
    loaning the gallery the equivalent of your price for the work with no
    interest, get something for this. Make sure your work is well
    displayed and not just stuck in a corner. Stay on top of it find out
    what is drawing interest and what isn't and use this info to refine
    your designs. Don't just send it out and wait to see if a check comes
    in some day in the future.

>     One other point, it was mentioned earlier that an artist showed up
>     at galleries with a contract and the gallery owner backed off on
>     the deal. This (to me) would be a sign that the gallery was not
>     right for me in the first place. There are galleries out there
>     professional enough to deal in contracts, right? I don't do
>     anything on a handshake anymore (unfortunately). 

    Contracts are tricky things and are costly as I would not sign one
    without my lawyer getting involved and I would expect the business
    to feel the same way. They are also only worth what you are willing
    to pay to enforce them. If you cannot get a contract then you should
    make sure they have a written policy on how they deal with their
    artists, when they pay, what the mark up is, how much of a discount
    they can apply to the work and who bears the cost of such a discount.
    And they should have references you can contact. If they don't have
    all this in written form then steer clear of them. 

    Best of luck, 

Jim

James Binnion
jbin AT mokume-gane.com
James Binnion Metal Arts
http://www.mokume-gane.com
360-756-6550

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