Good afternoon everyone
Today, I wanted to discuss the provocative topic about art prices. First of all, I'd rather avoid the topic alltogether, as obviously it causes stress to dive into it for several matters: mostly, because I would need to open a large load of explanations about something both subjective and emotional, as money matters are always individual.
But I cannot avoid the fact, that often I am faced with both external questions about the same topic from different angles, and second, I also have internal battles when it goes to pricing my paintings. And then - there is reality of costs. And the reality of worth. Which often according to my deeper knowing has no accordance to the time spent whatsoever!
So in this blog post, I try to explain why the prices of my paintings are as they are and also, what strength it takes to fluctuate them from time to time. This post is mainly for people who are actually interested in this topic from a neutral state of being and even more perhaps, artists themselves, who are looking for ways to find views and solutions to their own issues if they happen to be on the same entrepreneurial path.
I am well aware, that all the trolls who post ugly comments about prices most likely (but unfortunately) don't find their way here; for several years, I explained my thoughts in comments, but as a neverending topic, it became so frustrating, that now, these trolls can comment only one time like that on whatever post - without second thought given. So to the actual topic -->
I
The road of an artist entrepreneur is always different. First of all, an artist is always a free thinker and someone to find their own ways, so most likely acts OUT OF THE SYSTEM, even when he or she collaborates with it and finds common ground. A true artist hardly collaborates ACCORDING to common standards; e.g. the artistic perspective comes out best in solitude. And from the latter, the outer system can find ways to collaborate, but not vice versa, as otherwise, the artist needs to fit outter ideas into the creative world, therefor, he or she is not a channel anymore from the "pure" consciousness, but she or he becomes a hand of another idea already, making it a SECONDARY artwork.
So the first answer - and the easiest - would be: ORIGINALITY. A fine art work is always original. And that in way more meanings than just being one of a kind colours on canvas. It is something that is PURE. (That cannot be said to most of the artworks perhaps, that can still be ART, but as this is my website that talks about MY views, this is my view on that.) The pureness carries RESPONSIBILITY carries WEIGHT;
that either comes from the soul or through the soul from the SOURCE (not collective consciousness, where much of the social art comes from, as well). The responsibility and weight mean that these colours on canvas carry a specific kind of force that affects people who live next to them every day in a special way. Not in a "magic" special way, but in a simple understandable way that everything affects us anyway; but only original artwork from the source carries this indefinite force that MAKES it an ARTWORK.
II
The second is rational and more understandable to everyone, so easier to gasp. Why is my art SO expensive (as I was asked under a Facebook page auction, where many of the works were 200-300€)? Because I've been to children's art school, graduated from University of Tartu with a bachelor degree in Fine Arts, PAINTING (so studied specifically that), took a student's loan to do that (no, I didn't have a rich family background/support system/rich husband -- which I am also often accused of or brought as an example, that to have that courage to choose that life path, one must have a simple choice to do that: NO, that is not the case -- these are the excuses people who themselves have no courage make to make others appear smaller), did not space up my time with other works to make time for painting outside uni classes; so I painted also in the evenings and during nights and at the weekends to make my DEVOTION VERY CLEAR;
I started selling right in 2010-2013 when I studied AS I HAD THE PAINTINGS that I was creating AS A PROFESSIONAL BOHEMIAN as everything was HECTIC, but I ALWAYS PAINTED: so to calculate the hours put in, it was quite extreme. I also knew and felt abstract paintings were my thing, so that was a blessing. I didn't need to "find my thing". It became almost automatically. I entered Tartu University to learn Psychology. Found it non-specific to subject (first term) and changed the department. Decided I am interested to work in Psychology, but I'm gonna do it with my hands and colours. So the answer here is TIME IN SENSE OF DEVOTION/YEARS SPENT DOING EXACTLY THAT. (And yes, education counts. It shows your devotion. Also as a double hint: the ones who leave ugly comments most likely don't have any degree:))
III
History of exhibitions and finished paintings. I'm not sure how many paintings I've created. First, it was just the pleasure of doing it. And it still is. Meanwhile - as all paths - it has spiralled into an entrepreneurship of a whole different level, and that level includes many other smaller levels that within themselves include a lot of things that an artist wouldn't prefer to do, but which all have to be included into to-do list when you are a creative within this/our modern society.
For list of exhibitions, please see CV. For paintings, I have portfolio here, but I am eagerly preparing to show my 300-500 best paintings in a BOOK, where I want to show my road as an independent artist, not some 20-best-paintings-of-10-years-museum-wall-white-page-15000€ support... haha! ok, you got what I meant:) It's a hustle. I feel I have no reason to explain in written what I have done, created and achieved as an artist, as this is either findable on this website or can be googled, but most of all: it should be within this book, as no website would fit this life devoted to creating art for more than 10+ years.
IV
The activity it takes to be an artist who supports him/herself fully from his or her career and wants it to not be random and based on accidental sales a few times a year, as I've heard it's been for many. I have no idea, why in this fast paced world it is often considered NORMAL for an ARTIST to solely focus on creating art WHEN THEY CAN that in the sense that they don't FOCUS on sales, but make their MONEY ELSEWHERE?! How non-prioritizing can this attitude be? I understand that previously - decades and decades ago - when Estonia was a Soviet country (but let's remember a writer could publish a book and live a year on the honorary..............) one could not do much and IT WAS A GREAT COMPLIMENTARY when an artist was chosen to be a ......TEACHER. And make art AFTER THE WORK.
But nowadays, does it make any sense on WHAT KIND OF LIFE DO YOU WANT FOR THE CREATOR OF YOUR ART? And would you really be satisfied with the RELICS OF ENERGY that have formed into a painting that you watch every day?
But when artistry becomes an entrepreneurship, there are VERY many other activities that become part of his/her life: with the full list being totally dependant on the precise artist, it goes something like this and depends on the seriousity and ambition:
1. training
2. painting
3. organising exhibitions
4. finding/organising/cleaning/PAYING FOR atelier
5. writings/propositions for exhibition (and support)
6. transportation for exhibits, installations, opening
7. organising and buying materials, sending paintings around for clients/collaborators
8. homepage
9. social media accounts/posting
10. blog posts / stories
11. website
12. TAXES
...all that and much more to be under the title: FULL-TIME ARTIST
V
And we get to the funny and perhaps most interesting part to read for people who are on the same place or a few steps behind from where I am now: taxes and other costs. Of course it irritates me the most: I've talked about it a bit in private meetings and it definitely isn't an aspect I'd even want to mention, but knowing my own hard work ethic (and not thinking it's normal :D ), I do feel it unfair when personally I've been working 12-16h a day (it gets better) in the cost of raising my kids, and other artists, drinking their wine during daytime, protest in front of legislative council and want their free health insurance fund.
I understand and find it mostly correct of course, but do they understand what it means as an artist to back yourself up with official rules that are lined up for everybody? And why they (we) think we are special in that field? Because I know what it feels like to pay myself the middle wage of €1500, and find extra €1000 to pay for the government, so that those, who play their shady games without such work ethic, can find their free insurance. Or other support mechanisms. And I find it utterly unfair. In that situation, please, dear country, NO TAXES AND NO SUPPORT SYSTEMS. Every man for themselves and EVERY MAN GETS ABOUT WHAT HE OR SHE HAS OFFERED TO THE COMMUNITY. Show me, what you give in return.
Other costs as a full time artist of course include:
1. atelier (400-500€ with utilities every month)
2. materials - depending on amount of canvases and paints, but ca 100x100 cm linen canvas is about 100€, so with paints 3-4 canvases are ca 500€ (every month)
3. transportation. that depends and is not specifically expensive, unless it's many paintings and/or a big painting. for example, one 120x150cm artwork costs around €750 to send either to Europe or America; and an exhibition (ca 18 artworks) would cost ca €3500 to send
4. Platforms for website, verified profiles, costs for Stripe and Shopify, extra storage, everything
And then a man wants to live as well, that is, needs to pay the rent, buy food and take care of the kids.
And now you say, 200-300€ is too expensive?
Then again, I do have sold for 10.000€ and 8000€ and that is perhaps what a person with integrity would do: ONLY sell high value items, but we come back to the concept I already mentioned: a few times a year like that, and how do you grow? Both as a human and as an artist.
The only way to grow is to risk it all and do become an entrepreneur.
As a matter of fact, most western civilizations would not think of any other possibility in terms of INDEPENDENCE.
VI
So why the f*ck are my paintings as expensive as they are?
And I answer you this: they differ in price.
In all my honesty, I feel robbed (I have felt robbed!) when in my earlier years, I've needed to sell paintings at a very low rate to pay my rent. I wonder if there have been any artist who is a self made man who has not confronted this dilemma within his or her soul. I even wonder if this is, what is called selling part of your soul! And to be even more provocative, in what ways is it better than selling your body? Which I have never done, but just to throw this idea out in the world of you, philosophers. People often think they think, but most aspects are never considered. Sorry, foes.
Anyway, I've sold paintings I would have never liked to sell and I've sold paintings very many times at prices that never come to meet their true worth just to make ends meet. And what has been my lesson: the more you make the more you have to sell and the more you can choose what you sell. And what you can keep. (No, I don't have secret archives.) And at which price point are you ready to give a certain piece away.
So to start wrapping up, I have paintings that are expensive according to my own price points and I have paintings that I sell for way less than that. At this time in my life, I can say that I am free to choose NOT TO SELL the paintings that I consider extremely good at an extremely low price. For best option, when I do a sale, you can use the -20% offer (even though I also hope to rise to a point where I make no discounts ever), but that's as far as it gets. And mostly, these are the highest priced paintings already.
I don't need to give that up.
There is nothing wrong with the cheaper ones: everything is in balance, otherwise I wouldn't have put them up on the website. The colours, contrasts, vibe. The price is simply different because of the amount of soul it contains. So it can be wholly considered subjective; but my experience does not confirm this hypothesis. I have understood that in some X way, people FEEL when the FEELING to paint and that lays ON the canvas, within the delicate dance of paints...has been the strongest and tenderest at the same time: that means, when the frequency has been the highest.
And if they want to be part of it, they want it. They need it.
And there is no second option. That is the originality of it.
VII
I have only talked about my own experiences and ideas. I find it nonsense, to be discussing why a banana on a wall is an artwork, how about the toilet or poop. Why one artwork costs millions and another you can have for 5 bucks and why it is "reasonable" to buy - or even worse, "invest" - in a young promising artist when the dominating idea is to get it at best price. It's bad karma, y'all. Support the studying artist and buy it at a price you both feel really fits what you can offer. And always consider, how much of him- or herself is within the painting.
The hours don't actually count.
The Life counts.
VIII
As for the trolls, in a Taylor Swift way, I'm adding a decorative photo of myself as Empress Elisabeth of Austria for this little writing.
Made by AI.
I love it.
Artist Liis Koger as Sisi, Empress Elisabeth of Austria. Generated by AI