We're in Colorado, it was time to see my gallery here and swap some inventory. We make the trip each year, sometimes twice, usually in the spring and again in winter. With things as slow as they've been, we only made it once.
Unfortunately, the majority of paintings I dropped off last year did not get any hits or sell; the good news is that they're going back in my inventory for either exhibition at shows or other galleries. It's so strange, you try and find a pattern of why something sells and other's don't, it's practically impossible. I have no answers, except they just weren't right for this gallery at this time; the same paintings could sell somewhere else or even again at this gallery in the future. In fact that's happened; one piece in particular, showed at the gallery for months, it didn't get much attention - I brought it back to AZ and it sold a few months later. Art sales are like matchmaking; it takes just the right person at the right time. In reality you're trying to market yourself to multiple persons, while being true to your vision, and yet, many of us don't view it that way. When something doesn't sell, we tend to take it inwards as if something is wrong with the work; either in subject, colors, sizes or all of the above. Try not to throw yourself under the bus.
They say bad news comes in 3's; I'm not superstitous though this formula does tend to ring true. Upon arrival, we learn our main contact is in the hospital; literally admitted the night before for surgery. There are a handful of great guys that sell for the gallery; I asked about the new young guy I met the year before who was learning the ropes of the business, his name was Ben. Very soft but frank, they answered: "he's dead, overdosed this summer". It took a few seconds to digest that, these guys are usually joking....but they weren't this time, said the "aspen life caught up with him". Could this trip get any darker??
Today we leave for Telluride, 9 hours or so to get there. They have some galleries there and I corresponded with a couple before we left. Until next time....
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