ART INSIGHTS Creating Wealth as a Successful Artist - John Dahlsen

Approaching GalleriesOne of the first things that I’d recommendfor an artist when they’re contacting thegallery for the first time is to never do itcold. Don’t just walk in off the street andexpect that the gallery director will want todiscuss your work with you. I’m amazed athow many artists do this on impulse, mostlikely because they don’t know better.Research the gallery, find out who is theDirector, and write a letter of introductionwith details about your website, if youhave one, and include a CD, though thesedays I think it’s preferable to send somegood quality photographs as well. A shortbiography and an artist statement is amust. Be prepared to only hear back from1 out of 10 galleries that you approach.Not everyone will connect with your work,and many galleries are fully committed fortwelve months at a time.Don’t show all of your work to the GalleryDirector. Show your best, recent work,preferably in clusters or series. The83