What The Art Market Wants

“I’m more aware now of what the market wants,” says long time artist Jinx. It’s taken many years but Jinx is now focused on a major project that has the elements she hopes will make her work and talent attractive to the marketplace.

The new body of work that Jinx is currently developing represents what a lot of artists are tuned in to. A full portfolio that reflects a focused theme is something an artist can go to galleries with.

After a career in art that began when she was a child she has more recently been able to focus her ideas for more effect. “In school they don’t teach you what the market wants,” she says. “Nothing about the art business at all.” But Jinx has keen thoughts about the local Los Angeles art market. She points out that $20 prints are more sellable than something going for $500.

That said Jinx also sees the value in a well focused and fully developed project. Once her current project is complete she will develop the final pricing but she currently sees potential for $5,000 to $6,000 per piece.

Jinx has thought about how to price her work. “Originally I priced it based on how much I would buy it for but then I realized not everyone is like me,” says Jinx. This thinking helped her formalize the way she prices her artwork, especially keeping in mind potential collectors.

Jinx’s latest work is a series of clown paintings, each with its own personality and character traits. She puts a lot of thought into what makes each clown unique but as a whole she is creating a formal body of work that represents the master vision. This body of work is something she feels that she could use to approach galleries to inquire about her own show. And despite the fact that there is a wide range of galleries in the local Los Angeles fine arts market she believes that she knows what galleries to approach based on the work she is developing.

Jinx sees varying styles and works in the market and has her own observations about what makes work sellable. She’s seen really inexpensive things sell but has also seen things sell for thousands and thousands of dollars. But regardless of what price or what type of artwork is being sold Jinx realizes what it takes to get your work sold. “It’s the artists that are really persistent that tend to sell more stuff,” she says.

This observation has inspired Jinx’s strategy for selling her work. She has already connected with the Hive studios in downtown Los Angeles and plans to network and get out and talk to as many people as she can. The idea of persistency inspires her.

Jinx has also participated in curated shows and has realized that galleries sometime pick pieces of her work that she wouldn’t expect. But she finds motivation and direction for her work from within. While Jinx has gotten input from family and friends on her work she points out, “I don’t want to limit myself.” And this is reflected in her recent work. She has a true vision for her new body of work and has a long term goal to create something that will appeal to the right person.

That really is the ultimate goal. Every artist is creating work that is going to appeal to someone. I asked Jinx for some thoughts on what the market really wants. She has observed gallery visitors and guests at some of the curated shows she has participated in. But her inspiration and focus really comes down to one thing. As Jinx puts it, “you gotta find THE person who will buy your painting.”

The market is out there. It’s the people who like what you have. That’s really what the art market wants.

You can view Jinx’s profile at http://localartla.com/users/jinx or at her website at http://www.jinxedart.com/.