By Michelle Ramsay
A Lowertown resident who waited until her sixties to take art lessons was gobsmacked when someone wanted to buy one of her canvasses mere weeks after she first took up a brush.
“It wasn’t a relative or friend who was doing it to encourage me. It was an acquaintance attending a meeting at my house. The few works I had painted in class were stacked against the wall. She asked to see them. One moved her; she wanted to buy it. I was embarrassed, so I said, ‘Please, just take it.’ Later, I heard she had it framed and added it to her art collection—her ‘art collection’! That’s when it dawned on me that painting may be my next career.”
So what’s next, if you want to ‘turn pro’?
Artist and blogger Crista Cloutier of theworkingartist.com says she’s often asked: “Where can I find an agent? How can I get a gallery? Who will sell my work for me? These are… the wrong questions. Those aren’t the things you need. What every artist needs is an audience. And no, it’s not someone else’s job to find one for you. It’s your job.”
Where do you start? At home!
First, do up a website. It doesn’t have to be fancy and it doesn’t have to be big, but it must showcase your best pieces. Think of it as a digital portfolio. There are so many easy-to-use website apps available, including leaders Weebly, Wix and Wordpress. If you’re just putting together a few pages, you can often do it for free, and most offer templates that are perfect for artists’ portfolios.
For inspiration, check out these websites by Lowertown artists: karenbailey.ca, sylviegrenier.ca and barryseguin.com. Tip: your own name is the best URL.
Promote your website on social media, including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn. Yes, especially LinkedIn. John R. Math, guest author on finearttips.com, affirms, “LinkedIn networking affords… artists to reach, meet and network with other art professionals who in the past, they would never have never known.”
“No one is born with the talent and knowledge and understanding that it takes to succeed as a working artist. Be patient with yourself. You’ve got to work through the bad to get to the good. Whether it’s technique or marketing, there’s no such thing as genius. There’s only work.”
Crista Cloutier, artist and blogger
Next, show your art
There are several public art shows in Ottawa that offer opportunities to build your audience—and maybe even sell a few pieces. Some are more affordable than others; some are easier to get into than others. For example, the popular Figureworks art show held every fall at St. Brigid’s Centre for the Arts in Lowertown charges affordable entry fees—$50 for the first work and $20 for the second—but they don’t guarantee a spot. This is a juried show, which means if your works don’t make the shortlist, they won’t be exhibited. The submission fees are non-refundable.
The City of Ottawa has four community galleries where artists can show their work at no cost. The April 2017 to March 2018 exhibition schedule will be decided by a committee in late fall this year. If interested, check ottawa.ca/en/liveculture/community-galleries in August 2016 for more information.
The Ottawa Public Library offers wall galleries in some locations, available at no cost to groups and individuals. Bookings may be made up to one year in advance, through the manager of the location. Call the OPL info line at 613-580-2940 to ask about participating branches. Note that the Rideau branch in Lowertown does not have public exhibit space.
One local wall gallery that is available to Lowertown residents is Bruyère Gallery, situated in the Bruyère Family Medicine Centre on the first floor at 75 Bruyère Street. The Bruyère Gallery “merges art and healing to inspire compassion and encourage healing within the public, the health care workers and the patients.” This is a large space, often showing the work of two or three artists. Exhibits change frequently. If you’re interested, call the Élisabeth Bruyère Hospital’s main information line at 613-562-6262, ext. 1000.
Some Lowertown restaurants also offer wall space to people in the neighbourhood, including Bluebird Coffee at 261 Dalhousie Street and Lapointe Fish Restaurant at 55 York Street. Best to inquire in person at these and any other local restos where you see art displayed. Tip: visit in off-hours.
If you want to invest in yourself, rent a venue and host your own exhibition. St. Bridgid’s Centre for the Arts is a venue option, as are many local restaurants and hotels that rent out event rooms.
Two local treasures are the Ottawa School of Art at 35 George Street and School of the Photographic Arts: Ottawa at 168 Dalhousie Street. Each one offers gallery space and exhibition opportunities to its students.
Don’t forget to build your brand.
Lastly, if you are serious about selling your art, start with the basics—learn how to market yourself. The Ottawa School of Art offers a course called “The Business of Art”, taught off-site at Cube Gallery. If you prefer to learn online, you can start with these websites: artsyshark.com, theworkingartist.com and skinnyartist.com. Google will help you find others.