Every woodturner will, at some time in their career as an artist or craftsman, as two (2) questions. Where and how can I sell my work, and How do I price it?
This article will address the how and where. Another page will discuss the pricing of your work.
There as many different way to sell or turned wood as there woodturners to sell it. Many choose to never sell their work, some choose to sell it some of the time, and others will alway sell anything they make for the right price. This article will offer some important advice, and discuss some of the venues that I have taken advantage of.
1. QUALITY SELLS
Make sure your work is ready. Get your work critiqued in a private session. Use an expert woodturner whose opinion you respect, or an artist in another medium. Pay for it if you have to. Enter your work in every Instant Gallery that has comments and critique available.
Listen to what is said, even though it may be by someone other than another woodturner. Comments from someone who does not understand woodturning can be the most valuable because they better represent the people who are buying our work. Their opinion may be more valuable to us than that of even the most "expert" of woodturners.
2. IF YOU DON'T TOOT YOUR OWN HORN, NOBODY ELSE WILL
We have to market both woodturning and what we make. Get out there and sell yourself. Advertise.
A simple way to do this is to enter every exhibition that is available, whether it be AAW chapter, art group, or whatever. Many galleries will host a contest as a way of discovering new artists. There is usually no or minimal cost.
Investigate, individually or as a group, the possibilities for a display at library, City Hall and other public buildings, airport, post office, commercial building, University.
3. WEBSITE
Set up a website. The buying public expects you to be professional, and the professional woodturner has a website. Having a URL is a useful way to show your work to a lot of people. It is the best $10 -20 a month you will ever spend if you want to sell your work.
Your website is your resume. Art fairs and galleries are starting to use the artist's website as a verification of their work. It is the only way you will get many galleries to look at your work. Many art fairs are starting to use the website instead of slides for jurying their shows and exhibitions.
4. CONTESTS
Enter every call for an exhibition or a contest. Enter your work at the County Fair. The objective is to get your work out in front of people who might buy it, or who know other people who will. These events are usually a low to no entry fee. They are an “instant gallery” where people who aren’t woodturners can see your work. AND, you might win something.
5. TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE "HOME MARKET" FIRST
There IS a market close to home, but you may have to look for it. It may not be large, and it may not be high-dollar, but it can be a good one for the woodturner to develop their turning skills, their display, and their selling personality. These are the Church bazzars, school functions, smaller galleries, furniture stores, home decorator stores and consultants, real estate sales people who buy gifts for their home buyers, gourmet cooking shoppes, etc. I could also include architects and custom home builders. The list goes on. The real estate people are a good market for weed pots (weeds have to be included) and bird houses.
Expand to a larger market when your skills and art start outgrowing this local one. You will know when that happens. Never abandon this local market because there will be times that it is all you have.
6. Then, "FOLLOW THE MONEY"
To make big money, you have to go to where there are customers with money who are willing to spend it. We often hear that selling art is like selling real estate,and the three (3) factors for selling real estate are location, location, and location.
This is the same as saying, "Follow the money." You won't find people buying art at a Flea Market, but you will find them in the high-end gallery and at the art fairs that charge an entry fee.
7. JOIN YOUR LOCAL ARTS COUNCIL
(or whatever the group is called) These are the art patrons of the community, and you are an artist. These are the people who are selling and buying art in your community. There is no better way to get the attention of a local gallery or entry into the local art fair. There is a lot to learn about the market for art from them, and they will always promote one of their own.
8. DONATE TO CHARITABLE ORGANIZATIONS
This one of the most neglected ways to promote our work. It is tax deductable and they will give us a receipt, we don't even have to be there, and it is FREE.
Many of these organizations have fund raising sales and auctions. The big charitable event of the year here in North Idaho is Hospice. People with money pay several $100's for the opportunity to buy things, and usually at inflated prices. This places your work in front of people who will be buying. If it is a popular item at an auction, those who were out-bid will often come calling.
We now have an Art and Cultural Center that does the same thing.
9. DON'T FORGET THE SECONDARY MARKET
There are more places to sell turned wood than galleries, art fairs, and craft fairs Many of them will take a lower commission or fee. Look for the home and commercial decorators, and specialty stores for home and office furniture, housewares, kitchen and gourmet, gifts, and jewelry. There is good money in selling humidors through tobacco shops, and salad bowls through any store selling specialty oils and spices. Be innovative.
10. DON'T FORGET THE LITTLE ITEMS
Sometimes smaller is better. You might find that the same wood can be better used for making 10 weed-pots or little turned boxes than one (1) large bowl. Many galleries that are filled with high priced items will welcome things of lesser value. The same goes for your booth at the art fair.
11. HIGH ENTRY FEE ART SHOWS
These are listed last, because they should be considered only after all of the above has been realized. It can be true that, the higher the entry fee, the higher the potential for greater sales; but not always.
Tread lightly into this market. Scout these shows for one or more years before entering. Look at the other woodturners, see what they have, and see what they are selling. If they are doing well, they are your competition because they will be back next year. Some of these show will have little to no wood, because wood just doesn't sell in this venue.
12. WHOLESALE SHOWS
These can be a profitable venue for the woodturner, but one that should be considered only if you are ready to fill orders in quantities of 100's, have items that can be sold profitably at 60% below retail price, and you are ready to have an employee. The entry fee is expensive, but the rewards can be great,
13. NEVER FORGET SPINDLE TURNING
If making money at woodturning is your goal, never forget that there is money to be made in spindle turning for architectural and restoration projects. Old and historic housed have lots of porch and stair railings, most of it is turned wood, and mosy of it needs replacing. These projects pay well for your work.
The problem is that the contractors and architects cannot find anyone who wants to do the woprk, because all woodturners of today fancy themselves as artists, with a well turned balluster being something that is beneath them.
If you have no aversion to making money, they look at this market. Talk to the contractors who are doing the restorations. Leave you name at your local Woodcraft or Rockler store, because these are where the people who want the work will ask. Once they know about you, the offers of work will come in - guaranteed.
Practice making the spindles so you can get up some speed and quality, make several samples to show your work, and visit those contractors and architects. That practice will give you a better idea of pricing your work.
