HOW MUCH MONEY SHOULD YOU PAY AN ARTIST?
I am a freelance artist who has painted over 3,000 murals since 1980. After traveling 7 years as an airbrush artist, owning a sign company for 11 years and perusing my love of wall painting full time since 2002 I can tell you what are my observations and opinions.
What is a painting worth to you?
Collectors value paintings for their established value within their own circles of interest and are willing to pay what seems unreasonable to a non collector. Collectibles tend to increase in value and make good investments for one who knows the field well but some just enjoy the pride and joy of ownership. They feel a part of the artistic community and indeed the life and reputation of the artist himself. The collector often buys art work because of the name of the artist.
Having a following of collectors is not what makes an artist good at what he does, however; and some clients prefer to choose a painting for the ascetic and emotional appeal alone; choosing the work for its own value regardless of the artist’s notoriety. An art lover buys a piece of art for the art’s sake and personal appeal.
Here is how I assess the value of what I paint.
You may pay $75 to $100 dollars an hour to fix your car or computer. These technicians went through training to acquire their knowledge to launch their career. An artist must start with a special talent and mind-set then add training which must be seasoned with years of passion, sacrifice and a few exceptional breaks to be a success.
An artist must spend 75% of his time marketing his talent, improving his skills, managing materials and meeting people. Then when a prospective job is found he must research, design and communicate an idea before starting the actual painting. This leaves the artist having to live on 25% of his work week. That is about 10 hours of his week and does not include the thousands of hours he spent painting things that only made him better not richer. If an artist wants to make $1,000 a week he might work in your house for 5 hours on Thursday and 5 hours on Friday. That is $25 per hour. If he has a sales person, manager, studio, vehicle or other overhead he must pay for that also.
In a time when a naked canvas at an art supply cost more than a finished and framed assembly line import at a flea market; old-school talent must seek clients who appreciate and understand that value is not always how much you did not spend.
Before the economy started disintegrating I would ask $1000 for 10 hours painting and people were glad to pay because of the value of the product. That equated to $25 per hour for the 40 hour work week. As times and markets change I have cut my price considerably. I can’t just quit being an artist any more that I can quit breathing. So: do I cut corners and deliver an inferior service or sacrifice for the cause? A true artist always paints to please his most severe judge; himself. He will: however, like the singer with a toothache be affected by his state of mind and unpaid is unappreciated.
What have I done to balance the budget?
I am very fast. I spent 8 years developing speed but for the most part it is just what God gave me. Often I have painted 80 or more square feet of mural in one day. Sometimes I paint more in an hour that some do in a day and more in a day that some do in a week. I know that that sounds sensational but you must see my work to know that I do not sacrifice artistic value.
I can spend a long time on a small area and sometimes do because I sometimes paint micro detail but that is seldom necessary for the wall mural application and is usually reserved for custom motorcycles or canvases. You are the one with the control of the detail and the budget without feeling guilty or afraid.
Wesley Stout
352-406-6371 wesleydstout@aol.com muralartist.ws
Pricing and Bidding
