The agony, that is, over the prices I might charge for work I am exhibiting. There is a week to go before my Apothecary Gallery opens, and a good part of today has been spent trying to make up my mind about prices. I believe that every artists will tell you that this is a totally mysterious and unreliable process, and which produces a quite unreasonable level of indecision and disquiet.
There are several metrics which one might adopt. One possibility is to take as a guide the prices carried by similar works on previous occasions. Another is to take as a basic guide the area of the picture in question, and charge accordingly. Then there is the question of what difference it might make depending upon whether the work is framed or not, and to what standard. Should the medium make a difference? Obviously galleries are going to deduct a commission. Is this added to a notional price, or is it more appropriate to settle on a price first, and then deduct the commission from that? An example will demonstrate the problem.
Earlier in the year I sold a small piece for £125. Its “twin” is up for sale in my coming show. According to the basic metric I have been considering (£1 per square inch) I should be considering a price of £190. The gallery will charge me, in the even of a sale, around £55 in commission. If I offer it for sale at £125 the loss of commission means that I would feel that I am giving it away. If I add the commission in advance, and ask my area-based price, then it is pretty certain that it will not sell. Not an easy problem, and one without any reliable source of advice, as far as I know.