I have been told, as you mention that underpricing is a
message to the public that the artist may consider his/her
work to be somewhat inferior. Certainly no artist truly
wishes to underprice his if attempting to achieve economic
stability.
I have also been told that an artist should price each work
high enough to cover materials and all studio expenses plus
make sure his retail price will cover commissions. Of course
the commission part alone escalates the final artist set
price by 1/2 again.
All this combined with the average collectors desire to buy
only well-known or older pieces by relatively obscure artists
puts today's artist at a pricing disadvantage, to say the least.
I read recently of a NY gallery set up to sell only student
work. The owner showed a lot of very good stuff this way and
claimed to be doing well financially. Great, I say.
I'll say it again. Find yourself a customer base. Use a venue you
can find to market your work. Charge low
prices - just enough to cover your cost - at first.
Produce a lot of work, always striving to improve. Your style will
develop, you make some money, and your name recognition will
expand through these efforts.
Another note. Never bad-mouth other artists work, it only makes YOU
look bad. If the work of others isn't very good and yours is, your viewers
will see that for themselves.
I feel that anyone who tries hard to make a living deserves
the chance. It's a courageous effort in a tough market. Working artists
deserve admiration and support.
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