Business of Art: Keep a Record of your Paintings
Technology has changed during my three plus decades as a professional artist, but what hasn’t changed is the importance of keeping a visual record of original paintings and drawings. Many artists have not considered the significance of maintaining this documentation. I have a visual record for almost all of the originals I have created and it has served me very well throughout the years.
Consider this recent scenario. An artist who I will call Gretchen has been painting for five or six years and her work is getting better and better. Actually, some of her early work, although a little weak on technique, was not bad. Recently Gretchen became interested in a relationship with a professional art organization, but before she could become a member she needed to submit 10 images either as slides or on a disk for jury selection. Many of her paintings were sold or had been given away, so some of her best work was not available to submit. Had she kept a photographic or digital record of her work, the jury process would have been a snap.
Another factor to consider is the process of submission for copyright protection. All artwork is protected under the Federal Copyright Law if the copyright symbol © appears next to the signature in a visible place on the front of the art. For basic protection, nothing else needs to be done. But, to receive additional benefits from the copyright laws images on disk or on slides must be included with submission forms.
There are many other reasons for a photographic record, most juried shows will not accept original art, instead inclusion is decided from slides or digital images. And, sometimes it is important to be able to show a client a sampling of images that have been done in the past as well as originals that are currently available, showing photos, slides, or digital images could result in a commission or a direct sale.
These are only a few of the justifications for the significance of photographing your artwork. Methods for accomplishing this will be discussed in my next Business of Art blog.
Gail Niebrugge, Alaska Artist
