Post #271422 by GMAN on Sat, Dec 9, 2006 8:52 AM

I have been selling my carvings and paintings for over 20 years. There is no magic formula for determining price. Any set price based on size or time should be an insult to any artist. I'm sure this type of pricing is fine for "manufacturers" of a product. Original art is different. A piece of original art is worth exactly what the buyer is willing to pay for it; nothing more, nothing less. I have sold some of my worst work for top dollar because someone "had" to have it. On the flip side, I have sold some of my best work for next to nothing because someone "had" to have it. I have also sold some of my best work for top dollar and my worst for low prices. It all depends on who is interested at the time, where you are with your art or bills, and what you are willing to settle for at that time. I can sell a fish rubbing for $500 to one client and have another who can't offer more than $50 for a similar piece. I can sell a Gman chainsaw tiki for $50 or $200 depending on the day, buyer, humidity, moon phase, or if I need parts for the rail or a new knife or saw chain. Any carver who expects to get XX dollars per hour or per foot is high unless they are doing quick carvings that they make fast and sell in quantity at an inexpensive price (quick masks etc.). On these types of carvings you will generally always come out ahead. If you spend 3 months on a masterpiece carving and sell it for $500 or more, you are likely still going to lose money compared to making a less expensive product in quatity that moves fast during that same time period. I have done both for many years with all sorts of carvings and my gyotaku. Both can be rewarding or suck.

Price/money/success for an artist will change during their artistic journey depending on what they are creating, how "good" it is, and what the market for that type of art is like. It depends on what you want to do. Most artists can't afford to always create top $$ work and sit on it until the right buyer comes along. They need to work on a few masterpieces and then round out their time with "bread and butter" work that appeals to the the masses and is affordable.

Bottom line TO ME.....Yes you can put a dollar amount on size if it is common/basic bread and butter work. Gman chainsaw tikis $50 - $150 depending on size and finish - I can make and sell them all day long. That works out to around 50 bucks an hour for me. Try to apply that same hourly rate to something you work on for 2 or 3 months.... Say you realistically have 80 plus hours in a piece, is it really worth $4,000 now? Probably not. The market will likely let you get $500 to $1,000 for it, and only if it really kicks a$$. One in a thousand artists can make a living selling only their best efforts. Most "working" artists sell bread and butter work to pay the bills and make personal best work on the side.

My 2 cents,

-Gman