When we find great information, good sources for materials or interesting content, we like to share. If you have a gallery show coming up, we can share information on how to label your pieces. (See how we did that?).  Check back for more soon.  

So, how does selling your work through Encounter Artists happen?  

It's a simple process.  Here's what it looks like:

How Do I Get Started?

If you are interested in showing your work at Encounter Artists, send us an email telling us about your work, include photos of the work you'd like to show and your artist's bio (if you have one - if not, no problem). If it's easier, you can let us know where we can see your work on the web or social media. Let us know your price ranges, too. We'll review and get back to you very quickly.

Can You Tell Me About the Commission?

Encounter Artists charges a 10% commission.  That's it.  10%.

How Do I Promote My Work?

Self-promotion is usually frowned upon, so it’s no surprise that when we’re called upon to do it for ourselves, we don’t know where to start.

Encounter Artists helps people who are uncomfortable saying, “Hey everybody!  LOOK AT ME!!!”  by letting them say instead, “Hey – have you looked at this gallery?  There are some interesting, accessible artists there, and oh, by the way, I happen to be one of them…

So where can you share this message?  One suggestion is to create a Facebook page just for your art.  Facebook changes regularly, so these instructions may be slightly dated.  But generally, you can create a Facebook page by clicking on “Create” and then “Page”, which can be found on the bottom left of your Home page.  Once you click on Create Page, Facebook offers you this as an option:

Artist, Band or Public Figure

Click there and follow the instructions.  Voila – you have a Facebook page for your artwork.  From there, you can easily share the link to www.EncounterArtists.com and promote your work.

You could also create an Instagram account for your work.  You may have one already, and if so, we suggest you create one dedicated to your art (mixing in cat, baby photos ad sports scores are a distraction from your art, unless of course unless you're a sporty cat baby artist). 

Take advantage of your personal network.  Not sure you have on?  We bet you do.  You know a lot of people.  A lot of people would like to know what you’ve been working on.  Think about your circles of friends and contacts, and consider how they communicate.  School friends, from elementary school, high school, college, graduate school or just friends from art classes – many of those groups have established Facebook or other social media pages.  See if you can find them, reconnect and then post a note that says something simple, like “Hey, check out the virtual gallery www.EncounterArtists.com - I have some of my work there”

Have other ideas to share?  We’d love to hear them.

Artist Referrals

When you sign with a brick & mortar gallery, the commission due the gallery can extend beyond what hangs in the gallery.  Often, your gallery will take a commission on all of your work sold, even from those who reach out directly to buy from your studio.  Given the high cost of operating a gallery, this is perfectly understandable.  They’ve paid to market your work and hang or display your work, and that takes money, time and resources..

At Encounter Artists, our operations are more efficient, so we don’t need to reach into direct sales for commissions.  If someone contacts you directly and wants to buy from your studio - that’s great.  Congratulations.  The only instances when Encounter Artists will take a commission is when you sell from our virtual gallery, or you sell from a direct referral.  A direct referral is when someone comes to us and asks us to recommend an artist for a specific work they would like produced.  If we direct them to you, we take a commission on that work - and just that work.  All future work and your future relationship with that buyer is all yours.