Advantages To Bodies Of Work Over Single Pieces

Here is my series that I want to continue.

Doing a series can make them more collectable. Your ants are so cool.

I am also a buyer and collector of art. From a collector's point of view, when I see a series I have to collect all of them in a series, I can't just have one. So, it's a benefit to the artist because you have the potential of making more money from it. I also think it brings your name and artwork more attention.

--Roz Barron Abellera

Susan, Roz thanks for your comments you both bring valid points. Selling more is always a good thing and Roz your perspective from a collectors point of view is validating especially when you say that a series can bring your name and artwork more attention. I was thinking about this in other ways it can also benefit both the artist and the viewer of the art, the artist because it allows me an opportunity to unify my work and to dig deeper into what I want my work to say. For the viewer by sake of repetition not redundancy can I have more opportunities to communicate or tell the story.

I love doing series work, so much fun and it gives you a creative goal. I think there are many advantages as far as selling just for the collectable aspect alone. It's also easier to get into galleries when you have a consistant body of work to show them. I often have many series' going at a time in different mediums to mix things up a bit so it doesn't get boring.

Fantastic thread Mario. And the synchronicity is great! I recently uploaded A series of un-edited abstracts exploring the nature of memories, the mind, and the human experience of universe. I feel, as an artist, that a series of work can offer a broader perspective and lots of different approaches to a theme. It also provides the ability to tell a story with a real-time element If the series is ordered in a particular way. I mention the synchronicity because about 16hrs before you posted this thread, I was inquiring within about the option of offering set discounts over a series of images. Basically, a "buy nine..get the 10th one free and a 33.3%discount overall"sort of thing if a potential customer wanted to experience the "full works" option. FAA currently don't offer this at the moment, but i'm sure they must be considering a basic pricing model for this sort of thing. In the mean time...I'll be doing the sums myself on this offer!
So.. great savings for customers, broader and deeper platforms for artists to explore and units moved speaks for itself! Everyone's a winner!

edit: It also provides a "one stop shop" option for interior designers, decorators and new home owners etc to fill larger spaces or a series of rooms with quality themed Art.

Barry I like your well thought out comment especially what you say about it offering a broader perspective and lots of different approaches to a theme, and mostly that it provides the ability to tell a story! Exactly what I was thinking with regard to the story telling, this has been a new concept to me which I have just begun to embrace. If you would have suggested to me in the past to try a series I would have dismissed the possibility thinking that it would back me into a corner and limit creative expression, but I have found quite the contrary, each piece in my ant series is very different than the one before and it allows me to improve my sculptures by going deeper into
detail and into giving my sculptures movement which is some thing my sculptures of just interesting objects was lacking. This has really opened up a whole new outlook into the direction I want my sculptures to be. I can now explore and perfect multiple movements and expressions in my sculptures. I have had no lack of inspiration for what to do next since I have started with this series. All this happened by accident and I am really enjoying the fact that it did.

Thank you Shana for sharing, I never new these things before and it's nice to hear that others are doing what I just discovered.

Yes, Mario, doing a Series is inspirational for the artist, and for the collector, who can appreciate the artists' imagination at work.........appreciate and buy,lol. Your Ants are a great Series.

http://fineartamerica.com/profiles/vivian-anderson.html?tab=artworkgalleries&artworkgalleryid=395735

My "Golden Moments" Series

Thank you so much Vivian, it means a lot coming from you! I feel like a kid in the candy store, so much to learn!

Amazing series your Golden Moments, beautiful textures, and great colors, liked the mix of photography and paintings in the series.

I suggest, if you haven't done so, that you make a Gallery for your series.............this is from my Golden Moments Gallery..........and so many have supported the collection, I'm happy to have decided to follow the Series path, as you can do with your Ants, even if you default your page to Images............

As soon as I sign up for premium membership, I have my work cut out for me Vivian. I plan working my photos and uploading all my work and yes finally deciding to do galleries as you suggested! Thanks. I know it's a mess now and some really bad I phone "Snap Shots".

Loving the Ants Mario! IMO, the "snap shot" feel to the images actually adds to their charm. They may not be as sharp as you'd like but they are well balanced and warm..minimum editing required! Some beautiful colours in that copper.

Here's one of my favourite series at the moment. Fellow Brit, Pete Edmunds and his superb abstract series "Condensation".
http://fineartamerica.com/profiles/pete-edmunds.html?tab=artworkgalleries&artworkgalleryid=390087

Vivian.. Absolutely gorgeous work!... my favourite.. http://fineartamerica.com/featured/palisades-sydney-1-vivian-anderson.html

or maybe this one.. http://fineartamerica.com/featured/shadowplay-golden-moment-vivian-anderson.html

Mario,

Your Ants are great, full of movement, with a lot of joy, along with a little pathos.

You'll have regular customers that will be waiting with great ANTicipation for your next work of art.

Because, this is a series, you have the perfect right to repeat concepts, even to the point of producing reproductions

Thanks Barry especially for seeing charm in my pictures! For me it's the hardest part of my sculpting, taking good pictures that is.

Roger thanks for the compliment, you know there's only so much emotion or movement you can give an old stove, and unless I do abstract people I really have a hard time making human faces so there are not many time for me to practice with movement and emotion, the ants are perfect for that. When I saw you mention pathos. I thought it was a short for pathologically insane or some thing, lol but I got it pathos, ergo, logos. I am enjoying naming these sculptures, like the last one Ant-I-Dismemembered, coming soon is Army ant and Carpenter ants.

I have a few series but no one has purchased anything as a series yet still

waiting so we shall see. But have sold a single or two. But my series are

not all ones you might purchase and hang together other might be.

Andee, keep the faith you never know when someone is going to come and buy them all. I loaded my truck one day and went to a local auction and I had some 10 pieces of art, they had been at the auction house for weeks before the auction, I set the reserve prices very high, I was still to attached to my work. I had no bids on the day of the auction, but just before the auction the auctioneer asked me for a written tidbit about me and my art, I wrote, tonite we have the pleasure to have in our audience the world known Artist Mario Carta with us and he is willing to do photo opportunity with buyers of his sculptures at the end of the auction, some thing like that I remember( he read it word for word). I really needed the sales. The only thing that was being bid on was a large cross 5ft tall, and it sold, the rest of my sculptures nothing. I was stunned. While I was hanging around just crowd watching an elderly man in overalls approached me and asked me what the rock bottom price I would take on ALL my sculptures, I was stunned again, I gave him a price slightly under my high reserve price and he pulled out a wad of cash! He said he had his eye on my sculptures for days and that he had the perfect place in his home to display them all. SO you never know when some one will come out of no where and clean you out, in a good way. Not to long after that I was watching TV and I saw an commercial and low and behold the large cross I sold at auction was on TV turns out the person that bought it owned an antique store.

I don't do much in the way of series work. I get bored very easily and usually have to work on something completely different each time. I know that's not the ideal way to build a body of work, but I'd rather be happy making the art I want to make than be miserable putting out series work on the off chance it might sell. That said, I definitely think there is a selling advantage to series. I just rarely find a subject that I'm interested in fleshing out more than once. I wish that wasn't the case.

April, I used to make that same argument, until my Ants came to me. I hate doing duplicate work, I said I would never make the same sculpture twice, and I won't. I just saw your Gallery of Flags, can't those be considered a series? each flag is different. Here is a link to an amazing article which I came across, actually it was the reason for this thread, please read it, it might even change your mind about working in series. The author has written many excellent articles on art and is highly regarded.
http://www.artbusiness.com/advantages-for-artists-to-making-art-in-series.html

April..Some subjects require more "fleshing out" as a necessity. Picking the right subject or theme for a series is important. A series can be, but should never have to be repetitive. And with a good theme, more than one series could be produced:-)
example.. a limited theme for a series would be "owls".. expand it to "raptors" and you have more scope.. expand further and you could do "birds"..or "wildlife", "carnivores","on the reserve" etc etc...all the way up to space, aliens, time travel, god!..and beyond.. endless possibilities.

a little challenge for anyone. :-)
Themed Series: The Five Senses; produce 2 pieces of work for each of the five senses. Each sense should be experienced from opposing viewpoints ie: seeing and being seen, the taster and the tasted, touched and feeling etc..
All mediums welcome.

post links to completed series galleries here!..
Prize:The winner get to compare their work with all the other winners works(which will all be completely different:-).

(sorry for the threadjack Mario:) just a wee idea that may inspire some folks and could produce some interesting work)

Np Barry, I'm trying to understand the challenge, ok the 5 senses, I don't know what you mean from opposing viewpoints, how many dang ants do you want me to make for 1 sculpture?

Here are some of the newest members to the ant series I have been working on. What do you think about the Black background vs The Copper in the previous sculptures?

Hi Mario.. They definitely stand out better with the black.. the only issue.. (you knew there would be one:-) ..the sculptures don't seem to be as warm, in a colour sense.. Now the colours are great..just not as warm as the previous shots. not sure if it's the light used or the background.. I love the skater performing a grind!
Re: the challenge... ten sculptures overall. 2 for each sense. For example, a sculpture representing tasting...and another representing flavour...it's a tricky one ;->
How many of these ants do you have now? It is a great way to keep busy. Doesn't look like you'll run out of inspiration anytime soon :-)

Hey Barry, thanks, I know, the black I think works for some but maybe not all. I'm not sure how many, I'm going to shoot A picture now of the "Plant Of The Ants: stay tuned and check back in a little while. Lol Since I'm not the greatest photographer I created a better one.

I'm with April ... I'm too all over the place with what I do. Did a couple of pink tulip images recently and have at least one maybe two more that I could work up and post ... but I feel like I've already moved on. To put the time in on the others will be like forcing a square peg into a round hole. But we'll see. The thoughts you've all expressed in this conversation have been very helpful. Thanks, Mario and all!

Another superb creation Mario! I'll check back in the morning..

Hi Lois... there's no doubt people are all built different and some folks just get bored easier than others.. there's nothing worse than trying to force work out that your just not enjoying. Anyhow.. your work is superb and has great variety.. :-)

Thanks Barry! Thanks Lois, I really got a lot out of the article at artbusiness.com, it really shed a whole new light on series art, something I would have never even considered to pursue, I posted the link here, it's an excellent article on the subject of series.

Here is my "Planet Of The Ants" I shot this minutes ago and I am not crazy about it, but I never said I was a photographer, I will keep trying.

a quick interjection to say thanks, Barry.....and Mario...it's wonderful, as has Mario discovered, when people 'get' your work....and are interested in your process, too...........

Carry on........enjoying your voyage, Mario.......like the black background and your creatures................

Thank you Vivian, appreciate your input and point of view always!

Barry and Mario .. thank you .. yes definitely food for thought here ...

Mario, I love your ants! The Eleventh Dimension, especially, pushes all my buttons . . . the good ones, that is! :-|

As for creating in series, sets, related collections -- that's my favorite way to work. I can lose myself in a single idea or concept and just work like a fiend until the idea has had enough of me and shakes me loose. IMO, it's the most fulfilling way to create art!

Later, there's the enormous emotional (and financial) payoff when an equally-obsessed buyer purchases an entire series, or even part of a series. What a rush!

I've sold some of my series several times, and some of them not at all (or, only individual pieces from the series). Still, the process excites me.

In fact, my Series and Sets gallery (which doesn't actually include ALL my series and sets) is getting SO overpopulated, I've been thinking it's time to separate it into two (or three) galleries. That's on my Things To Do list for this week.

In item descriptions, I always mention that a piece is part of a series, and that more are available. I also add 'series' to my keywords, for decorators and designers who might be searching for same. As a decorator, I recognize the value of a cohesive series for lobbies, hallways, waiting rooms, and similar spaces.

Other advantages -- I've been able to schedule real-world shows on the strength of a series or two, and a series makes for a compelling video/slideshow!

http://fineartamerica.com/profiles/wendy-stchristopher.html?tab=artworkgalleries&artworkgalleryid=99631

More great info shared ... thanks Wendy ... I'm leaning ...

You're welcome, Lois. Now . . . stand up straight! ;-)

BHAHAH!!!! Yes, ma'am!!!

Without a body of work you will never do a solo show in a gallery.

@Wendy, thank you and thank you for sharing your series knowledge it's very helpful and your not just saying it your doing it, I saw your gallery and you have a very nice collection!

Tony, I agree from everything I have been researching on this subject it has been stated that it is in fact much easier if one has series of work to show in galleries.

Here is another in my ant series, I just completed this sculpture today. " When Doctors Made House Calls"

Do you remember the Italian movie "iL Postino"? well years later here is the sculpture "il Postino" another in the AAA series sculptures, the AAA stands for Ant Anthropomorphic Artist sculptures.

Thank you, Mario!

Now, off to Google Il Postino. ;-)

Oh, sorry Wendy. "il Postino" The Postman"

I ran across this good article discussing the importance of working in series. Basically it tells the public at large that you didn't just get lucky, and you can repeat the work (because it was intended):

"a well thought out and executed body of work demonstrates to all those razor-tongued critics, discerning five-star gallery owners and finicky hardcore collectors that you've got the moxie, you know what you're doing, where you're going, and what you have to do to get there. These professionals understand what it takes for artists to distinguish themselves above and beyond the morass of mediocrity out there. If an artist makes only one or two of something, no matter how good they are, the pros often wonder, "Well, did they just get lucky? Or can they do it again and again and again?" It's the "again and again and again" part that counts-- the depth, the seriousness, the dedication and commitment manifested in a superbly conceived and cohesive group of works as opposed to only one or two." http://www.artbusiness.com/advantages-for-artists-to-making-art-in-series.html

A series can provide a body of work that can be turned into a unified gallery show or a product such as a book. My series of westie photos provided me with enough images to offer them in book form.

@ Mario: "What do you think about the advantages of making bodies of work( Series) over creating single pieces?"
its a good idea. Series keeps the idea focused and if each work done in tandem can also demonstrate evolution in skill and technique.
As an oil painter, having several paintings simultaneously under construction breaks the monotony of any particular work and as an area dries on one work, another work can be painted.

I have been away from the forums for 7 days, long enough to to focus more profoundly on my own series work. Thanks Edward for quoting the Artbusiness.com article about working in series, I found the information exceptionally motivating to continue working in series, I really like that sites library of free art articles, to me they are some of the best information I have found.

@Drew, I agree.

here are my latest in the ant series.

I was thinking how when I first started with the Ant series I thought I would run out of ideas to continue working in series and that I might get bored as I often do with things after a significant expenditure of time , thought and effort. The surprising thing to me is that quite the opposite has occurred. Here Is an example of how simple poses inspired me into creating these 2 sculptures today, some what of a continuation of the previous once I posted yesterday.

The sensuality permeates her entire body from head to toe, she lays totally aware of her femininity and is content to explore it void of all inhibitions and she loses herself in a moment of bliss full self realization.
He sits, alone, calm and totally relaxed, not a worry to ponder, life is good. His mind wanders from thought to thought but fixating on none, he loses himself in his calmness and for a second nothing seems to exist and then he remembers once again, life is good.