The 4 Biggest Mistakes Artists Make!

Strongly agree, Genevieve!

Points 1-3 are certainly reasonable. Number 4 is somewhat questionable, prints are what and how many buyers are able to access art but I understand their concern.

Hmm... How does one sell photographs as originals only?

Anytime someone publishes a "one size fits all" set of rules, I question their motives.

As for #4, very few creatives could ever comply with such a standard.

-YoPedro

#5. Not believing #1 in the list and thinking, instead, that buyers will "jump through one or two extra hoops" to reach you or purchase your art.

I would add a #6 - but don't want to fan the flames of watermarking or not. Personally, I would like to see everyone on FAA watermark all of their images. LOL

~ Bill
~ USPictures.com

Hi Lutz. Photographic prints ARE originals. They are called multiple originals and are in the same category as woodcuts, lithographs, engravings, and etchings. They are considered 'originals' because they are derived from a matrix, which is not considered the work of art itself, while the prints are considered the REALIZATION. In the case of photography the negative (or digital file in the case of a digital camera) is the matrix that is unrealized until printed. When printed they are all considered originals. This is quite different from a digital print made from a painting because the painting is already a REALIZED work of art, therefore the print from a painting is a copy, not an original. I realize this is a difficult concept for many people to grasp - or even accept.

Dolores

Wow, this is a powerful message. Am I doing it all wrong on FAA by selling in different sizes? The problem with originals for me is that they are so junky and so very large. I worry that the shipping will be too destructive to my large paintings so I refuse to sell them anywhere other than my studio. That said, my house is full of them and most of the people who collect my work will not buy prints! They don't understand why I joined FAA. I, however, think having a nice print would be so fabulous over the original, but I must be wrong. Thank you for the information. By the way, I've always been embarrassed of putting my work on facebook, twitter and google plus. It seems like such a waste of time and a little show offy. This article gives me a reason to stop that practice. Thanks again.

Totally disagree. This may be the old way of doing things but it absolutely is not the new

Thanks Jeffrey, Joshua, Lutz, Pedro, Bill, Delores, Lisa & Isabella! =)
Interesting observations and well said! Everyone has their different viewpoints and unique experiences. Good question Lutz. Delores: Thank you so much for your info about the photographic original! =)
Here is my take
#1 I heard that your original website is the most important marketing tool! Never use a web site other than your very own & that includes not using the Fine Art America Artist Website.
I always use my own web site, but I have the FAA shopping cart for my prints on there, also the slideshow. It makes it easier for me to keep up with my art! Anytime I update or upload new artwork on FAA it automatically updates it on my original web site: http://www.genevieveesson.webs.com
#2 I think that is kind of a snobbish statement to say. To me: Any exposure is good exposure. I am always twittering, displaying my artwork on FB. I don't always do the g+, but try. I also Pinterest. I do a lot of public art and there is a following of the Stl250 Cakeway To The West (in celebration of St. Louis's 250th birthday) on both Facebook and Pinterest. I have drummed up extra business from the Cakeway To The West fan page and it has brought the community together learning about the history of St. Louis.
#3 Agree
#4 Disagree

Absolutely agree with #2 and #3.

Absolutely disagree with #4.

#1 is crazy. Having your work on sites that require a little 'hoop jumping' should be in addition to being more accessible on other sites (specifically -- your own website and/or blog. I've only made ONE sale through FAA to someone I know personally. If my work weren't shown here, because of the direct link issue, I would have lost three years of sales! No brainer!

I think the #1 Biggest Mistake Artists Make is:

Have your work on only one website and expect it to be magically found, when we all know the Internet is as vast as the ocean!

Well then, what are we all doing here ?

I have to disagree with Number #4 - I simply can not produce - or sell Original works quickly enough to satisfy my needs.
I also would feel badly about disappointing those who could not afford an original.

Print sales - advertise your name , & they are what can bring to you more Original piece sales.

#4 seems especially out of place on this site, considering that this site's whole purpose is to allow artists to sell prints as the artist sees fit.

Thank you for this thread, it's been interesting for me!

I strongly disagree with #2 and am curious as to who the "expert" is who formed these strong opinions. I am housebound with a chronic illness, cannot go to shows, cannot interact with many other artists and I know I am not the only artist in FAA who has these limits. I have sold originals and prints from what I have posted on Facebook and Twitter, sometimes within 24 hours of posting. When I can't do the usual things to promote my work, I do the best I can with what's available to me. So the author of those statements may think of me as less than an artist, I don't care. Evidently there are others who do.

Rebecca

in light of my pal Rebecca's comment, above, I'll explain why I agree with #2 of the OP.

It says Using your Facebook/Instagram/Twitter/Other Social Media as your reference to view your work . . .

To me, that sentence is talking about artists who rely on social media as an online portfolio. I really do believe that viewers are less likely to take you seriously if your portfolio -- the place you'd send a contest organizer or gallery curator, for instance -- is Twitter or Instagram.

Social media in addition to your online portfolio(s) is a different thing entirely. Most of us share our work through some outlet of social medial. But most of us also have a place online where our art is presented in an organized, easy-to-navigate way -- as a portfolio should be. Many of us are using our FAA page, here, or the ArtistWebsites as our portfolio. Or, we might have a standalone website, like the Weebly platform.

If that doesn't suit, you can set up a free (yep, I said FREE!) portfolio using:

Flickr.com
Crevado.com

or some of the sites in this link:

http://www.lightspacetime.com/newsletter/20-free-art-portfolio-websites-to-market-your-art/

A nice portfolio, so that interested parties have a place to see your art nicely arranged, in addition to Social Media sharing -- that's the ticket!

Rebecca -- Sorry if I helped get your dander up; that will never, ever be my intention. :-)

No, Wendy - my dander is still on my head, hehe!

But I do see your point, although whomever the "expert" is seems to come across as against any art on Facebook. And in the real world, it IS a reference for my work by putting it out in front of people on a continual basis. But I agree that to have FB, etc as the ONLY place where people can see it is a weak promotional gambit.

We all have things we have to do a little differently than someone else, and I think a strong black and white statement like that can leave a lot of people stuck on the pier when the boat leaves.

Hugs to Wendy! :)

Rebecca

Looks like we're just reading #2 and getting something different from it. No worries -- I can deal with that. Nowhere is it written that Great Minds are required to think alike!

Reciprocal hugs! :-)

No, if all great minds were exactly alike, how boring is that??

Just grateful to have a mind! :)

Rebecca

Great minds - keep each other engaged, and challenged. : )

Well I'm with Abbie; this is 30 years out of date. I pretty well disagree with all including #3 about sending any unsolicited appeals to galleries, no matter the format. Buyers being unconcerned with unsecured and independent artists shopping carts? Cheapening your work by selling prints in variety of sizes, or because you posted it on twitter? Living in isolation on the web with you own address, instead of setting up a display in the internet mall of FAA? Come on give me a break.

First you're selling art. You're not keeping your art from the tag of cheap by not promoting it on social media, you're placing that tag on the buyers of art.
Second: The size the buyer wants is exactly the size I think as an artist that you need.
Third: Never have a login unless it's absolutely needed to complete the sale they want to make, or get them subscribed to a list they want. You do not have the right (IMHO) to get me to login to see the link you posted.

Having your head up your ass, will always be the #1 mistake artists make ;)
-- mary ellen anderson

"4. Get your artwork off sites that sell them in print of numerous sizes. Your artwork should be sold as ORIGINALS only! You are severely damaging your art value by having it so available in every size & every color. "

this is the age of social media and I will be using that tool as well

Isnt that why we are on this POD site?

Genevieve - here's a question for you...

Was this just a forward from a magazine article - or did someone send this info to you as a suggestion for your career ?

Of course, it is up to each Artist to decide exactly how exclusive they wish their work to be - but let's not be so exclusive that NO one sees us.

I disagree somewhat with no. 2
I post a link to the buy page for each image along with the image and the price for the original. If you aren't posting your images on social media sites how are you to draw that audience to your buy pages? It is one way to keep your fans, friends, and family apprised of what you have recently created.
It is important to show consistency with how you post and present purchase information. Also, a decent photo that presents professionally. Handle your social pages professionally and you will be seen as a professional, but always link your images back to your buy page.

#4 is ridiculous. That may have been true in the past, but I don't think it was even then. Now, we have a huge opportunity to reach a larger buying audience and print purchases are one of the best ways to get your name circulating. Selling only originals handicaps you as an artist. Until you are super well known, I wouldn't heed that advice. I find it to be foolish and completely untrue. Your originals value will not be hindered unless you are selling thousands of prints of any given image. In that case, I would say do limited editions.

Technically all 4 statements are not mistakes but advises.
Nothing new.
#1,2,3, are obvious,
#4 is wrong.

lithographs, engravings, etchings, woodcuts, are all called prints. only monotypes are originals.
http://www.collectorsguide.com/fa/fa042.shtml

Kim, I think you may have missed this in the last paragraph of the collectors guide you referenced:

". . . . . . . next in increasing value are the "original prints" such as silk screens/serigraphs, lithographs, etchings, collographs; next are the monoprints, each is part of a series but has unique elements; and of highest value, because each is unique, is the monotype. . . . . . ."

Yes, lithogrphs, engravings, etchings, and woodcuts are called prints - but they are also considered "original prints" - as are photographs - because they are the only realizations of an unrealized matrix. Btw, this is also true of digital prints when the matrix (digital file) is created by the artist on the computer:
http://www.ifpda.org/content/collecting_prints/glossary

1) Thinking you can make money with your art...

2) Quitting your day job....

3) Thinking you are the only artist in the world (we have tens of millions)...

4) Thinking your family and friends would buy at least one of your creations....(my sister did buy one print)...

no. didn't miss a thing. monoprint is a print. one in a series. not an original. no it isn't because you can make unlimited numbers of the same quality image from digital or photos. stop trying to have your cake and eat it too. too much bs here for me. bye

I disagree with #2 and #4... Anyone starting out has to promote themselves somehow. These days it's through Facebook/Instagram/Pinterest/Twitter/whatever. Also, I'll always accommodate the customer on whatever size and style they want. If they want a B&W or Sepia version of a color print then why not?

I think making different versions of your photographs is an art form in itself.

Interesting, I have read stuff like this before. I was told by an artist, whom I respect greatly, never to show in street festivals as it lessons the status of you as a serious artist. I think exposer in general is good, especially at first. Depending on what kind of artist you wish to be, as you go through your life you might be choosier. The massive number of prints Dali produced hurt his reputation for quite sometime, despite his awesome talent.

Disagree totally with 2 and 4, Without Facebook especially i would not have sold originals and received commissions as much as i have. Also regarding the selling of prints i don't see has any relevance of how your perceived as an artist or not. Customers that have purchased originals off me but still wanted prints of work i no longer had were happy they were available for sale as prints, Also it hasn't made any difference to the way customers see me as an artist when visiting a gallery where my work is displayed.

I sometimes think the biggest mistake is limiting yourself by following too many rules. Explore, try new things, find what works for you. Then make your own rules for yourself, but be open to breaking those rules too.

the single biggest mistake artists make is #1 believing their art will sell itself and they don't need to market it.

"The massive number of prints Dali produced hurt his reputation for quite sometime, despite his awesome talent."

I don't know if it was the massive number of prints Dali produced - or the number of prints made by others of his work - that hurt his reputation.

Apparently he signed a great deal of blank print paper much of which was printed after he died.

Please consider the fact that Dali signed those blanks knowing the great body of his work , over 3,500 paintings were and are cataloged as authentic Dali works.
Most believe Dali was manipulated into signing the blanks by slick art marketeers. Now consider the fact there was nothing Dali could do to stop the forgeries of his works after his death.
Dali , by signing those blanks created controversy and at the same time escalated the price of his cataloged authentic works while he was still alive, albeit, in poor health, but still- genius.
The question remains: who fooled who?
Dali for his painting of the Last Supper, was elevated to a plateau in painting shared only by Giotto and Leonardo da Vinci. Dali's introduction of superimposition made Dali one of the three titans of painting. Dali's reputation in art was secured- locked in to the point he could have stopped painting.
Anyone buying an authentic Salvador Dali work today has an easy time of verifying if the work is real or not due to the extensive cataloging of his works prior to the 1980's. Only those thinking they can get a real Dali at a bargain price-they deserve to be fooled.
I miss Dali, don't you?

Prints are like money the more they are printed the less they are worth.

Janine, It was a forward from an art book publisher. I thought I had saved it in my email, but have
deleted it. I think it was from one of those elite publishers soliciting for artists. I really wish I
had saved it. I didn't expect so much feedback from posting. I was taken aback by it myself because
I disagree with almost all of it. As you know in the art world the diversity of critics and opinions are
far and wide. =)
~Genevieve

" Sigh....." & don't we all wish we could hoard our originals off the market & save them until we are able to sell them for astronomical prices ?

Lol. But how to get there.

You do what you are comfortable with Genevieve - you look happy to me : )

Right Janinie!. LOL ;) Thanks for your comments! =)

Rewording: My comment above should have read:
I was taken aback by the email myself because
I disagree with almost all of it. I didn't expect so much feedback from posting.

yeah 4 doesn't work well. if you only sell paintings and you want to be famous when your dead, then go ahead and do #4. but in todays market you need to be everywhere in every size. there is no way to talk it in person to someone on the other side of the country. plus you have stock you may not be able to sell. you can always sell a print, the original does not go down in value. many called kincaid a sellout, and yet he made a lot of money, probably a lot more than if he followed that advice.

oddly i got this list in my box too, i wonder where i got signed up for it. i erased it without reading it.

---Mike Savad

Thank you, Genivieve for posting this thread. It's been interesting reading the responses. Mike, Janine, Bellesouth studio and many others have opinions that greatly affect how I now feel. Being new to this type of marketing, I do not have the experience to understand whether it was a smart idea to be a part of FAA family or not. I've enjoyed the heck out of posting my art, my intentions in art are good, but one cannot know how the adventure will end. My greatest fear is that friends and family will think I'm too expensive and special to voice their desire for my work. Sometimes being oldschool is better because your established buyers are there for you. Once you have this fame by being googled, which sounds silly to everyone on FAA, that causes some restraint from your usual customer that took advantage of your low cost originals.

Long before the internet, computers or POD services, artists sold prints of their original. In fact, they'd sell numbered prints for more than just prints. It's not new and it's nor more wrong now than it was back then, imo.
I think all of these are wrong.

What qualifies this person to offer this advice? And what is the motive for giving this advice? Sounds like it mat be some self serving advice from a snooty galery owner. Plenty of successful artists break all these rules. Make your own rules. There is no one way to be successful.

Billy, yes

Hiya Genevieve,

One of my old friends, who is deceased now, had prints of his work all over the world in all shapes and sizes. It never hurt his reputation or his ability to make money. Also he is going to be remembered as one of the great artists of the 20th century. His name was Frank Frazetta. http://frankfrazetta.net/.

Consider the works of Norman Rockwell. He is best known as an illustrator whose paintings were put to millions of prints. All those prints in magazines are not worth much but his original paintings of those prints are worth millions.

Frank Frazetta is one of the greatest artists of the 20th century. In Brooklyn , NY he was considered an art god during his lifetime and still is. Harold Shull you were lucky in knowing him as a friend.
R crumb and Stan Lee are also among the immortals.

I heartily agree with all 4 of the rules posted in this forum topic.
Many of the prints in my collection preceded the advent of the internet which greatly increases their monetary worth.
I collect R. Crumb, his pre-internet works are gems as are the works he will do tomorrow.

Billy, concerning your Rockwell example, if thats true then that means printing didn't hurt the pricing of his originals, it made it even higher because he got more famous. Rendering #4 wrong by that example.

#4 doesn't make any sense to me. A $400 shouldn't become a $100 painting just because it's been printed. If anything that should raise the reputation of the artist and put his or her original pieces in higher demand.

Harold, when I was a young lass, I did a drawing copying one of Frank's pieces for practice. It was a warrior on a chariot pulled by Polar Bears. I think that was his. (Yes, it was one of his designs. I just looked it up. Someone is selling one of his prints for $10 on Etsy.) I have the drawing I did in a stash of some of my other old practice drawings. It's all sticky because I accidently sprayed it with a spray adhesive instead of fixative. Live and learn.

Anyway, totally admire that guys work. Awesome that you knew him personally. His work is amazing. Used to see his work on people's vans (the vehicle) and in books. Everywhere really. That was pre internet and pre social media days.

About #4:

Different sizes is one thing, "every" color is a bit different. It means the buyer is invited to actually change the originally intented image to a decorative element to the buyers liking.

That is okay if it is okay with the artist marketing strategy. However, this POD site (FAA) does not offer this kind of prints at present time.

friends and family will never buy your work at any price. tell them it's 5 bucks and they will still back off. your market is strangers. people that know you do whatever you do, will want it for free. if your a plumber, free. a carpenter, free, doesn't matter what it is.


if you want fame, and that's your goal, you need to find a person that raises people's awareness of your work, and they get you into big gallery. once there people will assume your a thing and will buy your works. but then you have to make huge prints, hob nob, and you may sell the thing for $20,000 and there are plenty of people that can do it. i'm not one of them.

if your goal is money, then you want your images printed on as many products as you can humanly get them onto. making as many kinds of images as you can.

---Mike Savad

Maxwell Hanson: You need to consider the level of fame the artist like Rockwell attained and the time frame..There were people during Rockwell,s lifetime that did not consider Rockwell a painter, more an illustrator- go figure. Fame plays a big part in rule number 4. Then there are painters that would never put their originals up for prints on a POD and gallery owners who will not consider anything on the internet. Many art directors wont touch work that's been on the internet and this is where No.4 makes sense. Once an artist has reached a level of fame , they can do anything and usually rule four works in reverse for them .Of course if you are collecting prints as an investment POD sites are not the place to buy them, so we are back with rule number 4 ringing true. Without mentioning names, I purchased a print from an artist who offers his work on this POD. I bought the print from a gallery over a decade ago and paid more for the gallery print than what is offered here. I was very disappointed to see the artist's work here on FAA. This is another reason for rule number 4. I would now , not purchase that artists future works- hey you win some you lose some.Funny thing about collecting prints, the ones everyone wants are the one's I would never sell.

Oh gosh, Robert Frank Gabriel....you made me laugh....really, don't quit your day job and really, don't expect your family to pay money for your work...lol
My family, bless their little hearts but they have never bought one thing from me. I thought that too years ago...heck, if they would all just buy three or four...wow. I would be on the way to my new career. Then I remembered they are the ones who suggested I teach school...and not in art either. Lol

Mike, think you hit the nail on the head!

Harold, Never cared much for Frazetta but I found the information on him to be very interesting. Might have to go back and look at his work a bit closer, thanks!

Jani, it was an honor and privilege to know Frank. He was a true gentleman and an artist's artist. But if you appreciated my buddy Frank's artwork who is now deceased, try following another friend of mine, Bernie Wrightson, who is still kicking butt in the movies, magazines and books. http://www.berniewrightson.com/index.php/galleries?showall=&start=5 He is another artist cut from the same mold as Frank Frazetta. When you visit Bernie's website, check out his Frankenstein art prints. They are already collectors' dreams.

Ronald I repeat what I said above to Jani to you.

I will check him out, thanks.

You are so welcome Lisa! I'm glad you are enjoying it! This has turned out to be a really interesting thread!

Thanks All for your comments and advice!!! =)

I received another email from EIA Magazine. Here is the full message below and the
link: http://eiamagazine.com/category/artist-tips/?mc_cid=4f9615db19&mc_eid=b13566daff

Subject: Artist Tips They Do Not Want You To Know!
Date: Aug 31, 2014 9:44 AM

The 4 Biggest Mistakes Artists Make!
 
1. Having your artwork on any website that does not directly link to your website or email address. Most sites that offer a service of hosting your artwork offer an email contact form in order for buyers to contact you. However, buyers/fans/etc, will have to create an account, and 9 out of 10 times they do not. You just lost a potential buyer. They are now moving on to the artist that is easy to contact.
2. Using your Facebook/Instagram/Twitter/Other Social Media as your reference to view your work. If you do this, understand that you are now looked at as something no where near the level of an artist.
3. When submitting your work to galleries, magazines, or anywhere else, always include a website link and a brief intro about yourself and your work. Your website should have all the information that a curator is looking for: Bio, CV, and Portfolio that is easily accessible, as well as your contact information.
4. Get your artwork off sites that sell them in print of numerous sizes. Your artwork should be sold as ORIGINALS only! You are severely damaging your art value by having it so available in every size &  every color.

How do you make money as an artist / starving artist?
 
HOW TO PRESENT YOUR ARTWORK http://eiamagazine.com/category/artist-tips/?mc_cid=4f9615db19&mc_eid=b13566daff

If at any time you have any questions, do your research, feel free to contact EIA we are here to help artists! 
   Want To Sell Your Artwork?
Include Your Artwork In Our "Art For Sale" Fall Catalog! 
Your artwork images will be hyperlinked directly to your website, and will include your name, price, and a brief description of the work for sale.  Buyers contact you directly,  which means you keep all of your hard earned profit and can walk to the bank hands still covered in paint, happy as an artist in an art store! All Media Acce pted | Catalog will be on the Website | Sent to 30,000 Plus customers! 
 


 
PORTFOLIO LISTING
Includes: your contact info, portfolio, and website included in a PDF document that will be sent directly to the potential buyer/talent requester via email. In addition, you will be listed on the EIA website as an approved talent. This section will be separated into categories by talent type and location to make navigation easy for anyone looking to contact you directly. Along with your listing, there will be a rating system where past clients can rate your work on a variety of criteria. The top rated members will be featured automatically on the sidebar, making it even easier to be found for work.
◦ High SEO results and website traffic, with each page designed to drive visitors directly to your website
◦ Targeted marketing to clients who are seeking the world’s best photographers in their area and for travel
◦ Incoming linking boosting your Google ranking
◦ As an EIA Approved member you give clients confidence in your abilities and professionalism
 
Each “EIA Approved Talent” will also gain many benefits, such as discounts when advertising in EIA Magazine. Members will also be randomly included in the “Spotlight” section of our email newsletters, which reach and audience of over 29,000 opt-in subscribers. Discounts with our affiliates.
 
Apply Here
 

PR & Artist Marketing  |  Online & Print Magazine  |  EIAMagazine.com
info@eiamagazine.com    


http://eiamagazine.com/category/artist-tips/?mc_cid=4f9615db19&mc_eid=b13566daff

Genevieve,
NOW #4 makes sense..they want you to pay to be in their pay for space catalogue instead of being on a POD site! They know that artists only have so much money to spend on marketing .

You are right Marlene. Thank you for this insight! Do you think it would be worth it
to get on this site? I checked it out and its for only 2 images @ $35.00 each. They
take no commissions.

Haven't had the chance to check it out...it is a website as well as a catalogue or is the catalogue online only? Any chance you can contact some artists already signed up...they would be your best source for info.
I'd be curious to know about distribution, if it's a print catalogue as well.

Lets see, 35 dollars for 2 images vs 30 for however many you can upload here. And they don't handle the printing. Yeah, #4 becomes clearer and clearer...

From what I've seen so far, Genevieve, you can be listed in the artist directory for $35 a year ( your website included)....I'd go that route first and see what, if any response you get. This webite looks promising for the artist who sells originals..I don't see it competing with a POD site .

My biggest mistake was type of subject matter...Mostly street images of people....

Very few street photographers make money with this topic. There are literally tens of thousands of street photographers the world over. We have our own clubs, web sites, galleries, etc. But very few of us make any type of money at all unless we deal with stock agencies but even then we have to compromise by having our "candid" subjects sign model releases and that's as enjoyable as petting a snarling PitBull.

I have over 2,400 images on flickr. I don't see the Fine Art Wall Decor crowd wanting to display such images in their homes, restaurants, etc.

Goodness, what a scam job this EIA is! I would never want to be signed up with them. If a person is already selling originals, why would they ever need to be on any site to sell them? My originals practically leave my studio before I'm done with them and that is why I signed up with FAA. I would never need a site to sell originals...but I'm a painter not a photographer and things may be very different for photos. They do have a nice looking website, but not as good as FAA. I don't trust the on line art world at all. It will be the same, same game. Also, with paintings especially large ones, you really lose money when you have to ship large box crated items. If the packaging of large paintings isn't done right, the customer and shipping folks can destroy your hard work and shipping companies won't insure large paintings easily. I think selling my work locally is best for me. Whatever you do, please tell us how it works for you and prove me wrong, good luck to you, Genevieve.

Number four is completely unrealistic and ridiculous. Especially for photographers.

EIA (Everything Is Art) has been around since 2011, they started out just printing a hard copy art magazine…
i was featured along with others in their second volume, "Undeniable Talent Volume Y”; http://youtu.be/PEPLefP3lOE ,
and that year was my last involvement with them , i did not know they had evolved into the website they are now.
i’ll have to check them out and see what their about...

There are a few grammatical errors in the text on their website - do these people really publish a magazine? What country are they located in?

In my opinion number 4 is not at all ridiculous - if you intend to make a career as a painter on the art market. I mean art market - not wall art or interior design market.

Personally I am engaged in the latter market.

Thank you Marlene for your advice. It is appreciated. I need to give it a closer look.
Thanks also to Luts, JR, Ed, Valerie, Lisa, Robert & Joshua. It's interesting to
read everyone's viewpoints.