I had a gallery owner sniff one of my paintings once. I was painting on watercolor paper using liquid acrylics and I have to admit - the paper had a small odor.... :o

Thanks all, I guess I can put this to rest now.

Tim, I appreciate your comments in particular, if 37 galleries have never used this technique with your work, it must be unique to her.

Beth, I'm not devastated by being turned down as I've read enough here to know that galleries rarely carry portraiture. I do feel good that she will refer any portait work my way though.

Kim, how awful, and a little funny!

Jean

I've always wondered so maybe someone can tell me. Does watercolor paper usually have an odor? I dont think I noticed it until after I used the paint on it. It wasnt the thinned acrylics you can get now - it was the consistancy of ink. They didnt have a bad odor by themselves in the jars. It smelled like a paper factory. If you drive through parts of Maine you can smell that odor all around and it isnt pleasant at all.

The Arches watercolor paper I used to use definitely had an odor, especially when it was wet. I didn't mind it though.

Seems pretty bogus to me. I think it's the gallery equivalent of smelling the cork when the wine steward hands it to you--it means nothing, but somebody told you you were supposed to do it when you were about twenty, and you've been doing it ever since, and NOBODY knows why. I think Tim's equating it with a parlor trick is about right.

Any real artist could understand your technique just by looking at it, and any non-artist won't understand it anyway. She might just as well have tried to impress you with her boundless knowledge by looking at the back.

Don't ever be intimidated by someone who knows nothing about what you do and how you do it.

Love to all artists everywhere (you KNOW who you are)!
XXXOOO--TE

(KIm, sounds to me like a substance abuse problem!)

Galleries

I have a friend who owns a gallery and he readily admits that all he knows about art is that if he looks at a piece and feels as if he could produce it then he knows it's not good. That's it.

He is in the businesss to make money and he does that by knowing his customer base and providing the type of art and services that they want.

If he could make money by representing portrait artists, he would be doing just that. He sells a lot of Bob Timberlake and similar type works, some originals but mostly signed and numbered prints. Not a high end shop.

He does have a couple of my portraits on display but they just don't generate the interest.

I really didn't know that gallery owners were that uninformed about art. I believed that they had inside information to the universe and were above reproach. Guess it's a money thing above all. Thanks for all these remarks. Next time I'll be less intimidated and more confidant and know that my work isn't being judged by the "Gods" of art. Instead I'll go in with the idea that they are only looking at marketability for their client base. :sunnysmil

Jean