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Making it
Do you know anyone? Have a brother-in-law or great aunt? Old college friend? Ex-employer? Former next door neighbor? The surest way is to call a contact and arrange to fly out with a number of paintings and have an open house. The idea of an art patron does not necessarily mean you need a benefactor with mega bucks. Someone with a modest income who thinks you are great, (or owes you a favor...) will do nicely. They get to have a famous artist in their home, and you get a venue to show your work.
You might also arrange to do a portrait commission for them at a discounted price if they will "work" for you. This is also basically the way you get your start in your own home territory. I had the same plan back in the late 80's, and I tried Jackson MS, (too southern), Naples, FL (not southern enough), and finally hit in Raleigh, NC. It took three years and many misfires before the plan worked, but it did eventually work. The Raleigh contact was a friend of my husband's whom I met at their class reunion. (The Jackson contact was a workshop I taught there, the Naples contact was through the daughter of a couple who lived in Naples...) Two other extremely lucrative contacts were a couple that sat across from me at a convention and an e-mail buddy of my husband. Don't overlook shirt tail contacts and the guy sitting next to you on the plane.
Then paint your head off. That first contact might be serendipity, but your career is based on turning out a game-winning portrait that causes a ripple effect of secondary commissions.
Good luck!
Peggy
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