Advice on submitting to portrait agencies

Linda Nelson · 10-10-2002, 11:53 AM

Hi all,

I've been a silent reader for some time and have found this site to be a great resource. My hope is to get your advice on the pros/cons of signing up with a portrait agency - is it a good career move, how to decide which is the best fit, etc.

I think I have what it takes to be attractive to them. Assuming that, I'm expecting that what's in it for the artist is a steady amount of work and healthy income.

Is that accurate? Any opinions, actual figures or stories to relay would be helpful. I am located in the twin cities of Minnesota and work in oil and watercolor.

Thanks everyone.

Michele Rushworth · 10-10-2002, 11:02 PM

At the ASOPA conference a number of panel member speakers described what the various portrait agencies are looking for. One panel participant summarized it thus, "They are not looking for a diamond in the rough. They are looking for a fully polished diamond complete with a solid track record of portrait sales."

A few of the agencies had representatives there. One of them (I forget which) said that they'd like to see a portrait artist who has established a market for him or herself in their own region with a track record of selling at a starting price of $3,000.

I don't know what your work is like or your experience level, but that may be exactly where you are, in which case, you might want to go for it.

However, other people at ASOPA said that being represented by an agency is no guarantee of steady work. Many portrait agents have a very large roster of artists that they represent.

There are some other threads here that touch upon this issue. One post in particular by Peggy Baumgaertner comes to mind. You might want to use the search feature and check around elsewhere on this site to see what opinions others have expressed.

Good luck!

Linda Nelson · 10-11-2002, 10:49 PM

Michele,

Thanks for your advice and for some insight into the expectations of the agencies. I think I'd match their criteria, with the exception of the big market presence (yet).

What I get from your comments is that, as far as from the point of view of an artist, the benefit to work with an agency is maybe not to gain steady clientele, but perhaps to gain the Higher $, more prestigious commissions. The only reason I say that is if the agencies want to see that you have an impressive market that you've built, then if the artist already has a busy market, well then what's the motivation to hook up with an agency?

I guess I still don't understand if an agency relationship is something an artist does at the start of their career, as the pinnacle of their career, as a limited chapter or as a lifetime solution. What "type" of artist finds working with an agency the right professional lifestyle?

Thanks again,
Linda

Michele Rushworth · 10-11-2002, 11:16 PM

Like working with many "agents" (as artists or actors or dancers) you can't seem to get one until you don't really need one anymore!

I have never worked with an artists' agent so I'll leave the rest of your questions for some of the forum participants who have.

Cynthia Daniel · 10-12-2002, 02:39 AM

Linda,

I think one of the factors that enters into the equation is style. If the agency already has one or more artists painting in a style similar to yours, then they might be inclined to pass for the time being if they have a good and productive relationship with their existing artist or artists.

There are some artists whose careers are not very developed, yet they are fabulous and offer something different that the agency feels is marketable. I can imagine an artist might be picked up by an agency on that basis alone.

Based on the somewhat limited information I have, I believe there are many variables, despite what is normally considered ideal. For example, if an artist is very talented and marketable and offers something different, yet is consistently difficult to get along with, I would think the agency could decide to not represent them.

I believe some agencies only accept new artist submissions during certain times of the year.

In the past, I've written to some of the agencies and invited them to post information in the Forum for the benefit of the artists. I'll write again and inform this of this question and see if we can get some answers directly from the source if you like.

Linda Nelson · 10-12-2002, 03:29 PM

Thanks, Cynthia for inviting the agency community to review the question! What a great idea.

Linda

Cynthia Daniel · 10-14-2002, 12:24 AM

Okay, it's done. We'll keep our fingers crossed.

Linda Nelson · 11-05-2002, 12:50 PM

Hi all,

Just another request to all to share their opinions on this question. I'm surprised that not much discussion has happened on this string, as I thought this would be a topic many would have comment on!

Please share your experiences if you can. Judging from the number of people who have looked at this topic, there looks to be a lot of interested readers.

Thanks again,
Linda

Enzie Shahmiri · 11-05-2002, 01:29 PM

Linda, I can

Linda Nelson · 11-05-2002, 01:58 PM

Thanks for the input. It's reassuring to hear suggestions of what works for getting started. I am "working that angle" and I hope it reaches the right audience.

Thanks again!