Guest blog by artist Edwin Barrington Lue-Shing – An artist’s perspective

This is the seventh guest blog in the #sellbuyart series that features responses from both buyers and sellers in the art sector.

Do artists and galleries receive more interest and better sales at art fairs, in the art gallery, or selling art online? Does one drive footfall to the other? Do you simply get a different type of buyer at an art fair rather than a gallery? Do you get a lot of viewings at art fairs but not many sales? And where do online art stores enter into things and how successful are they for selling art? What makes one succeed over another?

Edwin Barrington Lue-Shing – Artist

About

Edwin is a self-taught artist who due to being inspired by the human face, mostly paints portraits on canvas. He elevates his work by giving them a 3D effect through encasing some in resin which gives a glossy finish. Edwin doesn’t like to be pigeonholed when it comes to naming his style of art, but when pressed admits to a mix of “Pop Art” (Roy Lichtenstein was an influencing factor in the development of his art) and “Modern/Contemporary art”. His work is good, and he is talented, but for Edwin and the majority of other artists, making a career from their work, requires more.

Below, Edwin offers us a valuable insight into the world of an artist during the transitional period between painting for enjoyment, and trying to break into a career in art.

My experiences and views on promoting and selling art

“I guess trying to make it in the art world is similar to trying to become a pop star, extremely hard, especially if you can’t rely on your ability or sheer good luck! The following offers an insight into my story…

I am London based, (well South East London to be more precise) and I do love the diversity that the London art scene provides. I mostly paint for myself and if other people like my work then that is a bonus for me! At least it used to be enough but now I want to make a career out of my art.

I fell in love with art and painting when I was very young, and even in those early years as my art started to take shape, Salvador Dali became (and still is) my hero, a crazy mind that did nearly everything artwise. Last year I had the fortune to visit his museum in Barcelona and that was an eye-opener and a mind-expander to say the least! But such visits are valuable and add a little bit more to your style of work or mind set. One of the joys of being an artist is the gradual shaping of your medium or style, so it’s wise to be alert to what’s going on around you, and understand how it makes you feel.

I have been painting and shaping my work seriously for the last 15 years. Whoever coined the phrase “if you do what you love, you’ll never work a day in your life” was absolutely right. I wish I could go professional and make a living or career from my art, however having read some of the previous #sellbuyart articles, I guess I haven’t been pushing as hard as I should have. It’s no good being a talented artist if you don’t get yourself and your work “out there”, especially in the early stages”.

ARTWORK BY EDWIN BARRINGTON LUE-SHING

“So, 2019 saw me make a New Year’s resolution. I have promised myself I will create more opportunities for myself, you never know what you can achieve if you say “yes” more often when an opportunity comes along. Being very picky is not always a good idea.

I get a healthy number of invitations from galleries to exhibit my work off the back of its quality. I sometimes submit my work to certain shows but I don’t go all out pounding the pavements and creating the opportunities that I know are out there. Make no mistake, it is a hard sector to break into and to become a recognised artist. There are thousands of artists, and there are many different styles, and the level of imagination that goes into their art is extraordinary. It fascinates me! So…

…you have to be seen, you have to push your work under the noses of those that can help you, it’s like a business in that respect

I would like to be represented to show my work to a wider audience. But I have to make that happen, I revert back to my New Year’s resolution.

I’d like to leave you with a thought, or perhaps more of a question. I would like to ask the gallery owners, the art show organisers and entrepreneurs out there… is there an argument to holding an art festival similar to a music festival?  Perhaps mix the two? A stay overnight camping, family friendly art exhibition mixing promotion, sales, education, and entertainment. Something that involves artists at all levels, giving newbies a chance to meet their peers, and art on sale at prices that ordinary people can afford and enjoy. What a great way for all to learn and take pleasure out of art.

I have a website and I invite you to see my work. Please visit www.singaart.co.uk. I will next be presenting my work if you’d like to come along, at the App Art & Sculpture Exhibition 2019, to be held at Prior’s Field School, Godalming, on Saturday 6th April 2019″.

Brought to you by Flight Logistics-Shipart^TM

Why are we qualified to manage the debate?

ShipArt^TM sits in the middle of the art sector and builds lasting relationships with artists, galleries, collectors, investors, curators and organisers of art fairs. From this position and with a genuine interest in all things art (our staff are art lovers and collectors), we are perfectly positioned to take a neutral stance and draw upon our community to bring you a wealth of opinions on the subject of buying and selling art in the current market.

A word from Flight Logistics ShipArt^TM

What is becoming apparent through these valuable guest blogs is that we live in a day and age when artists have much more control over their careers. It’s been mentioned more than once that an important aspect of successful sales is the personal touch that the likes of art fairs and exhibitions provide.

Just make sure that there is a professional art shipping company on stand by for the last part of the trade.  Don’t forget amidst the excitement of any art purchase how important it is to use a professional art shipping company for delivery – packing, insurance and shipping are often last minute additions to the process – they can be an integral part of the process with the right advice – check out our previous blog articles with free advice and email us for quotes and more specific information

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Look out for Part Eight in this series. Follow us on any of our social media channels to be sure of receiving this.