any decorative painters who wholesale here?

[crystal]

Hi. I'm new to WC and am hoping to get to talk to other decorative painters who do festival shows and or sell their merchandise to retailers as I do. It's so helpful to be able to share info., tips, and experience.

Hope to talk to you soon.

Crystal

[DuncanBerenice]

Hi Crystal,

Welcome to WC and to the forum :D

I'm hoping one day to sell through craft fairs or through retailers maybe start off with a sale or return basis, maybe include the internet, but, 1 thing I must do is develop my painting, and woodworking skills before that is achievable.

I was looking into making tinware but its looking unlikely :(

Duncan

[crystal]

Hi Duncan. thanks for the welcome.

It's great fun to work on different ideas to create works to sell at craft festivals, and then see how the public likes them. I particularly enjoy talking to the people who come into my booth. There's nothing like first hand feedback!

You have the right idea about getting your skills up. Try lots of things though. You never know what you might try, that just hits you, that you'll get a passion for. I really think that's the key to success, really enjoying the media you work in. People can see that in your work. Once you find what you really like to do, it becomes natural to keep working with it until you feel satisfied with your skills.

I paint on glassware. Oil bottles in particular. I also paint with acrylics on canvas. Do you paint with acrylics too?

Have fun with your ideas!:D

Crystal

[DuncanBerenice]

Hi Crystal,

I've got acrylics for decorative painting, oils for painting, I do have some watercolours and I've plenty of books on the subject.

I've made furniture and painted it for our own and our families use. That might be my road for the arts & crafts. I easily digress from subject to subject :D a very bad habit I have, something catches my eye and its oooohh I'm away :rolleyes: :D I'm designing a mail box for the bottom of our track, that's going to be decoratively painted.

Duncan

[crystal]

Wow, making furniture is a wonderful craft!

I think most artists like to try new projects, I know I do. I try to stay disciplined to my painting, but when it comes to house projects, I could jump from thing to thing, and spend a week or two away from my painting once I'm into it. I love to garden and I live in California, so gardening could be year round thing.

Your mailbox project sounds fun. That reminds me, I need to finish my mailbox project, oops! Jumping around sometimes leaves things unfinished, right?

Crystal:D

[RobinZ]

Hi! I did handpainted wooden santas 12 years ago and put them in local craft shows. I was on a roll with coming up with other ideas when I had to go to work fulltime.

Now I am currently unemployed and have been working on decorative painting since March. I have put stuff in local shows but not in shops. I'd like to hear about how you do it.

I also have been painting with acrylics on canvas. They've come out nice, but right now I have to make some money and have handpainted wooden boxes.

I also am all over the place. I have been practicing painting murals and they are coming out real nice too! I am also interested in painting portraits! So I think I have to settle down and settle on something. I think I would like the social aspect of shows and portraits a lot.

My son is a painter and he has been a big boost to me. He's painted murals from time to time and if I got the jobs he would be able to help me a little. He's also a tattoo artist so his plate is pretty full between that and his oil paintings, which sell as soon as he gets enough done to put up somewhere and tell people! So that's really where his heart is, so I've been reluctant to push the murals.

Finally, we are renovating our 70 year old row house ourselves now and that's bigger than I ever dreamed. I will soon have a room dedicated to art. Meanwhile, I live in a combat zone and drywall dust is my enemy!!!!

Gonna go sand some more.

[artchic]

I have some work in a local gift shop on consignment....I'm hoping to start selling on ebay very spoon....as far aas wholesaling.....I don't have the time it requires plus I just can't stand to make the same thing or paint the same design over and over..most of my work is one-of-a-kind..i paint on metal and wood as well as furniture.........good luck to you
Carole

[Aspiring]

Hi Crystal,
I am and have been a decorative painter for over 40 years. although with interruptions. Ironically, this week I am visiting south of you in Santa Clara where my daughter lives and I did for a time in San Jose. Nice weather here for sure.

I do not sell my products to shops, but I do consignment to one shop only. I swore NEVER to do consignment years ago, but I am connected to a League shop which takes only high end consignmnet items, so they all are treated kindly and displayed effectively. Used to live in Lancaster county, PA and did craft shows and had a shop. They are so unreliable and so much work.

As for ebay, I have yet to put up wood, but have put up paintings and prints. A few sales at very little profit and some no sales. I don't think it's a market I would pursue, although I might when the watercolors pile up until I get really good at it and then I'll join an artists association and sell there.

If I can help by answering any questions I surely will try.

[crystal]

Hi. I've been away from checking the boards for a little while as I was working on preparing for an outside festival that took place last weekend. I did the show last year, and I did about the same this year, which was OK, but not enough to make all the work you put into doing a show worth it. It was positive for me in that the response to my work was wonderful. I think people were a little apprehensive about my prices, because of the type of show it was (not really art related), and because I wholesale to a retailer who is located right down the street from the festival, and I had to sell my work at her retail prices. Also, my retailer is one of the coordinators of the show. I looked at it as good PR for my work, and to tell people about finding more of my work in her store, which is a win win for her and I.

I understand about how difficult it is to reproduce work, I've always battled with that. It would be nice to do one of a kinds and find a high end store or gallery to sell them. I know I'd be able to make more on each piece that way. I'll have to look into that this year. It is nice to have a wholesale line of work that you can reproduce though as it can pay the bills. It's great to go into a store and have a buyer tell you, I'll take 6 of those and 6 of these, etc. You don't have to paint them all ahead of time and hope they sell at a festival, you just have your samples and pictures. When they want more items, they call and place another order. It's great.

Crystal

[Aspiring]

As I just read your reply another thought came to me. Ca is not the best craft state, and I have to wonder if that might not apply to the whole west coast. Art, yes, but not our art! At least, not compared to the northeast and including PA. What I might suggest if you want to wholesale is to find a catalog that carries quality decorative painting. Or even a magazine in which you could place an ad and continue it until you have a base. Or even the online Americana Craftsonline.

One fine rosemaler used to come east from Illinois to sell her wares, and rosemaling is one folk art that is hard to sell anywhere but in the midwest, I and others have found.

[muraldevotee]

Hello Everyone, I am a very NEW member to the sight.
In response to your question regarding wholesaling your items, I sell mine at retailers and craft fairs. This is as much as I can currently handle. If you are ready for more work I would choose a few pieces to focus on, then apply to an area gift show remembering that retailers buy 6 months ahead of time for a particular season. I have had much success with a local retailer that I will paint anything and everything for! I get lots of special orders and personalize my items to suit customers. Good Luck!!!
P.S. I also paint glass SOAP bottles.

[arlene]

I have done festivals and shows for 6 years now...First doing collage with pressed flowers, then branching into paper sculpture and now I do colored pencil and plan to stick with it... :confused:

What sort of questions do you have?

I never wholesaled, but did have a production item...my paper sculpture flowers...after 3 years of selling up to 125 of them a year, I burnt out completely on the paper sculpture...so be careful that you won't have a problem doing an item over and over...

or hire folks if you get enough orders...this is what a decorative painter friend of mine does with her stuff...she paints the first piece and gives the repeats to some artists she's trained.

Her business went from strictly retail doing 20+ shows a year to now doing only 6 shows and selling the rest wholesale.

[Kat L.]

I do 15 shows a yr. I stopped selling at shops for many reasons and only sell myself now. I started slow and built up. I did small shows and now I do mostly juried shows with a few smaller ones to fill in. A customer of mine does a show in her home for me once a yr. as well. I'm not getting rich at this but I do enjoy it and the extra money comes in handy! I'm in Pa. and crafts are big here. I have a few loyal customers that follow me to my shows and come to my home to buy in between shows. I also do custom work. I paint mostly animals but do other things as well. I do everything from rocks to small furniture.
Kat

[Aspiring]

Oh, I wonder where in PA. I moved to Lancaster in '79 ane through an Amish man who made kids' wagons I got space in two farm markets. From there it went to craft shows, Lititz and around, and then had my own store. The girl who bought it later is still there in Lititz selling eveything and anything.
It was a lucrative business back then. When the Artworks in Ephrata opened we expected big ticket sales and it was like that at first. But it fizzled.
I think the area isn't so profitable for painters now. Well, is any area particualarly good ror decorative painters now? I have some thoughts on what pulled that business down.
Still sell in NH and that market is petering out It was so very good.
I hope things revive for the dedicated painters who want to produce heriloom quality things that dono't end up in the dumpster. Once it was that way with Early American Decorative Painting.
People complain about the shops taking too much commission but they need to make every inch bring a profit or they aren't in business long.