Amateur or professional?

[RiJoRi]

I recently submitted work to a local juried exhibition where the entry form asked whether you were amateur or professional – I indicated that I was an amateur. …

So the question is – what criteria should I use to decide if I am an amateur or a not very successful professional?

Considering all the replies here, it seems reasonable to query the exhibition as to their definitions of Amateur and Professional!

–Rich

So many colors, so little time...

[charliedawg]

Good point, Rich — I have emailed the exhibition administrator for advice.

Happy painting
Walter
http://www.walterwatsonart.com

[charliedawg]

Just to muddy the waters – I was reading through submission rules for the art exhibition that I mentioned at the beginning of this thread and the rules state that all paintings in the exhibition whether from amateurs or professionals must be for sale……………………….

Happy painting
Walter
http://www.walterwatsonart.com

[charliedawg]

Just an update – I have not received a reply from the exhibition administrator re a definition of professional /amateur. If I do, I will add it to the thread.

Happy painting
Walter
http://www.walterwatsonart.com

[lily47]

”I recently submitted work to a local juried exhibition where the entry form asked whether you were amateur or professional…”

“So the question is – what criteria should I use to decide if I am an amateur or a not very successful professional?”

The answer’s in the question. Their entry form – their criteria. When in doubt, ask.

[charlestoncaine]

Depends on whether it saves or costs you in tax

[charliedawg]

…………….and who said cynicism was dead?……………..:)

Happy painting
Walter
http://www.walterwatsonart.com

[shipbroker]

………..the question arises in the UK as well, until about 5 years ago I counted myself as a hobbyist, I painted ‘for fun’ and from time to time exhibited and sometimes sold some. Then I exhibited at a local but high prestige event and sold out first night…thereafter I received a note from the Inland Revenue asking if I sold my paintings!!!……..so since then I have counted myself as semi-professional ( i.e. I don’t make a full time living from my work) and make returns to IRS….

rgds
geoff

" This is a wonderful day, I have never seen this one before" -Maya Angelou

[charliedawg]

Hi Goeff – you would think that the taxmen would have better (ie more lucrative) things to do with their time. However, like yourself, I include my small artwork income and expenses to returns to the taxman, so I guess professional is how we should describe ourselves although it does seem a bit OTT.

Happy painting
Walter
http://www.walterwatsonart.com

[noge]

Hi Walter

I am only an Amateur with no artistic education

and its better I call me an Amateur –
then the I call me an professional and the quality doesnt work well

All Critics & Comments accepted Egon

[/url]
http://www.miklavcic.co.at/aquarelle_watercolors_akt_figure/2018/index.htm

[charliedawg]

Hi Egon

I feel a bit like you – there are many truely talented professional artists in Scotland and I would feel uncomfortable if I was introduced as a professional artist in their company – I am quite simply not up to that standard.

On the other hand, I sell some paintings and prints and have a selling website although I just about cover my expenses given gallery commissions and framing costs. This income tends to interest the taxman – see earlier comment. So I tell the taxman I am a self-employed artist and am taxed on that income minus expenses which tends to come close to zero – so no great joy for the taxman but I know he is not chasing me!

Maybe I am semi-professional but since I have no definition of professional, the definition of semi-professional is even more vague as it implies I am half of something I have not defined in the first place!

I have received no response as to a definition from the gallery who asked if I was professional or amateur.

So I call myself professional for the taxmen, but try to keep it quiet if I meet real artists!

Happy painting
Walter
http://www.walterwatsonart.com

[McKeeJane]

If you work for money – sell your paintings, teach classes, do commissions, etc, you can call yourself a professional. In my opinion, if you dedicate a truly significant amount of time and energy to your craft, you also can.

There aren’t usually set criteria on what makes one a professional – it’s a line artists come to, get uncomfortable about and have to decide for themselves.

And though we feel like we’ll have to justify calling ourselves ‘professionals’, it’s generally just the opposite when it comes to competitions – if you want to enter ‘Professional’, no one’s going to question you – in competitions, it’s generally ‘Amateur’ that is tightly defined…because there’s less competition. They don’t want a professional to come in and play against the hobbyists and just sweep up the awards…that’s when people get mad.

How different competitions or Art clubs/groups define ‘amateur’ varies…sometimes it has to do with years painting, sometimes it has to do with money, sometimes it has to do with how active you’ve been with this particular group…ie: if you’ve won awards with them before, or competed in a certain number of shows.

Often people qualify for both and it just comes down to how you define yourself and who you feel it’s fair to have your work judged against.

[FONT=Book Antiqua]My Website
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[/SIZE][FONT=Book Antiqua]"First trust your eyes... then check by rules. Many times something else is happening, and the rules will not apply." Sergei Bongart

[Flattwo]

Hi Walter

The vast majority of us here Amateur, who sell a painting now and then, to me to be Professional Artist, one would need to have studied art with a view to having a career in it or be a member of a professional body such as the Royal Society of Watercolourists or similar, basically it is for other Professionals to determine if you are on or not

You never hear of an Amateur or Semi-Professional brain surgeon!

Henry

Click here to view more paintings

[HarvestMoon]

Henry- I basically ‘judge’ pros from armatures by their skill level! Trust me, painters like you (and Doug) for example, are professionals!

I would have said in the past that you have to sell paintings to be a pro…but then Van Gogh would be an amateur!

I feel like the smartest way to be a pro painter is to work at a different career and work on your painting skills as a hobby, then when you retire you are ready to call your self pro! Some of the most outstanding pro artists today did that- and they could then afford the time and materials to acquire skills before they retired! Sometimes too looks can be deceiving. If a painter is ‘professional’ but comes from a wealthy family who has provided the lion’s share of their income, housing, etc. not even they can honestly say they are ‘living’ solely on their artistic labors!

I like to say I am an artist simply because I cannot stand the title of ‘housewife’!!

Harvest Moon 🐐

[charliedawg]

I received the following comment from the local gallery where last year, when submitting work for an exhibition, I had to say whether I was professional or amateur and I plumped for amateur. Here is the comment:-

> “The subject of what constitutes a professional artist is indeed a thorny
> issue.
> In my opinion making money is not indicative of an artists worth.
> My personal view is that a professional artist is someone who has had at
> least some formal training at a recognised school of art and who is
> recognized by his or her peers, usually by being invited to exhibit in a
> reputable art galleries of national standing or acceptance into national
> group shows like The Royal Scottish Academy Annual exhibition.
> Other indications of professional standing would include scholarships,
> awards and art prizes awarded by appropriate institutions.
> The art should be an expression of the artist vision and ideas and the
> number of sales should never be considered the criteria on which to judge
> success.
Having said all that, the only person who can decide which box to tick
> on an open submission exhibition form is the artist themselves. All
> professional submissions, however, are judged by our invited panel of
> arts professionals and as such acceptance is never guaranteed”

This was a personal opinion from the local authority representative working with the gallery.

So I suppose that next time round I will say I am professional (ish?) – do I hear muted laughter in the background from “real” professional artists ?

Happy painting
Walter
http://www.walterwatsonart.com

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