Colin Ruffell

AGENTS and MANAGERS for ARTISTS We artists are usually one-person businesses. We are loners. That is in the studio anyway. We don’t naturally work in groups. Gilbert and George are a rare exception. Neither are we likely to be employed as artists. Those days are gone. You cannot go down to the labour exchange and ask for a job as an artist. Well, you could, but they won’t find you one. Vic Ellis… a real one man band Artists are also often destined to be a ‘one-man band’ or a

I am not an expert in framing my artwork, but I know a man who is. In fact I know quite a lot of expert picture framers. That is because I am a member of the Guild Society of Artists [GSA], which is part of The Fine Art Trade Guild [FATG]. And the Guild is the home of professional artists like me, plus the home for expert world-best picture framers. The Guild have established themselves as the international quality control masters in the picture framing business. They have st

Art fairs and Trade Fairs An ambitious artist might be interested in exhibiting at trade fairs or art fairs. These are usually annual events lasting just a few days where the artist shows a collection of their work to visitors. The costs can be quite high for a stand space but the rewards can really pay off. There are two main kinds. Trade fairs focus on trade buyers who will buy at trade prices to resell, and art fairs that admit the public where collectors pay full retail p

PATRONAGE The subject of this post follows on a previous blog post focusing on the influential reasons for making art. That article was where I wrote about the influence of the Church. [LINK]. I concluded that the Church has waned as an art patron, and is no longer the major driving force behind modern art. Instead the individual artist to patron-collector relationship has strengthened. In fact it is probably the new dominant factor for a professional artist. The Guggenheim i

RELIGION IN ART ‘Religious art or sacred art is artistic imagery using religious inspiration and motifs and is often intended to uplift the mind to the spiritual.’ Wikepedia. But is it? Is it always art using worship as inspiration, or is it something else? Could it be something to do with the world-wide domination of the Catholic Church for many centuries? St Marks in Venice. Background preamble. First, let me link this blog to the blog that I did about my ‘List of Topics’.