NEWS about Botanical Art and for Botanical Artists

Business Savvy Botanical Art: Answers to Questions

4/7/2021

A number of you will have watched my recent Zoom Talk "How to be a Business Savvy Botanical Artist" for Julia Trickey's Botanical Art Talks.

Some of you asked questions - and the answers to these are contained in this blog post. 

In addition, those who registered for this "sold out" talk should all by now have had a a chance to access the detailed presentation in notes format via the link sent to you.

Screenshot of my from my Zoom Talk about How to be a Business Savvy Botanical Artist

The Questions

A great book!

This would make a great book!

I thought so too as I was preparing the talk!

I'm going to give some thought to maybe creating one - possibly as an ebook.
Also I'm going to give some thought to whether I need an extra page on my website about what business savvy artists need to know about.

In the meantime there are two good places for artists to start to learn more about what they don't know they need to know!

The first thing it's essential to understand is.....
BEING A PROFESSIONAL ARTIST is more than a state of mind or a making a decision. You are have to operationalise it and develop knowledge, skills and competences related to the art business - NOT just how to make your art.

So being a professional artists is also about
- business training and skills related to making a living from your activity.
- character traits and habits - which mean you will persist in your aim
- desire, dedication and commitment - to maintain your career in the face of challenge and lack of earnings.

From "STARTING OUT - Tips for an Emerging Artist"

The Green Market

What is “green market”?

Essentially the "green market" is shorthand for the growing interest in all matters related to the environment, ecosystems, habitats, ecological matters, sustainability and the impact of climate change.

I gave as a practical example the fact many more people are now interested in a plant based diet - as vegetarians or vegans. I suggested that these might also be people who would be interested in hanging paintings of vegetables on their walls.

The green market can also impact on the materials you use to pack artwork to send to clients. I include a section of "green packaging" on my website which highlights eco-friendly packaging materials.

In essence, the more people are thinking about how they can be "green", the more you need to factor this your thinking about how you develop your art and them promote and package it.. It's not that you have to do it - but those who do may get a competitive edge.
(Think of it as being akin to when stores started selling online as well as in shops - because they could see this was going to become important over time).

Achieving the right balance between unique art and a portfolio career

How do you balance the need to be flexible and follow a number of work streams and the need to have a USP/distinctive?

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WEBINAR: How to be a "business savvy" botanical artist

16/6/2021

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I'm doing a Zoom Webinar next week about "How to be a Business Savvy Botanical Artist".

This is the latest in the series of BOTANICAL ART TALKS which Julia Trickey has been organising this year. You can find a summary of what it's about on Julia's website - under Talks.

Date: the webinar is on Thursday 24th June 2021
Time: 7pm BST, 2pm EDT and 11am PDT - but not session is also recorded - see below
Fee: £12
Talks are recorded and made available to registrants 24 hours after the live session. They will then be available for 48 hours, making them accessible whatever your time zone!

The Zoom webinar will focus on

a range of aspects of the art business which artists generally and botanical artists in particular need to be aware of IF
- they want to become a professional career
- or just do better at generating income from their talent and their art.
PLUS what's changed since the beginning of 2020 - and what are the implications for the future.

It's particularly relevant to

those aspiring to a professional career and
those starting out
anybody who has minimal awareness of what an artist needs to know to run their own art business!

BOOK HERE

How can you be a botanical artist and ‘business savvy’?

In this talk Katherine will explore:
• What botanical artists need to know to be successful as a botanical artist.
• What the business of botanical art involves – and how has this changed over time.
• How the last year changed the botanical art business forever.
• What the core competences, knowledge and skills that a botanical artist now needs to be business savvy in future.

About Katherine Tyrrell

For those who don't know me.....

After I retired I developed

a leading art blog Making A Mark (5.5 million visitors and over 17 million page views)
a world-class website about Botanical Art and Artists and
a comprehensive website Art Business Info for Artists which helps artists find out more about the art business.
and associated social media accounts

I've was awarded an MBA from the London Business School after qualifying as both a teacher and an accountant. In the past few years I've written art business articles for UK art journals and lectured on various business topics for artists at a London Art School, ASBA and to art societies.
(You can also check out my background to find out what qualifies me to talk on this topic)

PS For those who want to see how much weight I've lost in my goal of "getting fit for surgery" you can either take a look at my latest photo below and/or come and see me give a talk next week! :)

Guess how much weight I've lost!

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Coronavirus, Courses and Cancellations

27/2/2020

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The extensive coverage of the Coronavirus by news media and responses locally, nationally and internationally might suggest that it's time to panic.

I absolutely disagree.

Below are CHECKLISTS for both course providers and students of some of the sensible things you can do to ensure your course goes ahead and you avoid problems with both bookings and cancellations.

Digital rendering of the 2019-nCoV coronavirus protease as a target for antiviral drugs.

I'm hearing stories about nervous individuals deciding that they don't want to travel - who are cancelling bookings for art courses.

I would argue that proper preparation is infinitely preferable to panic - for all concerned.

Firstly a bit of perspective is needed.

This is NOT a pandemic.
Although this virus is nasty, over 80% of people only experience a mild illness for a few days and 98% recover.
The virus is only marginally nastier than the flu viruses we have every winter.
Like flu, those most at risk are those who are very young and very old and frail.
Scientists expect the coronavirus will start to disappear as the weather warms up - in the same way that flu does.
It's extremely unlikely that the whole world is going to go into "lockdown"!

Next if everybody is following sensible booking practices as both instructors and students then there is absolutely no reason for panic.

Might I suggest that now is the time for some calm and sensible reappraisal of

HOW you plan for and book botanical art courses and botanical art holidays
BY both course providers and students

Below are my suggested checklists of practical actions and precautions to promote continued bookings!

For Botanical Art Teachers / Instructors / Tutors

Potential students need helpful communication in order to feel confident about booking.

If you are an independent Course Provider and you don't already have a very clear and explicit set of Terms and Conditions for your courses / classes / workshops / holidays covering Cancellations by either provider or student can I suggest you get one sorted ASAP!

If you do have one, you might want to reflect on whether it is really obvious on all relevant pages of your website and/or communication with course participants.

BASIC POINTS

A booking is a contract
- Contracts all need terms and conditions. These govern disputes.
- These should always be documented and not just verbal.
Terms and Conditions:
- It's good practice when communicating details of courses to provide a pdf file of Terms and Conditions for download - and to make this obvious on your website.
- If your Term and Conditions are only included as a footer, I recommend you make this much more obvious if you want to continue to encourage bookings. I'd suggest you have a downloadable pdf copy available on every course page.
- Do you also send a copy of Terms and Conditions to all those enquiring about courses - and record when this was sent?
- Do you date Terms and Conditions - so you know who has got the current statement?
- Do your Terms and Conditions provide for these to be updated?
Terms and Conditions MUST cover Cancellations and Refunds - specifically:
- basis for refunding deposits and/or whole cost of course. Provisions need to be spelt out in terms of written notification in relation to a defined time period - in terms of a precise number of days or weeks
- the basis for refunding deposits is usually different to that for refunding the whole cost of a course. These can vary. They should be reasonable.
- Terms cannot be imposed or changed after the booking (i.e. contract) has been made - unless both parties agree or unless the contract (Terms and Conditions) provides for this to happen (i.e. arbitrary change is not allowed and provides scope for legal challenge)
- Students should be advised about THEIR need to ensure that they have personal insurance to cover the cost of cancellation and curtailment of the course BEFORE they complete a booking.
Booking Forms: Does your booking form ask students to confirm that
- they have read the Terms and Conditions relating to the Booking - including the stated provision re cancellations and/or curtailment of courses?
- they have taken out personal insurance re cancellation / curtailment etc (it always helps to remind students yet again of their own responsibilities re insurance and covering costs of cancellation!)

We strongly recommend that at the time of booking a comprehensive travel insurance policy is purchased which includes cancellation and curtailment cover.
A prominent statement on one tutor's courses website

For Botanical Art Students booking instruction

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Two NEW Directory Pages for Botanical Art Teachers and Courses and how to get listed

29/10/2019

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International Director of Botanical Art Teachers, Tutors and Instructors

International Directory: Botanical Art Teachers Tutors and Instructors

Instead of having one International subsection for both tutors and courses, my website now has two separate Directories. I have:

created a brand new page for the International Directory: Botanical Art Teachers Tutors and Instructors - which is now separate from the Education sub-section about Courses - and
created a brand new page as an introduction to International Directory: Classes, Courses and Workshops in Botanical Art and Illustration. This now provides an easy way to review what is available on the website and eases navigation to the page you want to review for where you live - or where you want to visit. Just click the title of each page to go to that page.
All the places where you find botanical art classes, courses or workshops in different continents, countries, regions, states and provinces around the world are listed on the Introduction Page - under the title of the various individual course pages

International Directory of Classes, Courses & Workshops in Botanical Art & Illustration - in UK, Europe, North America & Australasia in 2019-20

Want to get a listing for a teacher?

How to get listed as a teacher (teachers only)

go to the bottom of the International Directory of Botanical Art Teachers
review the information required
complete the form

Recommend a teacher (students only)

go to the bottom of the International Directory of Botanical Art Teachers
review the information required
complete the form

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Want to get a listing for a course?

How to get a class / course / workshop listed

EITHER go to the bottom of the relevant page
OR go to the bottom of the International Courses Directory
review the information required
complete the form

PLEASE NOTE: I only list educational activities taught by experienced botanical artists who are teaching in INDEPENDENT premises and not in their own homes.

This is because of

the Regulatory requirements relating to all businesses - including teaching - which involve contact with the public. (e.g. third party liability and public liability insurance for public access, mandatory Health & Safety Certificates; approved planning permission etc, tax status as business premises etc.)
if your venue is a reputable third party venue, then I can be reasonably assured all regulatory and legal requirements for premises admitting the public have been considered and covered - and I am not exposing students to any risk.
Independent business premises on the same land as your home - with independent access - do qualify for listing - on the basis that such premises comply with ALL legal and regulatory requirements of ALL relevant bodies.
domestic house insurance does NOT cover you for the liabilities associated with conducting a business involving the public in your own home. Domestic house insurance is invalidated if you conduct a business in your home without advising your insurer AND obtaining appropriate insurance. (Indeed if you read any legal agreement relating to your home, you will normally find that business activity is specifically excluded). In such circumstances, if a member of the public has an accident in your home, YOU are personally liable, YOU can be sued for damages and are NOT covered by your domestic insurance - and YOU may be prosecuted. So, on the basis of my extensive experience that not all artists know "everything they need to know about business requirements", limiting venues to those which comply with all mandatory business requirements keeps both artists and students safe from any potential nasty experience for either party.

Want to know more about regulatory requirements?

If you want to know more about the legal and regulatory requirements for conducting your art business at home - involving the public - please refer to my page about Selling Art from Home - on my Art Business Info for Artists website which covers most of the requirements - but is NOT the final word.

YOU are always responsible for making your own checks of what regulations and laws are relevant to where you live.

EXAMPLE: Lots of artists get a very limited period extension of their domestic home insurance to cover their art business when having an annual "open studios" event in their own home. One-off events of a very limited duration can be accepted by home insurers but more regular events of a business nature (such as giving lessons) are not.

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Annual exhibition - SBA Feedback on Selection

16/9/2017

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This year, for the first time, the Society of Botanical Artists has provided feedback on the selection process for their Annual Open Exhibition.

The website now has a page titled "How is artwork is selected for the exhibition?" and a piece written by Gael Sellwood, one of the Vice Presidents of the SBA.

I've summarised it below - in my own words
The points are ones which other art societies/groups might like to review and discuss.

I've then added my own personal commentary on art society exhibitions generally based on common themes I've detected again and again relating to annual exhibitions by national art societies in general.

The images are from last year's SBA annual exhibition. I've no idea who's been selected for this year's exhibition so don't read anything into the work you see on the walls!

A view of part of the annual exhibition of the Society of Botanical artists in 2016

Selection Feedback - Key Points

The key points in "How is artwork is selected for the exhibition?" include the following - paraphrased by me in my own words.

More artwork is submitted than can be hung - so selection and rejection for some is inevitable
A maximum of 500 works can be hung in the exhibition - which means sometimes work will be rejected on space alone
The exhibition only accepts work of the highest standard - from both members and non-members
The standard for ALL works hung is 'Gallery Standard' i.e. this is a piece of work which could be hung by a commercial gallery exhibiting botanical art. The details of the standards expected are set out in the submission documents.
Every piece hung must have achieve a minimum of 5 out of 6 available votes cast by experienced members of the Selection Committee. The bar is set high.
Artwork must be capable of being sold to help recoup the costs of the exhibition. Whether or not a piece is likely to sell is a factor borne in mind when selecting work to be hung.
The "accepted not hung" category has been eliminated following digital submission for all. This means that work is no longer selected but not hung and sits in a cupboard for a few weeks, when it could be being hung elsewhere in other exhibitions. This also eliminates travel/courier costs for submitting work that is not hung.
Former students do not have a guarantee that their work will be hung. Successfully completing the Diploma is not the same as completing work of gallery standard for exhibition. Candidates for full membership must meet the exacting requirements by submitting work that is consistently good.
Being hung in the past is not a guarantee of being hung this time or in the future. Bottom line, the issue is about achieving the standard required in terms of art and sales.
Being rejected is normal for an artist. It happens to everybody at some time or another and it "goes with the territory" of choosing to be an artist.
Artists can always improve what they do - one of the ways being to recognise that continued professional development is normal for a professional artist. This includes developing an ability to critique your own work in a realistic way. Also visiting the exhibition and reviewing the standard of work hung is another excellent way of learning more about the standard of work required.
SBA is looking at how best to support the developing artist. More info. to come on this tomorrow!

One of the walls in the annual exhibition of the Society of Botanical Artists in 2016

My entirely unofficial commentary on art society annual exhibitions

As many people know I've reviewed an awful lot of art society exhibitions in the last 11+ years on Making A Mark.

I've found that the same themes relating to survival and success occur again and again across national art societies (of all types) in relation to their annual art exhibitions.

The following are conclusions I've drawn after seeing 100+ exhibitions by art societies over more than decade.

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Exhibiting with the RHS - on a tradestand

20/7/2017

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I'm going to be back at RHS Hyde Hall in early August for the RHS Hyde Hall Flower Show - (3-6 August 2017). This year it has an expanded Artists’ Pavilion featuring more exhibitors - including Janie Pirie GM SBA

Botanical artists would be well advised to study the opportunities for exhibiting at the various RHS Flower Shows around the UK - but note that

not all shows and events have scope for the exhibition of botanical art (on a trade stand)
you have to apply for a stand well in advance of the show - there's a long lead time.
the RHS then vet you - via the documentation and evidence of business standing you provide and your online presence.

Information for the RHS application form

Botanical artists can apply for a trade stand within the non-horticultural products category. There are a range of tradestand sizes available and all exhibits are under cover - so you don't need to invest in a tent etc.

This is the page which outlines how to apply for a tradestand

Artists who are new to the RGS Shows need to provide the following information:

Details about your company and your products/services
Details of how long you have been in business
Any non-RHS events you have participated in
Your website address
Photographs of your products/services or stands at other non-RHS events
Any other background information you may think is relevant

In other words, they are looking for relevant and reputable businesses run by experienced and business-like people - who can provide added value for visitors to their shows.

These are NOT shows to go to and exhibit for the very first time - you need some experience in showing on your own elsewhere. Like anything else in life don't apply for and pitch for "the best" before you are ready.

If you want to get to Chelsea you need to first exhibit at another RHS Show and provide documentation of what your stand looked like and what you sold - which essentially means you have to go to the non-Chelsea show with a standard of artwork and display "as if" you are exhibiting at Chelsea - if you want to impress!

Note also that "doing a show" is not for the faint-hearted and you will need back-up and support to deliver a good display and service on your stand.

You also need to note that the non-horticultural category is very much over-subscribed and hence you need to be able to demonstrate high quality and some aspect of being different from everybody else.

Tradestand selection critiera

Understanding what you need to do to apply is only the first step. You then need to know and meet the standards expected of your trade stand in terms of selection and being able to apply again! Plus what items are not allowed and what needs special permission.

The manual (for the recent Chatsworth Flower Show in June 2017) states the following:

Tradestand selection criteria
Applications with a well-planned and high quality stand will be given preference. The following criteria will be applied to the selection of tradestand exhibitions
* relevance and quality of the product
* suitability of the product for the theme of the show/show audience
* balance of product categories within the show
* Permanent business address, quality website, clear contact details
* Courteous, professional and friendly staff; sufficient staffing levels during show hours
* Good after-sales service including order fulfilment
* RHS Awards record & support for RHS Shows
* Absence of complaints made to RHS and compliance with RHS Regulations
* Prompt payment of show invoices
* Geographical relevance

There is also a Code of Conduct for all exhibitors which must be observed.

Plus they also rate all trade stands for the standard of exhibit presentation.

Botanical artists at RHS Flower Shows

Below are some of the botanical artists who have had trade stands at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show. They include

Linda Alexander ROI SBA (Facebook Page) - a botanical oil painter who has been exhibiting at RHS Chelsea since 2007. You can see a short video of what Main Avenue at RHS Chelsea is like re. the crowds on Linda's Facebook Page
Ann Swan GM SBA (Facebook Page) - a botanical coloured pencil artist who has regularly exhibited at RHS Chelsea
Bryan Poole RE - a botanical fine art printer (he produces etchings) who exhibited at RHS Chelsea between 2001 and 2008 - see The Telegraph article Chelsea Flower Show 2008: A cut above the competition

It's interesting that all the artists listed above

pursue media for their botanical art which is NOT watercolour and
they are all artists who are very experienced and have already achieved a lot in their art careers BEFORE they first exhibited at Chelsea.

Linda Alexander ROI SBA at RHS Chelsea Flower Show in 2017 - her stand won a Three Star rating meaning this ranks as a high quality presentation

Recovering now from the Chelsea Flower Show. It was such a successful show despite the economic and political nervousness. What a lovely crowd, cheerful, positive and enjoying the sunshine and beautiful gardens. Loved every minute despite the long hours and sheer exhaustion of it all. What a privilege to be there.
Linda Alexander - on her Facebook Page

These are also artists whose work "sings out" from inside a booth to those walking up and down the pathways at a show. I know from having visited Chelsea during the show that a booth needs to be filled with original and colourful artwork to catch the eye of the very many visitors - and while you want to sell as much as you can, you also must not sell out fast and deplete your stand which needs to look good throughout the show!

It's actually very much akin to having a solo art exhibition if you want to make a profit on the cost of having a trade stand - which is not cheap!

Bryan Poole at RHS Chelsea Flower Show in 2008

How to apply

The details of how to apply to exhibit at an RHS Show are provided on the Tradestand Non-Horticultural Page

Trade Stands

RHS London Shows (throughout the year): biased towards horticultural products (except at the Botanical Art Show - which has trade stands by Botanical Art Educators and pop-up studios by artists). For more information please contact Exhibitor applications.
RHS Malvern Spring Festival (May) / RHS Hampton Court Palace Flower Show (early July) / RHS Flower Show Tatton Park (mid-July): email Louise Duckett about the opportunity for stands within the Pavilions.
RHS Hyde Hall Flower Show: (early August) - new expanded Artists Pavilion - contact Hyde Hall events
RHS Wisley Flower Show (early September) contact Wisley events
RHS Harlow Carr Flower Show (June): contact Harlow Carr events (no pavilion - which doesn't mean there won't be one in future!)
RHS Rosemoor Flower Show: 2017 is the first ever show in the South West and there is nothing on page and it looks like there is nothing under cover in a pavilion - but try contacting Rosemoor events after the show in September and see whether they might be doing anything next year
Malvern Autumn Show: Countryside Shopping Pavilion find out more details.

Botanical Art (Medal exhibition) - assessed by Picture Committee

RHS London Botanical Art Show: Botanical Art and Photography. See my special page for those wanting to exhibit for medals. You must first contact the Picture committee with examples of your work. Once approved to exhibit by the picture panel, you have five years to prepare your display and exhibit. Enquiries about upcoming shows contact Exhibitor applications.

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