World-Famous Artist & Fine Art Company

CHallenges

A 29 year old artist had pioneered a new method of Fine Art finger-painting. Showing her originals in only one small-town gallery, her oil paintings sold for $2,000 each. And every print she sold through a third party channel-reseller cost her more out-of-pocket to fulfill the order than she made in revenue. The artist wanted to sell more art, become more profitable, challenge and broaden her skills, and to extend her influence to revolutionize art education.

Solutions

We began by establishing a Fine Art company, where our Herzberg Smith expert served as her interim CEO for over two years. Together we initially raised gallery prices four-fold, still maintaining the previous pace of sales. We expanded our gallery presence by selling originals through five exclusive galleries in select, high-end tourist destinations across the U.S., and through a leading online art broker. We broadened and accelerated the artist’s social media scope and activities. We struck a global licensing deal with MasterCard International, and her art continues to be featured on numerous international magazine covers. We initially brought all print sales and fulfillment in-house, then we later outsourced print distribution through a high-end fine art printing company as our sales volume increased past our production capacity. The artist strategically relocated her studio from Seattle to Brooklyn, to be near the heart of the New York art world – she has since been featured in numerous solo gallery shows in NY.

And most importantly to the artist, she has successfully authored her first two art education books through a large New York publishing firm.

results

The artist has significantly increased her global profile in Fine Art, continuing to sell her works in more than 40 different countries to date. Annual revenues increased five-fold within two years, and her annual sales exceeded $1 million USD within five years. The artist’s internet and social media presence is unique and continues to grow – her digital footprint now reaches well over 100,000 people and boasts an engagement rate of 15%, above the digital market average. And the artist’s first art education books have exceeded the publisher’s best sales expectations, with additional books currently under development.

“I also want to thank my mentor, Michael Smith, for his guidance, his ‘think big’ mentality, and his business sense.” Excerpt from the Acknowledgments, “Finger Painting Weekend Workshop” art education book, © 2016, Race Point Publishing, Quarto Publishing Group, New York