Art in Chaotic Times
The struggle is real.
In a time when uncertainty seems to linger at every corner, the life of an artist depends purely on the will to survive. The ability to pay the bills to live may cause us to find employment elsewhere. Some artists have retired from full-time jobs and live on their investments and social security if they are old enough. However, that doesn’t mean artists aren’t affected by the sudden chaos that may keep collectors and art lovers from buying art during a time when disposable income for the working class is shrinking. Let’s face it: Most artists aren’t involved in big auctions or money laundering schemes. The current environment in which we live (in the United States) will have its effects and be long-lasting.
As I sit in my studio contemplating my next strategy, I wonder how many artists exist now and how they have historically survived difficult times. Searching through history is part of my life as an author. What happened in the past shapes current affairs, and that is an intrinsic part of my fiction novels. Those questions asked while researching my books are now employed in my painting career. We have all heard we need to learn from the past.
I wanted to know how many artists there are in the United States. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, there are 2.67 million artists in the US Workforce. That comes out to about 1.6% of all US workers. During the last year of the first Trump Administration, the unemployment rate grew from 3.7% in 2019 to 10.3% in 2020. The worldwide pandemic also contributed to the increase. Galleries were closed, and again, with offices closed and so much uncertainty in the world, disposable income took a hit. Bringing beauty into one's life was challenged for many reasons. Income, spending, investing, and savings all took a hit. The chances for success (the ability to live off your income as an artist) are about one in six artists. It is important to note that this analysis of the artist labor force is comprised of just 11 occupations: architects, art directors, fine artists, and animators; designers, actors, producers, and directors, dancers and choreographers, musicians, announcers, writers and authors, photographers, and other artists and entertainers. These categories only capture a portion of artists in the workforce; the federal government has used this methodology for over 50 years.
According to ContemporaryArtIssue.com, the art market is oversaturated with Art. As we repeatedly tell our collectors and consumers, art is a lasting product. Artists create approximately 25-50 artworks annually. There are an estimated 5 million active artists (worldwide) today, resulting in 125-250 million new artworks per year. The number of collectors, including one-time passion buyers, private collectors, institutions, and corporate investors, has been shown in studies to be 6,000 significant art collectors who spend more than $100,000 per year on collecting art. Ninety-nine (99) percent of all collectors are one-time buyers. According to ContemporaryArtIssue.com, the reality is that there are significantly more people interested in creating art than in collecting art.
While that is a hard fact to accept, it explains why most successful art companies market primarily to artists. Most artists earn more money teaching than selling, and most companies offer exceptional teaching opportunities for artists. Even successful art supply companies offer instruction via the web or in person. Then, there is YouTube, where you can find instructional videos for free.
In my thirty-three years of painting, writing, teaching, and selling, my experience aligns with the true, hard fact that finding collectors remains difficult, if not harder, than in 1992 when I first started. In addition, 30% of all art galleries are losing money instead of making money. Only 18% make a healthy profit margin. Almost 80% of all art galleries make less than $200,000 annually, according to ContemporaryArtIssue.com.
While all these cold, hard facts can be depressing and you may ask yourself why you even bother, let’s take a minute to breathe. I started painting because some of my cousins were creative people. I always wondered if I had the creative gene, too. I also had empty walls in my newly built house. For the next ten years, I was a hobbyist. Being an artist only became my occupation when I started to study with Kevin Macpherson and work for him. He gave me the confidence that I might have the talent and work background to make this happen.
The reality of my painting and writing career is that I do this because I want to. After thirty-three years, I’m happy with what I’ve produced, and I paint for myself. For example, since Helene, I have focused on capturing the beauty of the Blue Ridge mountains before the destruction. On a hike before Helene hit, I wondered if my grandnieces and grandnephews would experience the Blue Ridge Mountains like I have. My concern was climate change, thinking I had time to capture its beauty. I was wrong. Two months later, Helene washed away people, towns, the arts district, re-routing a river down the main street. Eight months later, Asheville and the surrounding areas are still struggling in their daily lives.
With dramatic cuts planned by the current Trump Administration regarding PBS, the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, and the attacks on colleges and universities, and looking at how authoritarians use the arts to push their agendas, my thoughts turned to history. I remembered the iconic paintings by John Trumbull, The Declaration of Independence (1819) and Surrender of Lord Cornwallis (1820), Emanuel Leutze’s Washington Crossing the Delaware (1851), and Paul Revere’s capture of The Boston Massacre (1770), all capture times of chaos and even generate discussion on whether the scenes were captured sincerely or were the artists used for propaganda. You can visit Americanrevolution.org/American-revolution-paintings/ to read about the paintings pictured below.
At first, I intended to determine how artists survived during times of turbulence that would impact their profession. How did these artists live?
John Trumbull was an American painter and military officer best known for his painting The Declaration of Independence, one of four that hang in the Capitol rotunda. In 1780, it is noted that he was financially struggling and decided to work as a professional artist. He sailed to London, met Benjamin Franklin, and studied under Benjamin West. He painted small pictures of the American Revolutionary War and miniature portraits. In September 1780, outrage in Britain flared regarding the capture and hanging of John Andre’. Trumbull was arrested for treason (a former Continental Army officer and of a rank similar to Andre). Trumbull served seven months in prison, was ostracized from British Society, and returned to the United States. Upon his return, he was employed as a commissary agent for the army stationed at New Windsor, New York. After the Revolutionary War, Trumbull returned to London to finish his apprenticeship with West. Trumbull met influential people along his journey, including Thomas Jefferson and Italian painter Maria Cosway, to name a few. Trumbull acted as secretary to John Jay in London during the treaty negotiations with Great Britain in 1794. Trumbull fell on hard times as he failed to sell his paintings individually. He sold 28 paintings to Yale for an annuity of $1000. After many years of trying to create income from his paintings, he finally found a way to sustain himself from his art.
Emanuel Leutze was a German-born American associated with the Dusseldorf School of Painting. He developed his artistic talent by drawing while occupying himself at his father's sickbed. At 14, he painted portraits for $5 apiece. He studied with John Rubens Smith. Emanuel’s plan for publishing portraits of eminent Americans was met with slight encouragement. He traveled to Dusseldorf to begin his formal study. Leutze painted many scenes besides Washington Crossing the Delaware, most of which were tied to revolution or politically influenced. Leutze was very prolific and no real mention of any financial hardships.
Paul Revere needs little description when it comes to his artistic accomplishments. Known for the “Midnight Ride of Paul Revere,” and his support for breaking with England, his work as a silversmith and industrialist takes a backseat for many. Revere derived his income from being a silversmith and engraver. As with many of the founding fathers, financial hardships forced other occupations. Revere struggled as a merchant, however his success as a silversmith enabled him to pursue more advanced technological developments for mass production. In his later years, Revere remained politically active, but his business plans were often stymied by a shortage of adequate money in circulation. Revere became an ardent Federalist committed to building a robust economy and a powerful nation.
Of course, these now well-known men have been captured by history as successful. Their work outlives them. What will history say about our work in the years to come? Am I creating paintings to sell, to tell a story, or both? Can artists survive our current conditions? How will technology change the artist world?
Like the historical artists mentioned here, time will only tell. Create what moves you. Follow your dream, however hard that may be. Artists are survivors, innovators, and entrepreneurs. After all, for every Trumbull, Leutze, and Revere, thousands of may never be discovered by the masses.
Today, we have the internet. The art world has many silos. Share your discoveries and reach across to other silos. If you want to go a different direction with your art, have the courage to do so. Don't regret and keep creating what you want to create.