Comments for Kim Bruce Fine Art

Comment on Bev Tosh – A Finer Artist by Kim Bruce

Kim Bruce — Sat, 28 Apr 2012 15:30:47 +0000

Hi Anita

You are spot by citing her “devotion”. It’s Bev’s devotion to these women that has given them the attention they deserve. It is really lovely to see the sparkle in the eyes of these war brides; they are so proud to have their pictures taken with their portrait, I find that very touching.

Comment on Bev Tosh – A Finer Artist by Anita L. Rodriguez

Anita L. Rodriguez — Sat, 28 Apr 2012 14:14:17 +0000

I love this — beautiful, thoughtful, inspiring! What inspired me most was someone else’s description of Bev’s work as a “career ender.” You’re right Kim — being a successful artist isn’t just about the money. I wish I lived closer to some venue that is or will be showing the War Brides Project. I admire Bev’s work and applaud her devotion to getting this valuable human story in front of viewers.
Thanks for sharing this Kim!
Anita L. Rodriguez

Comment on Submission Fees by Kim Bruce

Kim Bruce — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 17:08:16 +0000

I agree that it can all get to be too much at times when it feels like you are shelling out money for absolutely everything. Art supplies, framing, shipping, and promotion but we’re artists, we make art, it is who we are.

I had a quick look at your site and your work definitely deserves to be seen.

Comment on Submission Fees by Stephanie Benedict

Stephanie Benedict — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 15:40:59 +0000

The fees, the shipping costs, sometimes the commissions that shows then charge–all this has made me rethink submitting my work to shows I can’t drive to in a couple of hours. (Then of course you have to balance your time against the cost of shipping.) Unless you can command a good price for the work, or the venue will promote your own art marketing, you have to think hard about whether it’s worth it to submit to the show at all.

Comment on Submission Fees by Kim Bruce

Kim Bruce — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 22:15:58 +0000

You are right Sari and as a rule I do not submit to galleries that have a fee to do so. I have only once paid a fee to show but that was 12 years ago when I was starting out and an artist friend wanted me to show with her and it was an artist run center. Lately I have been debating my policy because I came across a couple of calls that would have been perfect for my work only to get to the webiste and be disappointed when I see the submission fee. And hense the above article.

I appreciate your stand on this topic, it serves to reinforce my own beliefs and hopefully those of any artist that reads this post.

Comment on Submission Fees by Sari Grove

Sari Grove — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 21:54:38 +0000

The problem is, is that when the non-profits or charities do it, it provides legitimacy for the others…Artists get used to common practices, & then think that it is normal or ok to pay to show work…Which is how I see submission fees…Paying to show your work…Same as paying to have a show, but a smaller more insidious charge…I really don’t think that anyone should be paying to submit to anything- it is akin to paying a company to show them your resume when applying for a job…The times I have done it have been to experience the experience, so I know what I am talking about when I tell people not to do something…Just to emphasize, I am totally not ok with submission fees- & possibly the “feel good” venues are the ones souring the milk…But I am guilty of being an idiot…Just in so many ways…

Comment on Submission Fees by Kim Bruce

Kim Bruce — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 21:31:41 +0000

I agree with you Sari. The non profit galleries like artist run centers I don’t mind as much. It’s the galleries that entire existence wholely depends on submission fees that I have hard time with.

Comment on Submission Fees by Sari Grove

Sari Grove — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 21:18:17 +0000

When a facility asks me for money, to submit or whatever, it indicates to me that they are not earning much themselves…Which means that there is less likelihood for me to turn a profit by participating…Galleries that don’t ask for a fee are making money by selling art…Thus I look at submission fee events with a dubious eye…If it is a non-profit, I consider fees as a charitable act on my part, as well as my participation…One should be aware that when one submits to anything, that your work is now going to be assimilated by the lookers, who are often artists themselves…Or also, it is a free gift to those who collect…My digital files get stored in all sorts of places- every time I choose to print a work using an outside service, they keep my files…The rules of supply & demand mean that the more of your work that is out there & is freely available, the less you will be able to control supply…Possibly lessening demand…So even the mere effect of submitting to a myriad of events causes a tiny flood of supply…It is a hard thing to control the artist’s impulse to share for free…Though if your goal is to increase the world with your thoughts, rather than take a monetary piece from it, then sharing is good…A dilemma of sorts which we face today with internet security & piracy questions…Of course, some will argue that the more your work is out there, the more people become aware of it, which increases demand sufficiently to deal with the increased flood of supply…

Comment on Submission Fees by Kim Bruce

Kim Bruce — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 18:33:35 +0000

RE the shipping: It use to be industry standard that the gallery pays the costs of shipping the work back.

I can see why that has shifted for public and artist run galleries but now even my commercial galleries are putting return shipping costs as part of the artist responsibilty in to their contracts (which could be negotiated out).

Comment on Submission Fees by Suzette Fram

Suzette Fram — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 18:22:31 +0000

“Kim, by far the majority of juried shows have entry fees to be paid, and the shipping expenses are always for the artist to pay. That seems to be the way it is. In fact some of these organizations probably use juried shows as a fundraiser. I agree with you, it would be a lot fairer if you only had to pay the fee once you were accepted into the show. Paying a fee seems reasonable when you think of the expenses involved in putting on the show.

CARFAC, however, looks at it the other way around and lobbies for the galleries to PAY THE ARTISTS for exhibiting their work. That makes sense too. Without a product to show, they would be out of business, so it makes sense that they should pay to show it.

I think it makes sense to enter a few juried shows each year. But given the cost, one must carefully chose which ones to enter.”