My new box of vivid color arrived today.  I couldn’t wait to open the two-tiered shiny wooden box of pastels from England. This grade of pastels is for grownups, professional artists.  I love them!
I can’t wait to smear the pigment with my fingers and to shape forms of light and color of the Golden Gate Bridge.

I’m reminded of the big box of Crayola crayons that I longed for as a youngster but that I never got.  I’ve got them now and this is so much better!

Art has always been my friend.  When circumstances or people were difficult I could always turn to creating something.  Art served as a positive channel of my energy and attention and a way to shut out chaos or concern.

And art can transform negative circumstances into something positive.  At least during the time I’m creating I can leave everything else behind.

When I was first entertaining the idea of becoming a full time artist I conducted informational interviews with successful full time artists.  One piece of advice that I received was from a well-known ceramist, Donna Billick.

Donna gave me sage advice about building my own enterprise versus relying on art galleries.  And then she said, “And when you are not sure what to do next, just make art.”

I usually know what to do next but sometimes I’m just not ready, or I need a break, so the best thing to do is what Donna said, “just make art.”

Many people ask me, “Who’s your representative?”  The answer is that Ann Rea, Inc. is the legal entity that represents the artist Ann Rea.

How did this come about?  Well, while I was being mentored by American art icons Wayne Thiebaud and Gregory Kondos they encouraged me to make a go of it and to explore my talent full time, and to quit that boring and unrelated day job that I wanted quit anyway.  “It’s not too late” they both advised.  But each of them began their careers as academics.

“How do I make a living?” I asked of Wayne Thiebaud.  Mr. Thiebaud replied, “I don’t know, I’m not a business man. But I can give you a letter of recommendation and refer you to some galleries, one in particular. You can use my name, you’ll probably get in. But the owner, I’ll warn you, she’s a pill.”   A pill, that was a very polite understatement.

Wayne Thiebaud’s letter did get me an entrance into that gallery to review my work.  But when the gallery owner revealed her terms, actually illegal but common terms, it was no wonder  why artists are starving.  The gallery owner insisted on geographic market exclusivity, and demanded that the best of my painting inventory was left on consignment.  The art gallery may never sell a thing and I was handcuffed from selling my own work through other galleries.

It gets better.  I would be paid 50% of the sale price or less because the gallery owner wanted the right to negotiate a discount to patrons, a discount that I would have to eat.  I could not work with any other galleries in Northern California even though this gallery may or may not sell a thing and they could give me the boot at any time they pleased. The gallery also wanted to be listed as the single representative on my website and she really didn’t want me selling from my own site.

And the art galleries illegal demands are common terms demanded by many galleries.

So I thought, “Oh, I don’t think so!  I want to make a living.”  And no profitable business would agree to these terms.  “I’ll make my own market, thank you very much. I don’t know how, but I’ll figure it out.”

I was advised by the successful artist Donna Billick, yes the sister of the famed football coach, “Take the reins, it’s the only way you’ll succeed.”  How true!

So I reflected on the lack of business advice from Wayne Thiebaud, and from my brother, the Dean of a business school, and my sister, a self made multi-millionaire.  Then I decided to write a business plan and a marketing plan anyway.  I sat with a dear friend to do this.  I didn’t have experience in writing business plans but realized that it was an unconventional approach for an artist that could offer a distinct advantage.  Why not try?

They all thought that  I was crazy.  But then, they always did think she I crazy.

So in 2005, I launched my business as a sole proprietorship. And without the benefit of a PR agent my business was profiled by the national media, including, “Fortune”,  “The Wine Enthusiast”, “Practical Winery and Vineyard Management” and “The Tasting Panel” magazines, and the “Fine Living” channel.

I’m happy to work with art galleries and art consultants but only if the terms are profitable and mutually beneficial, like any good business owner.

In late 2008, I learned more about our federal tax structure and the IRS code and with my CPA’s advise I changed my business structure to a corporation.

Now you know the history of Ann Rea, Inc. and you have a little insight into the art market.

And hopefully this story has encouraged you to support independent artists just like Ann Rea, who have decided to “take the reins.”