Art Sales and Discounts

The patron that wants the great art discount. I think people would be surprized how much a gallery takes after an artist's art sale. The usual percent is 60% unless you get a gallery owner that is willing to go 50%. I try to price my work to be affordable (between $125-$1200). I still get patrons wanting 10% off and I honor that discount. I do have an art director and she gets her percentage from the art sale. She is there at the gallery to talk and promote my art and to give a short biography about my art training and experiences. Some art directors go on to make very huge incomes and sometimes make more than the artist (if representing more than one artist). I was once told the waiter at a restaurant makes more than the chef. I think the waiter and chef would be upset if the customer asked for a special discount on the meal and tip. Some patrons think shopping for art is like shopping for shoes on sale or the special of the day at your local grocery store. Lets take for example when I price a painting for $500 and a patron gets the $50 discount which brings the final sale to $450 (not including sales tax). The gallery takes their cut from the final sale and I am left with $225. I spent 10 hours to prep and paint the image on the screen which means I am making $11.50 an hour (plus the expense for paints and brushes). I am not complaining but, I do find patrons requests to get more than 10% off insulting when my work is priced to sell. Clearly you can see I am not doing this to get rich but, to give art partons something that hopefully will be hung in their homes and passed on to other family members. Trust me the screenscape painting will go up in value once I am dead and gone. Unless I become a living master painter like Odd Nerdrum (his paintings sell for over $40,000). Think of the gallery's percentage on that art sale. Let me know your thoughts. Thomas