So you have been invited by an artist to an art sale or gallery opening (vernissage) or you see a show and just decide to take a look. How do you behave? These are my tips/ rules that will leave both the artist and you happy. I writing this, because recently I had a booth an art sale. Some people know the etiquette, some don’t. Rule 1 – If you are an artist too – don’t scare off potential customers of the artist who invited you. There are a couple of ways this can happen: you trap the artist into a long and arduous conversation so no one else can talk to them or you interrupt the stream of the conversation of the artist and potential clients. Rule 2: If I invited you it doesn’t mean you must buy my art. It’s nice when people buy my art don’t get me wrong, but I also just enjoy people I know seeing my stuff, and reacting to it. Rule 3: If you receive an invite, you can decline it’s not an insult. Rule 4: Don’t make insulting remarks or frown at the work, you know how your mother told you if you don’t have anything nice to say don’t say anything at all. This rule applies here. Not everything is to everyone’s tastes, but telling your 5 yr. old that they can do the same painting is not nice (this happened to a talented fellow artist this past weekend). We have ears and hearts. Rule 6: The snacks at the vernissage are not a smorgasbord, (okay when I was broke young student, I did eat supper at vernissages, but only big galleries where I knew the artist didn’t have to prep/ pay for the food). If you follow the rules, you and the artists will enjoy your time together.
