consulting ]o[ costello childs art

Art Consultation Service
from Costello-Childs Fine Art

Gallery owners Daryl Childs and Mike Costello were recently interviewed by webmaster John Charnley, who wanted to find out what art consultation was all about.

John: To be honest, I usually avoid gallery reps, I tend to think they just want to sell me...

Mike: I know, in many ways people treat talking to any representative of a commercial gallery space like they had just stepped onto the lot of an auto dealership - with trepidation and anxiety. There's the anxiety of being somewhat out of one's element, unfamiliarity with the work as well as the prices...

Daryl: And the fear that you are somehow going to be set upon by the staff and coerced into committing to something against your better judgment.

John: Ok, so what do you do that's different?

Daryl: Generally speaking, we simply greet all visitors to the gallery in a friendly manner and ascertain if they are looking for anything of a specific nature. If not, we invite them to take their time, look and ask any questions they might have.

Mike: If they are looking for something specific - or if they're not quite certain what it is but are certain that they are looking in earnest, then we try and gather as much information as possible without seeming overly pushy or anxious.

Daryl: Most people have nothing more than a vague idea of what it may be that they are searching for and feel that they'll know it when they see it. We can help narrow the search somewhat by determining the areas in which they are looking and a possible budget as well.

Mike: We also ask about other pieces that they may already have - which may or may not tell us where they got them and how much they may have paid. If the clients are interested, we'll take them into the back room to look at additional pieces and try and get a better sense of what type of artwork they are attracted to and guide the presentation accordingly.

Daryl: Many times the clients will see a number of items that strike them then we give them additional information such as images, prices, biographical information, etc. In some cases the client will be interested enough to want to see the piece in their home and ask to have the specific item delivered for an approval period which may run 24 - 48 hours.

John: What kind of a budget does someone need to work with you guys?

Daryl: People need to understand that the walls of an art gallery are where our products/offerings are displayed. As rents and mortgages have steadily increased and galleries need to be located in high visibility/high traffic areas - as well as offering as sterling an exhibition space as possible - the overall cost of doing business has risen to heights previously unimagined.

Mike: In order to not only remain financially solvent but to actually become successful it is imperative that in our business plan we determine the price points of the type of work we wish to offer in order that we are assured a level of success within a certain volume of sales. As margins can be pretty tight - especially if working within the wholesale market - it is important to determine the price points of artwork that will be displayed on our walls in order for the business to get optimal results from any sales.

Daryl: This may sound like a very obvious statement but it is our choice that we choose quality over quantity and as such our offerings can pose a bit of a shock from a pricing standpoint to those without a knowledge of the market or of the business in general. Every gallery has experienced it's share of visitors coming into their business and finding a level of amusement in the pricing of certain pieces of artwork - this comes from a basic level of naïveté' and typically disappears when a little experience is attained.

Mike: We offer lesser priced pieces but it does not always pay to have these pieces on those very expensive walls! It remains a simple matter of communication to determine one's budget in buying artwork. And unlike the auto dealership we never ask "What will it take to get you to take this painting home?"

John: Do you like to work with interior designers?

Daryl: As a significant amount of our business is done within the wholesale arena - architects, designers, consultants, etc - we are benefited greatly by virtue of meeting with a client who is already interested, knows the areas that are under consideration, generally has an idea as to budget and knows the style, color, size, etc. of artwork that will work in the specific context.

Mike: Our job is to work within the parameters that are already established and place artwork accordingly. We are frequently called upon to conduct on-site presentations, which means loading trucks with artwork that has already been pre-selected and taking them to the site under consideration to make final determinations. These can become pretty involved affairs, are expensive and labor intensive but can greatly enhance the possibility of making multiple sales.

Daryl: This option is generally open only to the very best clients who have a proven record of sales production with our gallery or if the situation is recognized as one in which we feel we would be remiss to not take advantage of a readily apparent opportunity.

John: I used to think you guys were so young because you're so enthusiastic about art and the artists you work with. Later I find out you're both actually pretty ancient and have been in the art world for decades! How can you both be so stoked about contemporary art, I mean what is it inside you that makes you get up in the morning and do this every day?

Daryl: I guess that the single most important aspect in my ability to establish and maintain a healthy and dynamic attitude towards the art industry is that I have always approached everything I do in this business from my perspective as being an artist first. Being in the position that I am as an art dealer has been a direct result of having never said no - to having a strong desire to keep my hand in as many aspects of this business as possible along with the most important, which is the creative side.

Mike: A great idea fully realized as a painting, drawing or whatever medium it may result in, does more for my sense of healthy balance in life, of optimism and sense of well being than any other activity relative to this business that I am involved with.

John: It sounds like this is a difficult type of business to run. What do you do to make it work?

Mike: The business of selling art is difficult, to say the least, and is fraught with a lack of professionalism on many fronts - not the least of which is from the artists themselves as well as with many of the professional clients - designers, architects, art consultants, etc. - we target as integral to our business.

Daryl: We try and remedy this situation by trying to work only with established, mid-career artists and with successful professionals in the design industry - although we are continually engaged in trying to add to our growing client base and thus find ourselves engaged, in many instances, in the educational aspect of this business as well.

Mike: Like any other business we consider this to be a journey of sorts and like all journeys it begins with putting one foot in front of the other and striving to enjoy the trip as much as possible.

Daryl: It also helps that, although there are those who think Michael and I are so similar that we must be brothers, we are, in fact, quite different in many respects - especially in terms of our manner in dealing with any turmoil arising in business matters. We are both quite personable, both have a sense of humor - as well as for the absurd - and are great friends - which helps because we must spend many long hours together engaged in the side of this business that is far removed from the meet and greet, drink fine wine and walk the gallery showing off the latest exhibition that many consider the normal daily activity of the art dealers life.