Mark Rushton Gallery: New Studio Tech, Pricing Art, Heuristics

Hi everybody, it's Mark Rushton of Mark Rushton Gallery.  It's Sunday, October 23, 2022.  And this is my "Sunday Stats" and "Weekly Update" post.


After weeks of technical problems and outages, I think the internet is "mostly better" in my studio space.  

I've been doing a lot of live streams in the evenings to test it out, and in different ways (direct ethernet, wifi, Streamyard, YouTube Live, recorded then uploaded...).

While conducting these tests, I upgraded some of my equipment.  I got a new USB webcam (Logitech C920S - nothing fancy...) and I started using my Rode podcaster microphone.  Another thing I did was transition away from using my smartphone, or a sim-less older smartphone, over to a laptop with the camera and microphone plugged into it.  Again, it's nothing fancy.  Make do with what you've got.  But make changes when necessary.

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And, yeah, about making changes... 

I could go on for hours about that topic...

I had thought about finishing off the studio spaces, but that's not going to happen now.  The studios are OK in their rough, unfinished ways.  I'm used to working in them now.  And I'm going to consolidate "studio two" into "studio one" in the next week or so.  "Studio two" will be turned into storage.

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As for the Gallery web site, it's just a base of operations.  It's being built.  I have a ways to go.

I like making videos for promotion.  I like talking and rambling and making artworks live and analyzing artworks and showing off books and making those sped-up videos.

The other thing I've been doing lately is "reconnaissance" for public spaces and public galleries to show my artworks.  There's at least three "galleries" in libraries in the metro area.  There are known coffee shops that let you display, and I'm sure there are many more "unknown" places.  It's just a matter of getting out, exploring, web searches, talking to people... and submitting.

Detail from a recent acrylic ink photo collage


Last week's stats mostly held steady.  The mailing list dropped again - oh well, my mailing list is old.  FB and Rumble added subscribers.  YT has been bouncing around but holding steady for nearly four months.  

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Finally, in my downtime I like to peruse forums where artists trade advice.  I think in every art discipline, getting advice from "other artists" is a terrible thing to do because people seem to equate "consensus" with "the truth".  Or people tend to think what they read from searching on Google or what's published in a book is somehow "the gospel".

There was a lady asking about how to price a painting.  It's a common question...  She wanted to price the painting at $XXXX and her husband thought it should be less.  So she asked the forum.

Every artist who replied said something like "your price is correct" or "it should be two or three times that because you're worth it" or there were several who said "your husband is wrong".

Nobody asked the artist if she'd ever sold a painting of that size at that price before!  Nobody asked if she had any clientele!  Those are important factors.

The truth is that there's no perfect formula for pricing art so it can sell.  Other than... art needs to be priced so it can sell, which is what Picasso said in the book Conversations with Picasso by the photographer Brassai.

Artists often adopt a "square inch" calculation method, at least to help with having a range of prices.  Or they can create some equation based on materials and time.  But those methods don't mean the art is priced to sell.  Each artist is different.

As a software tester in my day job, I encountered the book How To Solve It by George Polya many years ago, and it's helped me understand heuristics and I've taken that knowledge and applied it to my work.  Normally I don't recommend Wikipedia for anything, but the Wikipedia page about the book is a good distillation.  

I think understanding heuristics can also be beneficial for artists when trying to solve problems or work through issues.  I think it's a better bet than relying on the advice of other artists who don't know you or anything about your situation.


Foggy Bright Glow


Who am I?  

I'm Mark Rushton, a professional recording artist and fine artist who has managed to hang on to creativity.  

I've released music and sounds since the early 2000s under many different names, including my own.  I largely create ambient, beat-driven electronica, and avant-garde music and soundscapes, as well as field recordings and sound effects.  

I'm also a fine artist / painter, making original paintings, limited edition prints, and functional merchandise.

Join my email list:  https://www.markrushtongallery.com/mailing-list

Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/markrushton/

Facebook page:  https://www.facebook.com/markrushtongallery

YouTube:  https://www.youtube.com/c/MarkRushton/videos

Twitch:  https://www.twitch.tv/ambientrushton


Mark Rushton Gallery:  https://www.markrushtongallery.com

Mark Rushton Web Site:  https://www.markrushton.com

Mark Rushton Gallery Blog:  https://markrushtongallery.blogspot.com


Music links:  

License Mark Rushton's Music for your project:   https://www.markrushton.com/musicservices/

Spotify - follow Mark Rushton:  https://open.spotify.com/artist/3o7In5aHAnzK7WYGHY5Khx?si=fIvBiAxdQEOVHrVPbO7QfQ

Spotify Ambient Rushton Podcast Rotating Playlist:  https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5EC4Y2eIYArYsxVb8LEGsH?si=K9RdQuJ8RB-pYsjHQzqMZQ


Services I Use:

Airtable referral code:  https://airtable.com/invite/r/M3Ydt3Ze

Walmart+ Referral Code:  http://share.walmartplus.com/mark8673

Songtrust Referral Code:  (save $10):  https://app.songtrust.com/signup/?discount_code=178652a-Ecs

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