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Selling at BMAC

Can You Sell Original Digital Images at the Buyers Market of American Craft?

You know Eileen, I have always been impressed by the things you have created with As I read this month’s newsletter and followed some of its links, I came to a section in the blog where it mentioned Photoshop.

There was a really nice portrait of a young girl and a clever card using an Irish or Scottish plaid design.

And finally a link to BMAC, the Buyers Market of American Craft.

My question is this, for those of us that use Photoshop to create artistic images from photographs, that appear to be "fine art" or traditional art media, can one market through BMAC, or do you know of another marketing tool for the "photo /graphic artist" to use to market their work?

The thing is, is that even though the finished image does look like traditional art media, it is still an enhanced photo done on the computer, without paint.

So it's not "fine art" of a traditional art media, because it is a photo, but neither does it fit in the traditional "photograph" media grouping because it doesn't appear to be a photograph.

It is simply a photo that looks like a painting.

Where does a person market this kind of artistic craft? Does BMAC deal with graphic art?

I could not find anything on their website to indicate if they did. If not do you know where I might go to find a company that does?

Sincerely,

Marion

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Thank you so much for the compliment on my Photoshop work. I love doing it and I’m glad it shows!

I know which article you are referring to. It was about Using Artistic Effects in Photoshop.

Don’t denigrate your art by calling it “simply a photo that looks like a painting.” Rather than considering Photoshop-enhanced photos as neither photo art nor hand-painted art, I prefer to think of them as part of an emerging art form.

You are on the leading edge of combining photography with the magic of Photoshop to create fine art.

You can find examples of this emerging art trend by surfing the Internet. Check out Mary Miller’s Scanner Magic and Cyndi Lavin’s Layers Upon Layers.

In the first site, Mary combines Photoshop and “photos” taken with a scanner. In the second, Cyndi frequently advises readers of places they can submit their photos for publication, whether Photoshop-enhanced or not.

She also shares some of her beautiful photos and Photoshop tips.

I think anyone who perused these sites would consider the work fine art. Now to the question of …

Where to Sell Your Fine Art

As I explain in this article on Craft Retailing, there is a broad range of venues at which to sell your work.

If you can produce your art in quantity and are willing to sell at wholesale prices, you may be ready for BMAC.

The Philadelphia Buyers Market of American Craft (BMAC)

The Philadelphia Buyers Market of American Craft is the world’s largest venue for artists to meet and sell their crafts to wholesale buyers. The show runs two times a year in February and August.

BMAC is restricted to artists whose work is crafted in the U.S or Canada. In their words, “We believe that you should never be forced to exhibit in an environment where imports and foreign manufacturers could erode your ability to earn a living.”

Craft gallery and specialty shop owners make up the largest percentage of buyers at BMAC; but museum shops, boutiques, department stores, furniture, jewelry, mail order catalogs and clothing stores are also represented. Many of these venues would be suitable for your photo art.

If you are new to the wholesale market, be sure to look into BMAC’s Merit Awards program which is designed to give emerging artists the opportunity to enter the wholesale marketplace more quickly and affordably.

Though BMAC doesn’t have a photo art category, they do have a catch-all called “Mixed and Miscellaneous”.

My Wholesale Show Experience

I had the honor to participate in the EnArte Wholesale art show in 2003 and it was an exciting experience. EnArte takes place annually in a suburb of Guadalajara, Mexico. Tlaquepaque (don’t even try to pronounce it!) is a fascinating art center that gathers crafts from throughout Mexico and South America.

EnArte draws wholesale buyers from around the world.

Read about my EnArte experience here.

You may wonder why I only did one wholesale show. Two reasons: I was a hanger-on to another more-established crafter (as explained in my story); and I was at a fork in the road of my craft business development. I chose the road that led to The Artful Crafter!

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