When we price our paintings and various artwork, should we price them according to what the market is willing to pay? Or should we price them according to their value? Perhaps we should price a piece of art according to its dimensions, keeping in mind the fact that one square inch of one painting in a certain style, can take more time, thought and costs than a square inch of another painting in a different style?

Can we assist people to learn more about the different styles of art and their value? Can we make it clear to consumers that being an artist is a career and not merely a hobby!? We are the ones who bring beauty and value to homes, shops and almost everywhere. We have to believe in what we do and estimate it properly! Complaining that we are unable to make a living is not the answer. I have to share this short story with you. One day, my heat thermostat got burned. I called a technician. In few minutes a used one was installed and I was charged $165. The cost included the use of his truck, gas and his time to come to my home. This thermostat, shortly, will get burned out again! When the technician saw that my walls were full of paintings, he said," So, are you a starving artist?"

I believe that pricing a painting starts from the moment we start thinking of an idea, composition, searching, taking photographs, sketching, preparing the canvas, the involved costs, the time spent on finishing that painting, framing it and then insuring it! It is true that education, experience and the accomplishments of an artist are also factors that influence the price and so we have to be our own judges there.

But it is also true that there are many injustices out there. So do we give up? We must make it known that what we are doing is not just for fun, neither is it because we have spare time, nor is it because we are incapable of holding other jobs. In fact, we have chosen to be professional artists as our careers and must be able to make a living out of it. This is where our strengths are and this is because we view life differently.

Why should we lower the prices of our artworks? We''re not selling shoes, clothing or even furniture that customers will use for a while, then throw away or resell. I believe strongly, that if we do not educate people about the value of our artworks, no one else will do it for us. A Technician charges $50-$120 per hour, a plumber charges $50 per hour and we will have to repair the same thing after a while! The list can go on and on.

Why, by law, do artists have the copyrights of their artwork and creativity considered as intellectual property? I believe that the problem relies on us. When we do not believe that what we do is valuable, we are underestimating our hard work. Why do we get so happy selling many paintings worth a few dollars? Is this how we want to continue living? We should be selling our artwork to those who have an appreciation for it. When a consumer is not in the position to afford the original price, we provide reproductions. Why then, there are many big printing companies, making thousands of dollars from selling only reproductions and hardly, paying the artists (the creators of this work) a 2%-3% "loyalty fee"! Is it ideal for artists to starve so that the big companies can get rich off our hard labors? That would raise the question, if prints of an original painting can add so much revenue, how much so the original painting should be priced for? Certainly,it will not be equal. We have to be practical but we do not want to kill it either.

I am aware of an artist who sells her paintings through an art gallery. When the artist asked the owner of the art gallery, who her collectors (buyers) were, he replied "the collectors were my customers and you have no right to know them". Another artist who sells his paintings through an art gallery was prevented from selling and even displaying his paintings anywhere else!

I am inviting you, my fellow artists, to maintain your confidence, self esteem and to believe in the importance of what we do. That, by itself, will reflect on the quality of our work, and on the prices we set. It will also correct the reputation of "The Starving Artists" and will increase viewers / buyer''s appreciation. When we create a piece of art, we invest ideas, time, years of experience, years of education, costs of materials/art supplies, studios etc. Should we not take charge of marketing our paintings and artworks!. How many times have artists starved and then only after their decease did someone else become wealthy?

All we want is to make a decent living. Is that too much to expect!