back story

Morning Light; casein on board; 9.75" x 6"

Someone told me today that you're supposed to know who your audience is - if you want to sell anything - art included.  This reminded me of a visit I made to our local butcher shop a few years ago.  It's one of those amazing throw-backs - the kind of shop I remember my mom going to in the 60's.  Oh the smells :)  But I digress.  It just so happened that a marketing guy was visiting the butcher shop when I was there and I overheard a bit of their conversation.  They discussed brochures and signage and a host of marketing topics.  But when asked about his target audience the butcher said simply, "People who like meat." 

So is my target audience simply people who like original art?  Or people who like intimately-sized-realistic-sometimes-impressionistic-other-times-casein paintings?  Or people who like me and want to support what I do?

I happened to have a conversation with an art marketing expert today.  It was an introductory call.  She asked me to imagine my target audience as vividly as I could.  To give them names, back stories and daily lives. 

That sounded like fun.  It also sounds like fun to let the wind carry these little paintings where they will.  To offer them up for auction and let anyone and everyone see them and have a chance to take them into their homes.  Actually, that sounds like a lot more fun :)