One question that comes up a lot when people see my work is why the price of a painting might be different in a gallery compared to buying directly from me on my website or in person. It’s a fair question, and honestly, the answer is pretty simple.
When a painting is shown in a gallery, the gallery takes a commission on the sale. Most galleries take anywhere from 40% to 50% of the final price. That’s pretty standard in the art world. They’re providing the space, marketing the work, bringing collectors through the door, and representing the artist. All of that takes time, energy, and resources.
Because of that, the price of the painting has to be set higher in the gallery so that both the gallery and the artist can be paid fairly.
On top of that, there are also taxes involved with gallery sales. When a painting sells through a gallery, there are additional layers of accounting and reporting that I have to factor in as a working artist. By the time everything is said and done, the portion that actually reaches me is often much smaller than people expect.
For years, I struggled with pricing my work. I raised my prices, lowered my prices, and adjusted them constantly trying to compete with other artists. It’s easy to look around and start comparing yourself—what someone else charges, what sells, what doesn’t. But over time I realized that chasing other artists’ prices isn’t the answer.
Eventually I landed on a pricing structure that helps keep things consistent: I price my paintings by the square inch. That means the size of the painting determines the base price. It’s a simple, transparent way to price artwork and it helps keep things fair and consistent across different sizes.
That’s also one of the reasons you’ll sometimes notice that my prices are a bit lower when you buy directly from me through my website or when you meet me out painting in the field. When there’s no middle step, I’m able to offer my work at a more accessible price.
And that part is important to me.
I’ve always believed that art shouldn’t feel out of reach. I want my paintings to live in people’s homes, to hang on walls where families gather, where conversations happen, where someone pauses for a moment and feels something when they look at it.
Not everyone walks into a gallery, and not everyone feels comfortable in that space. But art belongs to everyone.
That’s why I love connecting with people directly—whether it’s online, at a plein air event, or when someone stops to watch me paint outside. Those moments remind me that art isn’t just about sales or exhibitions. It’s about sharing something human.
So if you ever notice a price difference between a gallery and my website, now you know why.
At the end of the day, my goal is simple: keep painting, keep sharing the work, and make sure that the people who connect with it have a way to bring it into their lives.
Because art should be for everyone.
