Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Shelley Zentner. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Shelley, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Earning a full time living from one’s creative career can be incredibly difficult. Have you been able to do so and if so, can you share some of the key parts of your journey and any important advice or lessons that might help creatives who haven’t been able to yet?
My first art commission was for a family friend, I was about 11 or 12. The woman asked for a copy of a picture of a dragon for her curio cabinet. She gave me a picture to copy, a letter sized image of a flying dragon she liked. She just wanted a bigger version really. The fact that she offered to pay me was thrilling for my young artist self. Someone thought my talent was worth money!
She gave me the dimensions, and I carefully measured out my canvas. I was so proud of the painting – my first commission! She loved it. She paid me, and we were happy. Or so I thought.
A few days later, I encountered her husband on the main street of our small hometown. I’ll never forget the look on his face as he strode angrily towards me. He started yelling that he wanted his money back, because apparently my painting was the wrong orientation and wouldn’t fit the cabinet. Turns out the letter sized image she gave me, which was portrait orientation, was wrong – the painting should have been landscape orientation to fit the cabinet. She didn’t think to tell me that, and when the painting arrived she realized her mistake and was too nice to say anything.
I tried to explain this to him, but he was furious and wouldn’t listen. He yelled at me that, “Now I have a worthless painting that I might as well wipe my arse on!” and strode off.
When I told my dad, in tears, his response was: It’s your own fault. Always get an agreement in writing first.
Harsh but true. It was my first lesson in art business.
So now, almost 40 years later, I still write a contract before I start a commission. Then, everyone involved understands and respects what the project entails upfront. I listen carefully to what the collector wants, and help them bring their vision to life. We establish deadlines, and create a roadmap to the final piece with preparatory studies to approve with a signature before I embark on the final piece.
Transparency and clarity. Every time.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
I’ve had a long career as an independent artist. I built a reputation, gallery and collectors in Britain for twenty years. And then started from scratch again in North America almost nineteen years ago.
I’ve honed my skills consistently throughout my career. I went to art school, got a degree and then worked as a curator at an art gallery. I opened my own studio, and then gallery. I learned classical and contemporary painting from accomplished, well regarded artists.
I taught college level art and art history for fifteen years.
Learning from Old Masters, studying technique is a regular practice. Studying at museums in Italy, France, Japan, New York, London keeps me curious. I draw and paint in volumes of sketchbooks, practicing my observation skills and experimenting with new techniques.
This keeps my work fresh, interesting, exploratory, constantly evolving. Alive.
Collectors & Patrons
Once someone buys my work at a price point, I never come down from that price.
It would be insulting to my collectors and patrons to fluctuate my prices, and it would devalue my work. I offer discounts for multiples and collectors – it’s just good business to reward loyalty and repeat patronage. But the price point stays consistent. I haven’t raised my prices for four years.
I price per square inch, with a schedule for different mediums and level of detail. Oil paintings are the most expensive, monochrome drawings the least. All the work is made to last, and made with care.
I use expensive archival papers, portrait grade Belgian linen, professional grade oil paints, hand-rolled pastels from England, and honey based watercolours from Italy.
Framing costs factor into the price too. Most of the work at my gallery is professionally custom framed by Amber Bradford, a local who I have known and trusted for years. The materials are high end, conservation grade. I have to move and store them carefully, so as not to damage the frames or paintings. It’s a lot of work to take care of them.
I can afford to make work with the best materials now because I charge what my work is worth.
I can also afford to donate a percentage to causes I care about.
I don’t sell a piece every day, or week but when I do sell something, it’s at a price I feel good about. When I do commission work, I get paid well. I feel respected. It’s a privilege I never take for granted.
If I dashed off 50 paintings of a local mountain and sold them for $50 each, like I used to in my early years – I might have more cash flow month to month, but I wouldn’t have the energy to make the high quality, meaningful work I thrive on.
I know my worth. It’s taken years to build the confidence to believe I have worth as an artist. Some might call it audacity. So be it.
And it is a matter of my personal worth as well as the value of my work, because they’re inseparable parts of me. Because the work comes through me – through my hands and my eyes and my soul.
For me, it’s not about the money, it’s about respect for the work. I deserve to be paid well for what I make. I work hard and I care deeply about what I do. I’ll never be a rich person, and I’m fine with that. I do better than many artists in my position, and I feel humbled when I consider what could have been, had I not taken one of the many forks that keep appearing in the road I’m traveling. Sometimes it’s been more luck than good judgement that has saved me from falling through the cracks. I’ve also been fortunate to have a fellow traveler who supports me no matter what.
It doesn’t matter to me what the famous artists or dead artists or gallery artists are selling for – it’s not an apples to apples comparison. Each artist is an individual, on their unique journey. A soul in this world creating beautiful things with their hands and imagination.
Independence
Being independent means I haven’t got a slick, pushy salesperson selling for me. And I like it that way. I personally dislike being sold to, especially if I can tell that person isn’t very honest or kind. So why would I do that to someone else?
So my sales are slower, less frequent, but more substantial. Almost always in person, despite my efforts building an online store on my website. I do a lot of commission work. The sales are meaningful transactions, exchanges between people who look into each other’s eyes and see our shared humanity.
The art always means something to my buyers. Nobody ever bought a piece from me and said, “This will go in the storage space with my other investment art.” Or, “I’ll flip this”.
My buyers always know where the art will go, because they imagine it in their lives first. They take the time to consider how it will enrich their homes. Not their portfolios.
Building relationships in any aspect of life takes time, listening, mutual respect and trust. The relationship between artist and collector is no different. I don’t have a single collector I don’t hold in high regard.
It’s a privilege to make a career founded on these values.
Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?
As an artist, I’ve always had to be flexible about the location of my work – for creating, showing and selling. Since my first exhibition in 1996 when I was still at Art School, I’ve shown my work at commercial art galleries, museums, art fairs, castles (yes, real ones), chapels, climbing festivals, and more.
In 1999 I opened my own stone and mortar gallery/open studio in a historic courtyard in Wales. It was my first taste of coworking since university. The exchange of ideas and camaraderie with artists and outdoors people was energising and fun, but the seasonal flow of tourists meant that it was a ‘feast or famine’ business. Staying in one place helped me to grow a community of collectors, and people loved seeing how the art is made – but I realised too late that I need solitude to make art. I closed the business in 2005 and sold most of my possessions. I flew to Canada with a sketchbook, climbing shoes and no plan, beginning an exciting new life. Eventually I landed in South Lake Tahoe with my husband, who I met on the road and we started a family.
I continued to exhibit my work in all kinds of spaces here in the US (no castles though) However, curating, installing short-term exhibitions, traveling and promoting is exhausting work – and unsustainable, I’ve learned the hard way. I needed to find a better way to conduct my career. I never found a commercial gallery that was a good long-term fit, despite it seeming like the only option at times. I’m very independent, and need to create from a place of authenticity. I refuse to sell out by working in the latest fashion. Social media destroys my confidence and alters the way I literally see the world. I never sold anything from Instagram, yet there’s huge pressure on artists to become content creators. I have no interest in entertaining people with clever reels that suck up my time and creativity any more. My attention is not a commodity I want to sell. I need freedom to think deeply, evolve and grow. And since my dream art space doesn’t exist, I have to create one for myself.
So when Jamie and David Orr, founders of two local coworking spaces, offered me their walls, I saw an opportunity for the creating/showing/selling balance I’ve sought for decades. Both cowork buildings are close to home, and feature unique architecture and light that excite my artist/curator heart. The spaces visually quote details of modern museums, with brushed aluminium handrails, a mountain/outer space – inspired colour palette, exquisite furniture and fixtures. Labyrinthine floor-plans offer a chance to create an experience like no other. It’s inspiring.
The dynamic of people moving around, working in different fields, charges the spaces with energy. Placing art in their workspace flow often stops people in their tracks, inviting them to pause and contemplate for a moment.
Dr. Jamie Orr presaged our partnership in 2021, when she wrote:
“Art is an important tool to inspire us, to help us understand our lives and the lives of others, our history, our cultures, our emotions – everything that makes up the human experience. In the words of the great artist, Pablo Picasso, “Art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life.”
Part of our traditional everyday lives is the time spent at work, so why not include art in the workplace to help wash away the dust of work? Including art in workplace design goes well beyond finding a piece to match the couches. Being in the presence of art, particularly fine artworks, has been shown to benefit workers by doing everything from reducing stress and boosting creativity to inspiring conversations and increasing social engagement.”
Dr. Orr is a theoretical physicist, with a background in art history, entrepreneurship, community activism and business. We get on well, and our meeting of minds has generated some exciting ideas to engage the community in our endeavours. At the official openings of the two galleries, we co-presented talks on Art & Physics. These presentations explored subjects we are both passionate about from our interconnected, yet diverse perspectives. Our first topic was Light, and the second, Gravity. Free to the public, we intended to generate a thought-provoking hub for the local art/mountain scene. The talks were really well attended and received, kick-starting an era for an art hub in our mountain town.
The balance feels right: my studio is at home, and my work is hung in two beautiful galleries, with QR codes on the tags so people can easily buy from my website if I’m not there. I offer a free delivery and installation service, or am close enough that a buyer can call me and I’ll come wrap the work before the end of the day.
Finally, offer free guided tours for my collectors and the public, booked via my website. I make my guests a cup of tea or coffee in one of the thoughtfully stocked, high-end kitchens. It’s cozy and welcoming, like hanging out in a really cool shared house.
These are not public spaces. You can only access the building as a cowork pass holder or with me – so, crucially – I don’t need to be there all the time. The work is safe, and that means I am free to paint in solitude on days when I don’t offer tours.
When I do go in to the galleries, I weave my way through a community, and can have short, spontaneous conversations with interesting people when they’re taking a break. Those meaningful exchanges are connections I’d never make anywhere else.
Untethered, authentic and balanced. Finally, a sustainable way to live in the mountains, make art on my own terms, hang it museum-style — and sell it, without selling out.
How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?
We live In an era of cheap prints, AI and a general decline in real world interactions in favor of screens and the virtual world. Artists who still work with their hands and minds feel like a dying breed. If we don’t want to lose this precious aspect of our human culture, society needs to support us by buying our work in person, taking the time to view art at exhibitions, and spreading the word. In a thriving creative ecosystem, there are free opportunities for artists to show their work, plentiful grants and fellowships to enable us to survive without selling out. I’d love to see more art spaces for us to hang our work for free, dynamic, exciting places where people can meet us in real life, and see our work in the flesh. High quality art shouldn’t be the exclusive realm of the city – I’d love to see more small, authentic spaces owned by people who really care about art and artists in places off the beaten track. Not all of us can or want to live in a city – and travel/shipping costs are insane. Making excellent art available in other places would benefit everyone.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.shelleyzentner.com
- Instagram: @shelleyzen
- Facebook: @shelleyzen
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@shelleyzen
Image Credits
Taylor Zentner, Nate Williams @Keystone Jade Studios, Anthony Capaiuolo @First Tracks Productions