Paul Dorrell

This is written from the perspective of a man who runs a gallery, not an artist, so this book was a helpful perspective from the other side of the artist-gallery relationship. He gives a lot of practical advice in here, and I think that this book would be a great read for high school students who like art and are considering a career of art. The reason I say this is because this book tells you that making it as an artist is not easy and there is a LOT you need to do besides have raw talent show more to succeed.

I really wish the contexts of this book had been covered in my art classes in high school, seriously. I really enjoyed doing art, and still do, but in high school I was a immature kid who had an idealized view of the art world, and if I had read this book, I would have realized in high school, not college, that art for me was meant to be a hobby, not a career. Heck, most of the stuff in this book was not even discussed in college!

This book is a good size and a easy read, and covers lots of helpful topics like how to price your work, making a resume, making a portfolio, and what have you. Since this comes from someone who works a gallery and works with artists and works on getting commissions for these artists for various projects from various clients (including corporations) his advice is sound. If you have a son or daughter (or know someone another young person considering art) who enjoys art and is considering making a career out of it, give them this book, it will help them think about the realities of being an artist in this world. It might not cement their decision either way, but the points and realities presented in this book will present them with a more realistic view of the art world. show less

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