Mary Kamerer with a large commissioned piece, “Golden Hour on the Pines". Photo credit Mary Kamerer.
The Art Business Journey of Artist & Solopreneur Mary Kamerer
Mary Kamerer is an impressionist oil painter and solopreneur based in Charlotte, North Carolina, where she paints landscapes of the surrounding areas, especially the Blue Ridge mountains.
Her artwork has been collected nationally and featured in publications such as American Art Collector, Fredericksburg Literary Review, Art Guide Artists Directory, Ballantyne Magazine, VoyageATL, SouthPark Magazine, and QC Exclusive, where she was named one of "Twenty Women Who are Shaping the Charlotte Arts Landscape."
In her artist statement, Mary shares, "The Carolinas afford a beautiful variety of landscapes, and I'm enchanted with capturing the charm and simplicity of life in the rural South," This is evident in her paintings, which emphasize light and shadows to depict the natural beauty of marshes, trees, and flora along local greenways.
As the primary business owner with an artist's heart, Mary looks for tools that help her business run smoothly.
That's what brought her to Artwork Archive. Here is her story.
Photo credit: Mary Kamerer
Why I Replaced My Notebook for Artwork Archive
When I started my business in 2017, I recorded my sales by printing images of my paintings, cutting them out, and pasting them into a notebook.
This method worked for the first year, but I quickly outgrew the notebook. Keeping track of images, sizes, prices, customers, and locations became too confusing. Our tax accountant had recommended Quicken, so I purchased it and tried to use it, but it did not accommodate my art-specific needs.
Then I discovered Artwork Archive.
I tried the free trial and realized that this was exactly what I needed to keep myself organized. It only takes me a few minutes to add a new painting and fill in the details. And, when I have a sale, the platform immediately prompts me to fill in those details for precise record-keeping.
Example of the artwork view in Artwork Archive from Mary Kamerer.
Artwork Archive Enhances my Studio Workflow and Gallery Partnerships
Every time I finish a painting, I print up artwork labels for my monthly crawls—I love adding the QR code for shows so collectors can be linked to my website. add any information I want to include, allowing customers to contact me even if I'm not present.
Additionally, I utilize the inventory feature to consolidate art for a specific gallery.
The gallery owners I work with appreciate that I can provide them with a link to all available pieces, complete with thumbnails of the artwork.
Recently, when I visited a gallery to drop off my artwork, I realized there wasn't a printed list of all my pieces at that location. However, within minutes, I accessed the Artwork Archive site, selected all the pieces for that gallery, generated a link, and sent it to the owner—it made it so easy to work with the gallery.
Gallery owners appreciate the professionalism of the inventory reports generated by Artwork Archive. This instills greater confidence in me and my ability to maintain my side of our business relationship.
Plus, every quarter, I use Artwork Archive to generate my taxes. My accountant loves the reports and says I’m the most organized artist she has!
By leveraging these reporting tools, you can efficiently manage your studio workflow, strengthen your gallery partnerships, and save valuable time for creating art.
Example of Artwork Artwork abels from Mary Kamerer that include the thumbnail of artwork on labels. d
Example of a QR code artwork label generated in Artwork Archive.
How to use Artwork Archive reports to enhance your own studio workflow and present yourself professionally:
- Print customizable wall labels with QR codes and contact information for your studio, allowing customers to get in touch.
- Create and send updated inventory lists to galleries when dropping off new pieces, ensuring clear communication and organization
- Generate quarterly income and expense reports to streamline your financial record-keeping and impress your accountant.
An Artist-Centric Tool Transformed My Self-Perception as a Small Business Owner
Artwork Archive has empowered me to efficiently manage my art business, freeing up more time for me to create.
As a creative individual, I do not particularly enjoy accounting and record-keeping. However, Artwork Archive has transformed the way I perceive myself as a small business owner.
With these artist-centric tools, I can run my business effortlessly, leaving much more time for painting.
Leveraging Artwork Archive's Reporting Tools for Yourself:
Artwork Archive's reporting tools offer artists a comprehensive solution to streamline their art practice and enhance professional relationships.
Streamline Your Art Business with Artwork Archive's Features
- Replace traditional record-keeping methods with artist-centric features.
- Generate customizable wall labels with QR codes and contact information.
- Create inventory reports and price lists for your artwork in seconds.
- Simplify tax reporting with quarterly tax reports to streamline your financial record-keeping.
- Start a free trial below or get started here for 14-days here without any credit card or recurring payments at time of trial.
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