Christopher Roche’s artist statement says,  “I have always been naïve enough to believe that if I create images of great interest to me, that they will be of interest to others as well.“ Apparently, the philosophy has paid off, because Roche is one of Artspan’s biggest-selling artists.

Roche's paintings in vibrant  pastel and acrylic depict unforgettable moments  in sports as well as every day scenes that become iconic because of his treatment of them.His work is full of life, motion, and bright color.

Here is what he shared when we asked him a few questions about

his approach to marketing

What special promotions have you used to help sell your work?

I don’t do a lot of special promotions, but when I am printing an entire limited edition of 50 giclee prints, I do offer the prints at a $50 pre-sale discount prior to the edition running. This rewards customers for buying early, and helps me pay for the cost of the edition upfront.
 

Your Facebook page is almost as lively as your art. We like the way you show your customers holding the work they bought.

How do you use Facebook and other social media to market your work?

I use facebook a lot in selling my work, and it has been a successful vehicle for me sales wise. I use my personal page as my art business page and I only post about things related to my art. I try to join groups that tie in with my work, whether that be an ASU football group, a Neon sign group, or a hometown Mesa, Arizona group where I live. Some of these groups have 5,000-10,000 members, so when I post my work in a group it is being exposed to a wide audience. Now, most groups don’t want you posting links to your website, or outright selling on their pages, so I don’t do that. But, what I do is follow the comments, and when people start commenting, and asking questions, are you selling these? I private message them, sending them the link privately and “friend” them as well. I did this the other night in an ASU group, when I launched a new limited edition, and I was up late responding to comments in real time sending the information out to those who expressed an interest which generated significant sales. You have to stay up on those people commenting and respond quickly, I feel that makes a big difference in closing the sale.

You’re selling both prints (using Artspan's Prints-on-Demand program) and originals. Do you have different marketing strategies for each?

Mainly, my strategy with the limited edition prints is to keep them priced at $400 or less framed, that has become kind of a sweet spot for me, but also offer other options. Unframed in the $200 range, and then small mini prints at a lower price point for those who like the work, but can’t afford the limited edition prints. My mini prints 8” x 10” have been a consistent seller. With my ASU football stuff I have also been able to get some of the editions autographed by the players in the paintings, and that has helped spark interest as well. I have sold originals through social media, but mostly I sell originals to established clients I already  have, and at my festival shows, where I meet  people directly.

When talking about my limited edition prints and framing, I frame them myself, and make sure the prints fit into a standard sized frame with a 16" x 20" opening. This allows me to make money on the framing. I have a black wooden gallery style frame with double white matting that looks really nice on my pieces. It also allows people who order unframed to frame them themselves pretty affordably if they choose to.
 

How does having a website help you to sell your work? Have you made any changes to it that improve its effectiveness as a marketing tool?

 

Having a website is very important in making you a legitimate business where people can buy your work. I have made some changes, but nothing dramatic. Having a website in and of itself is not going to sell your work, you have to find ways to drive traffic to the website, it is a numbers game, social media has helped me do that. I also try to make sure that my website is updated with new work pretty quickly, and give your customers choices on the various purchase options available. 

Participating in art events around Arizona Chris stays in contact with his followers using artspan's email marketing tools to notify his followers what new artwork he is working on and where it can be seen in person. Building that contact list is key to staying in touch.

Chris's work will be exhibited at the following venues in the coming months:

January 14th - 16th 2022 - 29th Annual Winter Carefree Fine Art & Wine Festival,

featuring 150 world class artists. Located at 101 Easy Street, Carefree,

Arizona. Show hours are 10am - 5pm daily. Come on out!


February 11th-13th 2022 - 11th Annual Waterfront Fine Art & Wine

Festival - Scottsdale, Arizona. Show hours are 10am - 5pm . This is
a beautiful venue on the Scottsdale Waterfront, right next to
Fashion Square, I hope to see you  there.

March 18th-20th 2022- 27the Annual Spring Carefree Fine Art 7 Wine Festival,

featuring 150 exceptional artists, live music, wine tasting, good food, don't miss it!
This is the last Thunderbird Artists Show of the season, before the heat comes out.

See more of Chris Roche's work here.