Two Vaults Gallery owner Paula Tutmarc-Johnson had her first good month in a year. Art sales in July were so strong, in fact, that she actually drew a paycheck. Tutmarc-Johnson, like so many other business owners, has weathered an economic storm, or lull perhaps, as widespread unemployment and a general dearth of spending dough has crushed sales.



“I had a three week period where I sold one greeting card,” she says. “It’s gotten to a place for many of us where we don’t need a lot, but it’s been hard. I kind of decided to not let this one get me. But I had times when I thought I might be closing.”



Blogger and art market watcher Alyson Stanfield recently completed a survey of more than 1000 gallery owners that confirms what we all know here on the ground – galleries have been hurting. Her survey indicates that the average annual gross income from all art-related activities for a third of survey participants was between $1,000 and $5,000, and only about 10 percent made more than $40,000 from their art career. Nearly 30 percent said they have an additional full-time job to make ends meet, while another 36 percent hold a part-time job outside of their arts careers. During the past year, half said they are selling less art in general. About 12 percent said they are selling more art and 24 percent  have seen steady sales. That’s 36 percent who are doing the same as or better than before the recession. About 67 percent said they are considering looking for another source of income. Consistently, a large percentage of artists and gallery owners say they are getting creative and working hard to keep their heads up. Some 76 percent say they haven’t changed their style to sell more art. About 70 percent said they are working harder than ever.



But a surprisingly consistent July has given the owner of Two Vaults a new sense of hope. The gallery’s annual group show Rabbitual, featuring 77 works by 45 different artists, brought traffic and sales that made July shine. Tutmarc-Johnson says sales at this particular show were driven in large part by new buyers, including a couple from San Diego who are making a special trip from California to take a longer look at works featured as part of Rabbitual. Most of her sales are in the $800 to $1,000 range, with supplemental ranging from $300 to $2,000.

Most of those sales, she says, are to loyal customers.



“I have to say, most of the sales are coming from that base of customers on your special client list,” she says. “It’s people who like my taste and come here first.”



Craig Radford, owner of American Art Company, is seeing things pick up as well. Radford is selling art in the $1,000 to $5,000 range, and like Two Vaults, is depending on regular customers for most of his business. American Art Company supplements its art income with framing, which has made up the bulk of the company’s income for the past year.



“February and March were the worst, but it’s slowly coming back,” says Radford. “We’re hoping things will come back naturally in September when people are thinking about indoor activity instead of being outdoors. Spring and Fall are usually better for art sales because people are doing more interior decorating type of activity.”