Supporting Artists I Admire

I hope you’ll take a moment to read this.

I’ve spent the past 17 years putting in the hours, the hard work, and more than a few blood, sweat and tears to build a full-time art career. Not everyone connects with my work… and that’s perfectly okay. If nothing here grabs you, have a wander through the artists listed below. If something speaks to you, I’d love for you to visit their sites directly, explore their world, and support their work. Some of them won’t even know I’ve included them here… and that’s fine. I’m doing this because I’m an artist too, and I know how far a simple act of kindness can go. And just to be clear… I’m not a gallery, I’m not making a cent from this, and there are many wonderful artists I haven’t included or acknowledged… this is simply my small way of giving back.

I started at a fortunate time, before online galleries were common and when e-commerce for art was still a novelty. Over the years I’ve met artists young and old, emerging and established, all navigating similar challenges. Being a “best-selling artist” doesn’t mean you’re set for life… it simply means you sell a little more art than others, often in the $1–3k range, and you need to sell a lot of it to make a living. And behind every artist is risk, sacrifice, and… for many… a partner working right alongside them. Some spouses work full-time in the studio, some carry the financial load in the early years, some juggle kids and life to make room for creativity. Most “individual” art careers are really two-person teams quietly fighting the same battles. Some artists even work full-time jobs, then put in big hours around that — and around family — just to build a solid catalogue of work and create the momentum needed for sales.

One thing the public is rarely aware of is the art that doesn’t sell. For me, around 30% of my work never finds a home. Beyond materials, the biggest loss is time… and I can pinpoint pieces that took me three or four full days that simply never resonated with the market. It’s a risk we all take. That lost time dilutes the “wage” earned on the works that do sell, and it’s a reality many artists shoulder. It’s okay of course… we love what we do… and we go into it with eyes wide open.

Galleries play an important role in the art world, but the artists below have also taken the bold step of building their own websites alongside their gallery representations… a way to keep more than the small slice left after commissions. When you factor in GST, freight (which can be huge… sometimes 20% of the sale price), materials, studio costs, and basic advertising, even “successful” artists often live pretty lean. They’re mostly not chasing fame; they’re simply trying to make an honest living doing something they love, and offering work that brings beauty and energy into people’s spaces.

So if you haven’t found a Franko you love, I’d be genuinely grateful if you’d click through, explore, and show these artists — and the partners behind them — some support. Every bit helps more than most people will ever realise.

Happy trails…
Franko 🤠