This information is located in our software for artists. Some references within the text will be software related.
 
It is very important that you keep track of all the sales of your work and not rely on a gallery to do this for you. Galleries go out of business, lose records, or even sometimes try to deny payment to artists. Having accurate records for each sale will help you to collect payments, arrange accurate tax records, and generally insure that you are paid for your work.
 
Make sure to create a bill of sale for each commercial transaction, as well as for barters and trades. You can create this in the GYST software. You might also want to use the GYST software to generate a contract for more complicated transactions.
 
A bill of sale should include the date, title, size, description and medium of the work, and the buyer (including address, phone number and e-mail).  The price of the work and the terms of payment are important, as well as any delivery information.  (See Contract Section)
 
If you make special payment plans for certain individuals, make sure to include the payment plan in the bill of sale.  You should always retain the work until the final payment is made.
 
Always maintain a list of the work you have on consignment with a dealer, a gallery or an art consultant. Forms for loans to galleries and institutions are available in the GYST software.
 
If you work with a gallery make sure to get a list of works that have sold, including names, addresses, phone numbers and E-mails. You might want to request that the gallery provide you this list for each fiscal quarter.  While some galleries don’t want to give you this information, it is illegal for them to withhold it.
 
Simply put, know where you work is at all times and keep in touch with all clients regarding sales.
 
An artwork’s provenance—the history of where it has been shown and in which collections it has been included—is crucial for your records, and is often referenced in monographs. Being disorganized means more work for curators down the road. (Imagine having a retrospective without knowing where your art is located!)  Labeling the back of the work may facilitate such record keeping and is good for posterity. Use the GYST software to generate provenance lists and artwork inventory labels.
 
Make sure your collectors know about the Visual Artists Rights Act and any state Resale Royalty Acts when they acquire work.  (See Legal Section)