Selling Wood Art: Types of Wood Art, Pricing and Where to Sell Your Work

Wood art, also called fine art woodworking, is woodwork made mainly for expression and display rather than everyday use. It includes wall art, sculpture, turned art pieces, pyrography and marquetry. Wood art is sold through galleries, juried art fairs, commissions and online, often at prices based on the design and the artist’s reputation more than on the cost of materials.

This post covers how wood art differs from woodcraft, the main types of wood art, why it can suit a small workshop, how to price it, where to sell it, how to present your work, and how copyright protects your designs.

Wood Art and Woodcraft

Most woodworking is craft: pieces made to be used, such as tables, boxes and bowls. Good design makes them attractive, but their purpose is function. Wood art is made mainly to be looked at. Its value lies in its idea, design and expression.

The line between the two is not sharp. A turned vessel too delicate to use, a sculptural chair or a carved wall panel can sit anywhere between craft and art. Creativity is part of both. What mostly separates them is purpose.

The difference matters for pricing. A craft item is usually valued on its materials, workmanship and usefulness, and buyers compare it with similar items. An original art piece is valued more on its design and the artist’s standing, and each piece is one of a kind or part of a small series. That gives the artist more room on price, but also means the work has to find buyers who value art.

Types of Wood Art

Wall Art

Wall panels can be geometric patterns of wood strips, mosaics of reclaimed wood in different colours, three-dimensional relief panels or abstract shapes. Wall art suits homes, offices, hotels and restaurants, and pieces can be made in series and in different sizes.

Sculpture and Carving

Carved sculpture ranges from small figures to large abstract forms, and relief carving creates designs that stand out from a flat panel. Skill in carving is not enough on its own to make a piece art. Original designs that express the carver’s own ideas are what lift carving from craft into art.

Turned Art

Woodturning has a strong art tradition, with hollow forms, thin-walled vessels, pierced and carved pieces, and segmented turning made from hundreds of small pieces of wood. The American Association of Woodturners, a nonprofit founded in 1986 with more than 16,000 members and over 365 local chapters, runs a gallery space in St. Paul, Minnesota.

Pyrography

Pyrography is drawing on wood with a heated tool. It suits portraits, wildlife, landscapes and patterns on panels, boxes, spoons and gourds. Woodcraft’s guide advises working in a well-ventilated area, and avoiding MDF, pressure-treated wood and coated wood, which can release toxic fumes when burned. It also advises care with spalted wood, as its mould can be released in the fumes.

Marquetry and Intarsia

Marquetry creates pictures and patterns from thin veneers of different woods, fitted together like a puzzle on a flat surface. Intarsia uses thicker pieces of wood, each shaped and sanded to give depth, so the picture stands out in relief. Both use the natural colours of different woods instead of paint.

Scroll Saw Art and Fretwork

A scroll saw cuts fine, detailed patterns, portraits and lettering from thin wood. Layered scroll saw pieces stack several cut layers to create depth.

Natural and Live-Edge Pieces

Burls, root wood, driftwood and live-edge slabs can be shaped and finished to show their natural forms. These pieces often sit between art and furniture.

Mixed Media

Wood combined with metal, glass, stone or resin opens up more possibilities. Follow the manufacturer’s safety instructions for any resins, adhesives and finishes you use.

Why Wood Art Can Suit a Small Workshop

• Value based on design. The price of an original piece reflects its design and the artist’s reputation more than the cost of the wood and hours.
• A one-person business. Most wood art is made by one person, with no need for a team.
• Fewer competitors. Original wood art is a smaller field than general woodcraft.
• Easier to brand. A distinctive style is easy to recognise and promote.
• Often easy to ship. Many pieces, such as wall art and small sculptures, are compact enough to ship at reasonable cost.
• Creative freedom. Making work without the limits of a practical use can change how you see wood and design.
• Better products. Ideas from art pieces can improve your other work, such as shelves, boxes and signs.

The Challenges

Art can earn more per piece, but it is usually harder to sell than a useful item. A buyer needs to value the piece enough to pay for it without a practical reason. Building a reputation and finding the right buyers takes time, and sales can be uneven. Many wood artists also sell functional work, teach or take commissions alongside their art.

Pricing Wood Art

• Know your floor. Add up materials, hours, overheads and any selling costs. Your price should never fall below this.
• Compare with similar work. Look at prices for work of a similar size, medium and quality by artists at a similar stage of their career.
• Allow for commission. If you sell through galleries, your retail price must leave room for their share. A gallery commission of 50% of the retail price is common.
• Keep prices consistent. Charge the same retail price everywhere you sell, so you do not undercut the galleries that show your work.
• Price series consistently. For a series of similar pieces, a consistent method, such as price by size, makes your pricing easy to explain.
• Raise prices gradually. As your work sells and your reputation grows, increase prices in steps. Buyers who paid earlier prices are reassured when your prices rise, rather than fall.

See also how to set the final selling price on your craft.

Where to Sell Wood Art

Galleries

Galleries show work to buyers who are looking for art, and they handle the sale. Most take work on consignment and keep a share of the price when it sells. Artsy Shark notes that the standard gallery commission is 50% of the retail price, with co-op and nonprofit galleries sometimes taking less. Always get a signed written agreement that covers the commission, how and when you are paid, how long your work stays on display, how it is shown, who is responsible for damage or loss, and what happens if the gallery closes. Keep a record of which pieces are at which gallery.

Juried Art Fairs and Craft Shows

Juried art fairs choose exhibitors by reviewing images of their work, so the work shown is of a consistent standard and buyers expect to pay for quality. Many shows take applications through online systems such as ZAPP, where artists upload images of their work to a portfolio and pay each show’s application fee. Strong, well-lit photos of your work, and often of your booth, are key to being accepted. See also how to sell at craft shows.

Online

Your own website, with a portfolio, an artist statement and prices or a way to enquire, is the base of an online presence. Instagram and Pinterest suit visual work. Etsy and similar marketplaces have art categories for wall art and sculpture. Photos matter more for art than almost anything else, as buyers judge it entirely by how it looks. See how to build a woodworking portfolio.

Commissions

Homeowners, businesses, hotels, restaurants and offices commission wall art and sculpture for particular spaces. Interior designers and art consultants often find artists for their clients. Corporate gifts and awards are another source of commissions. See how to take custom woodworking orders for quotes, deposits and agreements.

Woodworking Organisations and Exhibitions

Woodworking and woodturning groups run exhibitions, competitions and galleries where members show their work. Joining a local guild or a national body such as the American Association of Woodturners connects you with other makers, collectors and opportunities to exhibit.

Presenting Your Work

• A consistent body of work. Galleries and juries look for a recognisable style across several pieces.
• An artist statement. A short, plain description of what you make, how and why.
• Titles and details. Give each piece a title, and record its size, woods, finish and date.
• Sign your work. Sign or mark each piece, and consider a certificate of authenticity for higher-priced work.
• Ready to display. Fit wall art with secure hanging hardware, and give buyers care instructions.
• Good photos. Photograph every piece well before it leaves your workshop.

Protecting Your Designs

In the US, an original work is protected by copyright as soon as it is created and fixed in a tangible form, such as a finished carving or panel. Registration with the US Copyright Office is voluntary, but you must register before you can sue for infringement of a US work, and registration can make statutory damages and legal fees available in a successful case. If you sell a series of designs that could be copied, registering the most important ones may be worthwhile.

Using Art in Your Other Woodwork

Making art changes how you see wood. Shapes, patterns and techniques from art pieces can be carried into everyday products, so a shelf, box or sign gains a design that sets it apart. For more on finding a focus, see how to find a woodworking niche. For other ways to earn, see woodworking business ideas and how to sell woodworking projects.

Sources

• Edlund, 2023, Is Gallery Consignment the Answer?, Artsy Shark
• Phelan, 2017, Pyrography, Woodcraft
• American Association of Woodturners, About AAW
• ZAPP, Frequently Asked Questions
• U.S. Copyright Office, Copyright in General (FAQ)