First...My experience with the traditional roles in an Artist / Rep. relationship. I think my first rep did a terrific job -- I would get calls on a regular basis asking me to quote on a project. The rep had a pretty good idea if it was the kind of work I could do and usually knew the "ballpark" amount that could be negotiated in selling the rights to a particular piece of art. (From one time rights -- to exclusive rights -- to total buyout, etc.). The rep had been in business a long time and was looked upon as a valuable resource for Art Directors and Art Buyers. She resisted the urge to grow in size by taking on additional artists without good reason. However, these days it seems there are many reps who have 50 or more artist in the pool. That's a lot of people to rep -- and it's safe to say while this type situation makes group advertising less expensive for everyone, there is not enough work to keep most in the pool busy.

Second: New ideas... If an artist decides to represent themselves, it means that a lot of your time will be spent on finding work rather than producing "art". What would be some of the pitfalls associated with allowing each client to serve as a temporary artist's representative?

Basically it would resemble the following scenarios:

-1- A client contacts me, asks me to quote on a project... -2-They tell me the estimated amount of their budget/how much they want to spend... -3- I let them know that 25% of the agreed-upon price will be returned to them (since they are considered a temporary rep.).

Alternate: In the alternate scenario, a client (a) may be aware of an art buying friend (b) who needs and buys artwork occasionally. If client (a) contacts (b) and it results in a commission... (b) would receive a 25% wrap fee. Are there risks associated with this sort of arrangement? Legal considerations?

Thank you for your opinion.