Mentoring

The art world can be confusing. With all its lofty ideals, it’s still a business. And navigating this paradox isn’t easy for anyone. My approach is the middle way. It involves both clarifying your ideals and aligning those with the Realpolitik of helping buyers find you.

A good mentor is one of the most profound relationships any of us can find. Mine have changed my life.

There’s a sacred vibration to it - a kind of chemistry or magnetism. We’re drawn, at a visceral level, to the energy and ideas we need. If the ideas I share resonate for you, they’re not my ideas. The best ideas transcend person, place or time, and at some level, are truth itself. When these ideas find life in us, our work and lives blossom from them.

As for what that means, in practice, I can only promise working ideas to explore. If you’re looking for shortcuts, I don’t know them. But if you’re reading this, you have something you feel called to share with the world. There will be a way to make that happen. Have faith, persist, find your tribe, keep going. Don’t quit.

One:One Mentoring.

Let the conversation unfold in a relaxed, unstructured way. We can discuss your artwork, process, technique, the N’s, pricing, or routes to market and collectors. You will be asked to share what you hope to get out of the mentoring.

The meeting will be 50 minutes over zoom.

Future meetings may be booked as long as we both feel they’re adding value to your career.

Current Waiting List

2 weeks

£170

Live Broadcasts.

Register here and get notified of live broadcasts where I cover a range of topics, both a set of prepared ideas, and responding to submitted topics and questions.

One:One Career Audit.

For a more formal, and structured review, apply for a career audit. If accepted, you will be asked to respond to a questionnaire, with a full and clear history of your work, before the first meeting.

What you’ll Get.

  • An honest assessment of your work, with specific and detailed feedback.
  • Complete written audit of your business, as a business.
  • Recommended pricing for your work.
  • Specific ideas you can put into action.
  • Two 50-min Zoom meetings with Richard.

Current Waiting List

3 weeks

£970

Hi, I’m Richard,

I help artists and art lovers navigate this magical and mysterious art world.

For over 20 years I’ve worked as an Artist, Gallerist and Art Advisor between London and New York. 

As a Gallerist:

Sales

Artworks Delivered

Commissions Arranged

Over $60 Million

Over 6,000

Over 1,000

As an Artist:

Private Commissions

Average Commission

Biggest Commission

Over 100

$40,000

$180,000

For artists and buyers alike, the art world can be a strangely difficult place to navigate. Isn’t art meant to be about connection and beauty?

What’s with the attitude?

Art is at the core of being human. The art around us impacts our mood every day and has a magical impact on our lives.

My mission is celebrating the power of art to lift our souls, partly by avoiding certain barriers to connection. That’s why I came up with the N’s. They’re a simple framework for discussing the big themes around art without needing a dictionary, or dumbing down the field I love so dearly.

Explore these ideas, see if they resonate for you.

A little background

Born in Atlanta, GA, I moved to London in 1995, co-founding a fashion business. I ran the marketing and design, and over 7 years grew that to $10M annual turnover. I then sold my shares to pursue what my parents had forbade from: a career in the arts.

So when I came to the art world, unlike most, I didn’t need a gallery, I already knew how to get clients. I did reasonably well from the start. I soon fell in love with the work of other artists and opened a gallery to showcase their work. Which did so well I opened another in New York. 

I called the gallery McKay Williamson after my two grandfathers, in a symbolic nod to the power of legacy. 

When the pandemic hit, the art world changed. I started doing social media. The pandemic taught me to work digitally. And to help collectors find artists in a way that’s simple and transparent.

Whilst I’ve still got bricks and mortar galleries, most of my work is online. I see my mission as creating beauty in the world through the energy we can find in great art that really moves us.

Whenever you’re ready, I’m here to help.

Client Quotes

  • 24 years of creativity of the highest quality all done with huge care and attention to detail. The whole team have a smart can-do approach keeping the creative juices flowing practically and not just theoretically. Richard’s Zen helps too.
    David Soanes
  • We’ve worked with McKay Williamson for years with art, design and photography projects, and are happy to recommend their work very highly. The latest piece was a surprise for my wife, who was absolutely thrilled. Thank you Richard!
    Panos Katsambas
  • McKay Williamson have been fantastic with advising us about our art. They spent lots of time finding out about us and our interests and tastes, visited the house to see the spaces and then presented a carefully curated selection of art for us to choose from. We are delighted with the eclectic mix of works we chose, especially the Trifinov, which we like so much that we have bought a second!
    Liz Marin-Curtoud
  • McKay Williamson organised a fabulous, commissioned painting by the artist Patrick Reeves in fragmented realism style. I recommend the gallery highly.
    Alex Pasteur
  • I should start by noting that I hardly ever post reviews about anything. The exceptional support and service provided by Richard and his team have inspired me. 5 stars.
    Pappudu Sriram
  • We have had several pieces and never been disappointed. Would recommend them in a heartbeat.
    Simon Horwood
  • Great experience from start to finish. They listened well to our brief and added many ideas we wouldn't have come up with ourselves. A really fun experience all the way through and the end result is something we will treasure for years to come! Highly recommended :) Can't wait to get our next piece!
    Michelle Milbourn
  • I am enjoying this not just for myself, but for my art students too. They’re all entering the art world, and Im pretty sure they’re now all followers of yours, too! =)
    @art_by_rae
  • The challenge of understanding art and being an artist is great enough. We need these ideas and dialogue to closer to any aspect of it. Good work – keep it rolling!
    @tim_s_mosby
  • I have a renewed sense of curiosity – thank you!
    @barriarbuffy
  • As much as I hate that art is really a business, this has helped me a lot so thanks.
    @sondyart
  • I really appreciate your ideas. You’ve helped my change direction with my work, which has been really inspiring and helped me keep going.
    @hallgaenor
  • Love this! Great work, I’m an art teacher and will be sharing this with my students.
    @perriartsy
  • Great insights – like you I have a background in science, and seeing this broken down this way really helped. Thank you!
    @artbybehnazlarsen
  • Brilliant work, very insightful. Thank you!
    @artasticangel
  • Great wisdom.
    @jacob.curphey
  • Love your ideas, interesting, unique and informative. Thank you.
    @jonmillerstudio
  • Thank you for your inspiring and encouraging ideas.
    @sarah_tarborton
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