Developing a Commercial Practice- 17th November
How do you establish and maintain a commercially viable, sustainable art practice? Join artist Elizabeth O’Kane for a practical online webinar exploring the essential strategies, workflows, and business considerations behind securing commissions and building steady revenue streams.
Drawing directly on decades of professional experience working across public, private, and corporate sectors, this session demystifies the commercial side of art production. Elizabeth will unpack the end-to-end process of competing for major tenders, balancing varied sales avenues, and sustaining long-term momentum in the studio.
Key topics covered include:
- Applying for Public Art Tenders: Navigating open calls (including opportunities advertised via VAI), dissecting briefs, preparing proposals, and structuring realistic budgets and timelines.
- Working to Commission: Practical workflows for executing bespoke commissions, managing client relationships, and delivering projects smoothly from concept to completion.
- Diversifying Income: Balancing open calls and public tenders alongside gallery representation, curated exhibitions, and direct studio sales.
- Reputation & Retention: Developing repeat business, gaining client trust, and building an organic word-of-mouth network.
- Digital Presentation: Maximising the impact of your online portfolio and social channels to maintain industry visibility and draw new inquiries.
The presentation will conclude with a live Q&A, offering attendees the opportunity to ask specific questions about advancing their own commercial practice.
Elizabeth O’Kane
Elizabeth O’Kane is a Dublin-based sculptor and painter, and a member of The Society of Portrait Sculptors. She is best known for her bronze sculptures of Spiorad Ban Chiarraí (Spirit of Kerry Women) in Tralee; John Hume (Leinster House and Washington D.C.); John Count McCormack (Iveagh Gardens, Dublin); and Dr Garret FitzGerald at UCD. Her work focuses on portraiture and movement, driven by a fascination with the human face, expression, and ethnicity. She sculpts in clay, bronze, and stone.
Originally a French translator, she is largely a self-taught artist and an elected member of The Art Students League of New York, where she has studied regularly since 2008. She has also trained at the Florence Academy of Art and the Pietrasanta Marble School in Italy. Travel serves as a major source of inspiration for her cityscape and architectural watercolours; she is a member of the Watercolour Society of Ireland, the Ulster Watercolour Society, and the Dublin Painting and Sketching Club. Elizabeth has lectured on portrait sculpture to the Friends of the National Gallery of Ireland and at the Dún Laoghaire Institute of Art, Design and Technology (IADT).
She exhibits regularly with the Royal Hibernian Academy (RHA) and the Royal Ulster Academy (RUA), and was shortlisted for the Zurich Portrait Prize at the National Gallery of Ireland. In 2025, she was invited to judge the inaugural Sir William Orpen Portrait Prize, a prestigious all-Ireland self-portrait competition.
Public and institutional collections holding her work include the European Parliament, Irish Embassies in Washington D.C. and London, Leinster House, the Department of Foreign Affairs, the Office of Public Works (OPW), the National Concert Hall, the National Library of Ireland, Shannon Airport, University of Limerick, University College Dublin, the Irish Rugby Football Union, Munster Rugby, and Belfast City Hall.
This event is supported by Clare, Limerick and Tipperary County Council Arts Offices.