Briefing.

A FIRST PERSON ACCOUNT OF RUNNING A SMALL BUSINESS

FOR many Angelenos, the contemporary art scene can seem intinidating and overwhelming. After observing this for 15 years, Michael Collins set out to use his skills and artistic eye to help ease the process of buying art by starting artFORM, a contemporary-art consulting firm in West Hollywood. Collins spoke with Kristin Wilder about turning his passion into a profession.

"The company is about a year old. I started collecting art about 20 years ago. My business at the time was real estate. I found that people would come to my home and see the art on the walls and be very interested. It gave me great pleasure to take them to the artists' studios and show them where the art was created. I loved to take them to galleries and help them pick out art. I had a background in sales, and I thought this was an opportunity to sell something that I love and that I am very good at.

"I found that the gallery experience was a bit off-putting for some. You walk into this empty space and the curator looks at you like you are a pretender. It's just not a comfortable way to buy art.

"I have three art consultants. We initially do a phone interview to see what they are looking for. We design a presentation for them based upon their preferences. We spend an hour with them at no charge. The artist can even bring the item to their home or office so they can see the piece in the space they want it in.

"A lot of clients will arrange a studio visit. They get to meet the artist and see where they created the work and actually see the artist at work. It is very tactile. It is sort of an education about how the piece was created, and what the motivation was behind it. They really appreciate that. It adds value to the work.

"Our office is somewhat like a gallery, but the nature of this business is not people coming to us, but us going to them. Some of the better-known L.A. artists that we represent are Luc Leestemaker, Laura Parker, James Higginson and Gabe Rivera.

"Our typical client is somebody who is not necessarily a novice collector but someone who has a vision of what they like and just doesn't know how to find it. They have money to spare and not a lot of time.

"The art runs from $350 for a black-and-white photo to $10,000 for a large canvas. We don't charge a fee for our service; it is all built into the cost of the art. We offer custom framing, shipping and delivery -- and custom installation as well.

"I'd like to expand with additional sales representatives specializing in different markets. I am looking to possibly go national in the next couple of years."