Artist Network give these examples in how to do your first exhibition:

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1. Try a home show and invite your friends. Hang the work on your walls. Get a few easels and set them up for viewing. Offer refreshments and appetizers to make guests feel at home to browse. See if a friend or family member will help you with serving, chatting, and general host duties. If you want to cover some of your expenses you can consider having the work for sale.

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2. Connect with a local business and see if they might be interested in hanging your work in their establishment. Coffee shops, restaurants, and boutiques are often open for such arrangements.

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3. Get together with a few other artists and rent a space for your exhibition. You can share the expenses, promotional material, guest list, set up, and so on.

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4. Enter juried exhibitions. You will need a professional digital image of your work. Should you be selected, you’ll have to make sure that your painting conforms to the proper framing expectations and crate your work for safe shipping. The artist is responsible for shipping costs each way.

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Some juried exhibitions will insist that you offer your paintings for sale, so read the details before entering. You don’t want to get caught in a situation that you didn’t expect. The benefits are that they do all of the PR, set up, and take down. Usually these organizations have a following of patrons, so you’re likely to have a large number of people see your work. Some juried exhibitions will offer awards, and you may walk away with some cash or product as icing on the cake.

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5. Once you’ve established a constant sales record, exhibitions for your CV (curriculum vitae) and client list, you may be interested in applying to artist-run galleries or commercial galleries. These establishments have costs attached to the operating and managing of the facility, so some kind of commission will be expected from you for their time, energy, and expenses.