artists

Good Advice for Choosing an Online Art Gallery

ARTISTS. If you plan to sell (or buy) original art through an online gallery, check out the credentials and expertise of the people running it. Not all galleries are run by professionals experienced in the art market.

NewBloodArtIn fact, some online art platforms operate without much human oversight at all, which can be risky to both artists and buyers. For example, if the online gallery isn’t run by someone who has seen the actual art and built a relationship with the artist, can the buyer have faith that the art is accurately priced, archivally sound, and offers investment potential?

If you are a new or emerging artist, look for a gallery run by an art expert who can mentor you on issues such as realistically pricing work and managing the release of works for sale.

“The emergent stage for an artist is a sensitive one,” explains Sarah Ryan, curator and founder of New Blood Art in the U.K. “If an artist fails to price realistically at the start of their careers they risk damaging their future careers significantly.” For example, if the work that you make available on an online gallery is priced too high, and you later sell that work offline for substantially less than the online price, then your reputation can suffer. Prospective future buyers may feel misled.

New Blood Art understands the importance of accurate pricing and manages it very carefully. The gallery strives to create a steady following of collectors for each artist they represent, and prices are gradually increased in response to demand. Prices go up by securing regular sales from clients who know they are buying at an attractive and realistic price point.

Ryan started New Blood Art in 2004 because she recognized that selling art online “offered an economically viable way of selling truly affordable artwork by talented young artists without being crippled by the overhead of a physical gallery space.”  The staff at New Blood Art visits all of the UK graduate art shows to find the best new talent. The site currently offers more than 2,000 pieces at prices as low as ₤50.00.

“Over the last nine years, we have built good relationships with both the clients we serve and the artists the we represent. We have a good track record for identifying artists that have gone on to do very well and whose work has increased in value over time,” says Ryan.  “As a gallerist, it is vital to get to know artists personally over time, assessing their commitment to their practice and the quality of the work they produce. This insight is key when determining investment potential for clients.”

Ryan not only gets to know the artists whose work appears in her online gallery, she also interacts with art buyers: “I do interact with personally with our clients and often meet with them and speak on the telephone. Without this interaction, I’m not sure we would have the same loyalty.”

NewBloodart_12574

ABOVE: One of the works featured on New Blood Art is “Untitled II,” a 175 x 175 cm mixed-media  painting on canvas by artist Emma Devane. A 2012 art-school graduate, Devane  was featured in a newspaper article about the advantages of collecting recently graduated artists.

LINKS

New Blood Art

About New Blood Art

 

Artists Studios Helps Non-Represented Artists in New York

AS|ARTISTS STUDIOS is a filtered, online database of non-represented artists who live in New York City and Paris, France. Founded in September 2011 by Jill Conner and Megan M. Garwood, AS|Artists Studios currently features works by more than 100 artists. The AS|Archive provides visitors with information about each artist, updated images of artwork in the studio, and the ability to contact the artist directly. In-person studio visits are encouraged.

During the first year of the operation of AS Studios, the AS artists participated in 29 solo shows and 55 group shows that received ample coverage in The New York Times, ARTFORUM, The New Criterion, and other publications.

In June 2012, one of the artists featured on AS|Artists Studios Vicki DaSilva won the “Art Takes Times Square” competition and had her work displayed on digital billboards in Times Square through the month of July.

AS|Artist Mark Sengbusch’s work is currently included in “Intersections” at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.

Submission Guidelines

To be considered for inclusion in the Artists Studio database, you must have a body of completed work, live in New York City or the greater metropolitan region, and not be represented by any New York City gallery or currently enrolled in an academic program. Artists in residency programs are welcome to apply, and formal training or art education isn’t required.

Applicants should submit a brief bio, an artist statement, resume or curriculum vitae, a maximum of ten images of artwork, and a link to a website (if applicable).  Full details on the Submission Guidelines can be found on the Artists Studios website.

LINKS

AS | ARTISTS STUDIOS

RELATED POST

See  Your Art Displayed on Times Square Billboards

 

Agency Helps Artists Choose the Right Online Gallery

ARTISTS. If you don’t have the time or patience to determine which of the 200+ online art galleries would be the best place to sell your work, The Art Marketing Agency of Sarasota, Florida can help.

After a one-hour phone or Skype consultation with their team of objective experts, you will receive written recommendations of the five or ten galleries they believe will be most effective in generating sales for you. They can also help you set up your salon on each of the recommended galleries.

“We recognized that success in selling art online means knowing exactly what online galleries and their buyers are the best fit for specific styles and mediums. Our services are specifically designed to match the characteristics of the online gallery, and its audience, with the artwork,” says Tuck Tucker, director of the Art Marketing Agency.

Clients can also receive the agency’s new “Guide to Online Art and Photography Galleries” that analyzes the characteristics of more than 100 different galleries.

Your consultation will start with a critical, objective analysis of your portfolio, website, and current marketing efforts. You will get advice on the specific metatags and metawords you should insert in your website to attract more traffic. Plus, you’ll get tips to make it easier for sell art directly from your site.

You can learn how to capture the e-mail addresses of people who visit your site, so you can send them newsletters and invitations to events and shows in which you will be participating. The Art Marketing Agency can also teach you how to use different types of social media to showcase your art and connect with buyers.

In addition to assistance in developing a targeted online marketing strategy, you will also get advice on pricing your artwork and designing specialized advertising campaigns.

The director of the Art Marketing Agency Tuck Tucker has more than 20 years of experience in marketing art and photography. He was the chief curator of the ModernMastersPhotography.com collection and has worked with numerous online galleries and print and online media such as Art News, Art in America, Art Info, Art Net, AIPAD, and Aperture.

Photographer Karen T. in Arlington,Virginia, says that The Art Marketing Agency helped make her life and art marketing more successful: “The Agency suggested I shift from 2 pay galleries to 5 non-pay and I am making more sales and saving money. What I liked is that their services are ‘turnkey.’ They really did all the work to set me up with the online galleries after the consultation.”

Portrait artist Ron W. of Miami, Florida says he was relieved to find the Art Marketing Agency: “It was was just too time-consuming and frustrating to know what online galleries to work with. The team at the Agency has given me better online sales options.”

For details on different options and pricing levels for the consultants, visit The Art Marketing Agency website.

LINK

The Art Marketing Agency

 

3D Pavement Art Depicts Vastness of Grand Canyon

If you will be traveling near the South Rim of the Grand Canyon this summer, stop by the National Geographic Visitor Center and be photographed with the 3D pavement print created by Kurt Wenner.

Entitled “Grand Canyon Illusion,” the piece is a visual mind and eye puzzle that conveys the vastness of the canyon. Visitors are encouraged to “complete the art” by stepping into it and being photographed. In the photo, you will appear to be perched on an outcrop high above the Canyon floor.

“It’s a sunrise idea –the colors need to be at the surface of the illusion,” said artist Kurt Wenner. “The thousands of different colors make it so momentous.” Within a 15-foot span, the transitions in the art provide a journey for the eye, one that is as smooth as possible. As he puts it, “You’re trying to reach to infinity.”

It is the first Kurt Wenner permanent 3D illusion composition to be exhibited in North America.

Wenner’s large-scale drawing process involves a form of perspective known as anamorphism, a technique that several great artists first used during the Renaissance to develop illusion in art. These artists used the technique to depict soaring architecture, floating figures, and dreamscapes on massively large ceiling frescoes.

By combining elements of this classic Renaissance art with traditional street painting techniques, Wenner gave birth to a new art form called anamorphic or 3D pavement art. Audiences can not only ‘view’ Wenner’s art, but also ‘interact’ with compositions that appear to rise from the ground or fall into it.

“We are delighted to have visitors from all around the world interacting in and learning from Kurt Wenner’s 3D Grand Canyon Illusion here in our courtyard,” said Janet Rosener, Director of the National Geographic Visitor Center. “Through the magic of Wenner’s fine art, we aim to give our visitors a higher level of understanding and appreciation for this special place and to help them get the most out of their vacation at the Grand Canyon.”Nature Valley® is the presenting sponsor of Kurt Wenner’s Grand Canyon 3D artwork.

“Kurt first came to our attention through a National Geographic documentary, Masterpieces in Chalk, filmed in 1987,” said Robert S. Perkins, Chief Executive Officer of Destination Cinema, the National Geographic Visitor Center’s parent company. “We would like to suggest that, when visitors come to experience the Grand Canyon, they should take the opportunity to see the artwork of Kurt Wenner, a man many consider a natural wonder of the art world.”

The National Geographic Visitor Center is located on highway 64, one mile south of the South Rim entrance to Grand Canyon National Park. The center is open from 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. March 1 to October 31 and from 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. November 1 to February 28.

LINKS

National Geographic Visitor Center: Grand Canyon

 

Kurt Wenner Grand Canyon Installation

 

Online Gallery Lets Artists Sell without Commissions or Fees

Foundmyself is a free, online art community that offers selling tools to artists of all skill levels. Unlike other art sites, it runs entirely on the honor system.

The honor system means you can sell your original art without paying the commissions or subscription fees that are common on other sites. Buyers know that 100 percent of their purchase goes directly toward supporting your creative endeavors.

Here’s the catch: Foundmyself expects you to contribute if you find the site useful or make a sale. The financial details of your transactions on the site aren’t tracked, so it really is a relationship of trust. You keep your earnings, then donate what you think is appropriate.

If you do choose to make a monetary contribution to the site, you will be compensated with “honor points,” which can be exchanged for benefits such as having your work show up on the front page of the site. You can also earn “honor points” by participating in the forum.

Designer Trevor Hunt started the site in 2003 as a small side project. It has since grown into a large, but familiar community.

The Foundmyself site recently underwent a major redesign. New tools offered include standalone artist websites, a drag-and-drop interface, and a “canvas” system in place of a traditional, static gallery page. The “canvas” serves as each artist’s online face to the world, and can be customized with different layouts and widgets. You can add slideshows, newsletter sign-up forms, and other features.

If you choose to set up a standalone website, you can opt for a free version or more full-featured, ad-free websites for a monthly or annual fee.

LINKS

 Foundmyself

Artist websites through Foundmyself

Chicago House-Painting Firm Hires Local Artists as Painters

Ndebele Garage Mural, Chicago, Artist Painters

“Artist Painters” is not your ordinary painting company. Founded by 38-year-old artist Gene Pellegrene, the Chicago-based firm employs area artists from all creative fields to execute high-quality interior/exterior painting projects for their customers.

The artists earn a decent wage while subtly raising awareness about the benefits of art, one project at a time. As the artists work in a client’s home, they influence people’s perceptions about art and what art can do.

In addition, the artists often feel inspired to create a gift that reflects their experience during the painting project.

According to Pellegrene, “Almost every painting job has a piece of art that is created from that particular experience and given to the customer as a surprise gift.” Previous clients have received paintings, work journals, collages, or furniture.

For example, during one interior painting project, the clients’ four-year-old son charmed Pellegrene with his humor, questions about painting, and love of making art. Although the son said he would like bright yellow walls in his bedroom, his mother had other ideas. So Pellegrene crafted and left behind a small oak art table and stool finished with bright yellow accents.

“The art table was a functional piece that on another level demonstrated a very personal, relationship-based piece of art,” says Pellegrene. “It was an example of the power of art to spawn memories, relationships and appreciation for those relationships.”

Artist Painters embraces the philosophy of the “local living economy” by taking an ethical and socially responsible approach to business and its artists. The goal is to serve the common good in the community, rather than simply focus on increasing profits. Pellegrene hopes the company can remain “small” in its ideology while helping to support as many artists as possible.

“This ideal only works under the conditions with the highest quality of workmanship,” he says. Artist Painters provides free quotes in the Chicagoland area on projects such as interior and exterior walls, murals, deck refinishing, wrought-iron fencing, and more.

To see examples of how artists have enhanced home painting projects, visit Artist Painters on Facebook or their website.

LINKS

Artist Painters Chicago

Occupy Wall Space 2: Art Show Promotes Love, Art, and Houston Artists

This week, I’ll highlight ways that artists, designers, and photographers are using Valentine’s Day as a way to promote more personalized and meaningful gifts.  Let’s start with a Valentine’s Art Show and Market in Houston designed to benefit area artists.

A Celebration of Many Facets of Love

With all the turmoil, struggle, division, and inequality in the world, maybe what the world needs now is an art show to pay tribute to love in all its forms. At least that’s what Houston photographer and antique dealer Gordon Greenleaf believes.

So, when he decided to do a follow up to the first “Occupy Wall Space” art show he held last November, he settled on Sunday, February 12 as the date and chose this theme: “Occupy Wall Space 2 – For Love and Art, A Valentine’s Market.” The event will be held at Rudyard’s British Pub, 2010 Waugh Drive, Houston, from 4 to 8 pm.

Greenleaf started the “Occupy Wall Space” show as a way to help local artists sell their work with no upfront gallery fees or deducted commissions. The first event was an impromptu show at Cecil’s Pub in Houston. Artists were charged nothing to show their work, and kept all of the proceeds from their sales.

“It is difficult enough for aspiring artists to make a little return on their art,” says Greenleaf. “Of course, art galleries need to make money to stay alive and viable. And most Houston galleries do a great job and have the Houston art community’s best interests at heart. But some just charge the artist for wall space and then really don’t do much to promote the show or get buyers in.”

Greenleaf believes his event will actually help the art galleries and the entire art community by directing people to other places that the artists show their work.

“But primarily my goal is to put a little extra money in the artist’s pocket and promote their talent,” he says. “And by showing at some unusual, non-typical venues, the art gets to some people who may not otherwise seek out the galleries.”  If the public can buy works from up-and-coming artists at more affordable prices, Greenleaf regards it as a situation that benefits everyone.

Greenleaf reports that his first Occupy Wall Space show brought in a large number of people and most of the artists sold work.

For the Big-Hearted and Broken-Hearted

Some people ask him if the Occupy Wall Space moniker represents a political affiliation. “Absolutely not,” Greenleaf says. “Alluding to Occupy is simply a tip of the hat to those who would protect the little guy and his free speech.”

As for the Valentine’s Day theme, Greenleaf says, “A lot of people write off Valentine’s Day as just another big business commercial day, created to make more money from the hardworking citizen. But I envisage that it could also be a day for celebrating love in all its colors through art: romantic love, love of life, love of country, love of family, love of food and drink, brotherly love, sisterly love, love of humanity, erotica, even love of dogs and cats.”

At the upcoming show local artists will hint at, portray or poke fun at some of love’s many facets with painting, drawings, photographs, cartoons, jewelry and sculpture.
Greenleaf is promoting it as a show “for the erotic and the neurotic, and for the big-hearted and the broken-hearted.” He expects the afternoon to be more of a party than an art show.

Some of the artists to be featured in the show include:

  • B.D. Himes – Cartoon men and women
  • Tara Jordan-Greenleaf – 3D paintings
  • Johnny Rojas- Sculpture in Iron
  • Tracy Pierce – Found object art
  • Bhavana – Eastern and spiritual influenced art
  • Lynn Chapman – Blue ladies and Vivid hearts
  • Robin Winfrey – Brazen photography of women
  • Gordon Greenleaf- Then & Now (35yrs of photos)

Vendors at the show will be offering gifts such as handmade valentines, french postcard art, pin-up art, homemade chocolates (made with local honey), nautical items and Hawaiian shirts. Greg Harbar will provide gypsy music, and the owner of Rudyard’s Pub will be offering champagne specials.

FACEBOOK: Occupy Wall Space 2