Pixels, a leading online art marketplace and print-on-demand technology company, is producing a series of videos called “Art / My Way.” The inspiring series tells the stories of modern American visual artists and how they established themselves creatively.
Each three-minute video provides an intimate look insides the minds of working artists and answers questions such as “What drives artists to do what they do?” and “How do their lives and their work inform one another?” The series speaks to overcoming the fear and adversity that get in the ways of lifelong dreams and illustrates how basic needs can drive innovation and entrepreneurship.
Beautifully shot by documentary filmmaker Jeff Bloom, the videos feature some of the most interesting artists who use Pixels to showcase and sell their work online.
The first two “pilot” episodes profile South African-born painter Jabu and landscape photographer Nicki Frates, who lives in Los Angeles.
Jabu
Jabu was born in the Alexander Township of Johannesburg, South Africa during apartheid and views Nelson Mandela as his hero. Jabu sees himself as an activist artist (“artivist”). As a youth, he was imprisoned for a year for making Mandela T-shirts. The video delves into Jabu’s artistic methods, some of his most prominent works, and what pop star he believes is as much of a leader as Martin Luther King Jr.
Nicki Frates
Daughter of renowned commercial photographer Dennis Frates, Nicki Frates grew up accompanying her dad on shoots. Initially, she pursued fashion as her creative outlet, but photography wouldn’t let her go. Now, she is an award-winning landscape photographer who braves extreme weather to shoot in beautiful, but challenging locations.
Pixels is producing the series to give art buyers a unique perspective into the artists whose work is featured on the Pixels.com website. The series is also designed to provide artists with ideas and motivation for building their own careers around their work.
According to Pixels CEO Sean Broihier, “Many of our artists have built their careers the same way we built our business — by creatively bootstrapping and not being anointed by a venture-capital firm or an art gallery. We are thrilled to give them a platform to explain how they do their art, their way.”
About Pixels
The Pixels online art marketplace showcases the works of hundreds of thousands of artists, photographers, graphic designers, illustrators, and iconic brands. The company has been helping artists sell wall art, home decor, apparel, and other products since 2006.
With just a few clicks, artists and photographers can upload their images to Pixels.com, set their prices for hundreds of different print-on-demand products, and then instantly sell those products to a global audience of online, mobile, and real-world buyers.
Pixels fulfills each order on behalf of the artists. They take care of the printing, framing, matting, packaging, shipping, collecting payments from the buyers, and sending profits to the artists. Each product is manufactured at one of 14 global production facilities and delivered “ready-to-hang” with a 30-day money-back guarantee.
