Art Sales – Paradigm Shift or the Economy?
This may be beginning of a paradigm shift on where people will buy fine art, or maybe just a sign of the economic times, but another prominent Laguna Beach art gallery closed its’ doors this past week. The owners of the Rohrer Gallery which was housed in the attractive owner-built craftsman style art gallery in North Laguna Beach’s Gallery Row put the property on the market for $4.495 million. Having been in business since 2007, the art gallery sold high end museum quality artwork.
This closing did not surprise many in a town like Laguna Beach that boasts some 65 or so art galleries, but something that James Carona, the operating partner and manager of the Rohrer who is also a partner in two other art galleries in the west said did. The comment he made that caught my eye and probably the eyes of many of those other art gallery owners was a comment he made when interviewed by the local independent newspaper. Despite other reasons that were given for the closing, Mr. Carona acknowledged a growing shift to Internet sales for fine art.
While this is something we have been saying for years, he pointed out that “It’s all about maintaining relationships with clients. It matters less now whether people actually walk into an art gallery. We sell pieces all over the world through the web”.
"Floating Feathers" by Adam Thomas
As there are still those that feel the need to see and feel a work of fine art in person before they are willing to purchase it, many are becoming more accepting of buying fine art online when they know or have learned about the reputation and credibility of the online art gallery they are buying from.
At TheArtGallerist.com, we have taken many steps to ensure customers can feel completely safe and secure when buying fine art from us. Since we work directly with juried artists who stand behind their work, we are able to do the same and do so by offering a 100% Customer Satisfaction Guarantee. If you want to buy art without risks, then buy from us as every sale comes with this guarantee. If you are not satisfied for any reason with the fine art you have purchased from us, you can return it for a full refund. Our accreditation by the Better Business Bureau in the United States with an “excellent” rating ensures our trustworthiness.
We value our customers and want them to not only continue to buy art from us but to recommend TheArtGallerist.com online fine art gallery to their friends. We work hard every day to provide them with the best online art gallery experience, even providing them access to a separate “Artist Guestbook” where they can communicate with each artist directly before making their purchase decision.
To summarize, the closing of this art gallery undoubtedly means another will soon take its place. At the same time one can conclude that traditional brick and mortar art galleries are also starting to realize that expensive fine art can be sold online if the art gallery has taken the steps to not only provide a good experience for customers, but has worked hard to maintain customer relationships once they are established.
A Conversation with Artist Elaine Hughes
I first met Elaine Hughes at the Affaire in the Garden in Beverly Hills, California, where in 2008 she won ‘Best of Show”. I was immediately attracted to Elaine’s work because of her ability to capture the viewer and transport them into the scene with her composition, subject matter, and use of color.
Elaine Hughes creates all of her work with a palette knife due to the texture and movement it gives to an oil painting. The focus of much of Elaine’s artwork has been on children and families. Having been born and raised in Southern California, she has developed a love for the coast and will usually make it the setting for her oil paintings.
We hope that you enjoy reading the conversation we recently had with Elaine as she is as interesting and engaging as she is talented.
When did you first realize that you had a talent for art?
Throughout my childhood I would draw faces from album covers and magazines. I would also paint on the furniture in my bedroom. I painted a large portrait of a dancer on the back of my dresser. I’ve always received compliments on my art but never thought of it as a talent, I just loved doing it.
What is your favorite medium and why?
I use water mixable oils. I started painting in my garage and used acrylics because I didn’t want to deal with the fumes of regular oils and turpentine. I was watching a painting demonstration on TV one day and the instructor introduced water mixable oils. I’ve loved them from the beginning. They give me much more time to work on the painting before drying and they clean up with soap and water.
"Reflection" by Elaine Hughes
How did you decide on and develop your artistic style?
I started doing paintings of my children using acrylics with brushes. One day I wanted to paint a gift for a friend. He liked textured work but I was having trouble achieving that with my brushes so I tried using a palette knife. I felt I had more control with the knife and have used one ever since. That friend owned an art gallery and he liked my style so he asked me to paint something to put in his gallery. I’ve been selling my oil paintings since then, which was about 15 years ago.
How do you choose the subjects of your oil paintings?
I started painting children at the beach using my three young daughters and their friends as subjects. The beach and children are still my favorite things to paint but I always have my camera with me looking for subjects with good lighting – buildings, roads, animals, people, anything.
What is it about you that makes you a good artist?
I think that most people have so many things on their minds during the day that they don’t take the time to see the beauty around them. So, when they look at my art they stop and realize how peaceful and lovely ordinary things can be. Also my oil paintings of figures or roads leave room for each viewer’s own version of what is happening in the scene. One of my favorite compliments that someone gave me was that my paintings were evocative.
What are you currently working on, and do you have for plans for a new series?
"Destiny" by Elaine Hughes
At the moment I’m painting a street scene of Laguna Beach. I would like to do a lot more surf paintings. I’d like to be able to paint the connection that surfers have with the ocean. There seems to be so much freedom and joy when they’re in the water. I’d also like to do more tango paintings, probably for the same reason. I’d like to capture the connection between the partners, the music, and also the freedom and joy felt while dancing.
As an artist, what type of art do you appreciate?
I appreciate the feelings that a painter can bring out in the viewer with the use of color, texture and composition. This can be any type of painting – realistic, impressionist or abstract. I also like when an impressionist artist paints very loosely and with just a little dash of color can suggest an actual shape.
Many people are concerned about spending money on art given the state of our economy. What would you tell them?
I would say to buy art if you can afford it and then you’ll be able to look at something you love every day for the rest of your life. It will last longer than probably anything else you can purchase including clothing, electronics, furniture and vacations. You’ll also be able to pass it down to your family.
What would you tell other artists that may be considering the Internet as a way to gain further exposure for themselves and their artwork?
I would say “why not?” I’ve had people from across the country find me simply by just surfing the net. They’ve purchased art and are now valued clients.
Why did you decide to work with TheArtGallerist.com?
I met Brian (the Founder) and his wife at an art show. They were very friendly and gave me the little push I needed to get started. As an artist, business isn’t “my thing” but they made the process so easy that I couldn’t pass up this opportunity to have more exposure for my work.
Thank you Elaine!
Press Release – TheArtGallerist.com
| PRESS RELEASE
July 8, 2010
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For Immediate Release: Contact: Brian Siedlecki 949-436-6004
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TheArtGallerist.com Receives Better Business Bureau Accreditation
Laguna Beach, CA – July 8, 2010 – TheArtGallerist.com applied for and received accreditation from the Better Business Bureau and their online affiliate company TrustLink. The Better Business Bureau is a private, non-profit, self-regulatory organization, dedicated to promoting fairness and honesty in the marketplace. The Bureau is committed to the concept of self-regulation as healthiest for business and consumers.
“We wanted to provide our customers which are made up of fine artists, designers, art buyers, corporate buyers and collectors with an independent assessment of our trustworthiness” said Brian Siedlecki, the company’s Founder. “It is important for each to know that we stand behind our service and important consumer protections such as our 100% Customer Satisfaction Guarantee. When customers see The Better Business Bureau membership logo, they should immediately feel confident that the business they are working with adheres to the standards and ethics promoted by the Bureau.”
Customers that have not had an issue handled to their satisfaction by TheArtGallerist.com, can then turn to the Better Business Bureau for help with their complaint. It is reported that 95% of customer who report complaints become loyal customers if their complaint is satisfactorily handled. To file a complaint, customers can simply click on the BBB logo that is located in the bottom right hand corner of every page of TheArtGallerist.com online fine art gallery.
When you get to the Better Business Bureau website from the provided link, you will also see the current grade the BBB has assigned to TheArtGallerist.com. Since we are new to the BBB and they don’t have a lot of history with us, based upon what they do know of us they have awarded us with a grade of A – . The BBB explains, “This is an excellent rating. A company with this rating may not rate higher because of a greater number of rate-lowering factors (like accreditation time), but we do not consider them to be factors that would likely adversely affect consumer transactions.”
Another terrific program of the Better Business Bureau is their TrustLink™ program. TrustLink can be accessed from the BBB homepage and allows visitors to read other customer reviews or to post company reviews of their own. TheArtGallerist.com encourages everyone to take advantage of this wonderful program.
To further assure potential customers, TheArtGallerist.com has selected PayPal to process all of its financial transactions. They chose PayPal because it allows consumers to pay for their purchases using any major credit card, including American Express, securely and safely. It should be made clear that you do not need to be a PayPal member or have a PayPal account. PayPal uses the latest, industry-leading data encryption technology to help ensure your transaction information is completely secure. It is so secure, that PayPal doesn’t even share your credit card information with TheArtGallerist.com!
About TheArtGallerist.com
TheArtGallerist.com, LLC is headquartered in the beautiful seaside artist community of Laguna Beach, California. As the name implies, the company takes an active role in the online representation and promotion of only the most talented professional, emerging and student artists. For consumers, the website provides a fine art gallery experience. With three separate exhibits, powerful search and sorting tools, and other special tools that allow potential buyers to freely interact with the artists, the website makes finding that perfect piece of original fine art easy and stress free.
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Press Release – TheArtGallerist.com
| PRESS RELEASE June 29, 2010 |  |
For Immediate Release: Contact: Brian Siedlecki 949-436-6004 |
Artists Anja Van Herle and Lu Hong Exhibit at TheArtGallerist.com
Laguna Beach, CA – June 29, 2010 – TheArtGallerist.com announced today that two more prominent artists, Anja Van Herle and Lu Hong, have begun exhibiting and selling their highly sought after original paintings and giclée prints in the online fine art gallery’s professional exhibit.
Born in Belgium in 1969, Anja Van Herle combines a European sense of high fashion in her artwork with an American sense of wonder. In 1987, she enrolled in Belgium’s Higher Institute for Art Education where she earned a Master’s of Fine Arts in Painting. In 2003, Anja relocated to Los Angeles, where she now concentrates on figurative paintings that are inspired by both classic and contemporary fashion while exploring issues of identity, emotion and human interrelationships. Just as Vargas is known for his sexy pin-up models, Van Herle is also becoming well known for her women. In the “Anja’s Women” series, Van Herle’s women are playfully sexy, and their expressions and eyes tell stories that go far beyond the simple exhibition of fine fashion. In Van Herle’s masterful hands, fashion becomes alive. “My work is an attempt to capture the complexity of emotions that are conveyed in the human face,” explained Van Herle.
When Anja Van Herle was asked why she decided to exhibit with TheArtGallerist.com she said, “I have never worked with an online gallery, but liked the idea of being represented by TheArtGallerist.com because of the caliber of artists they represent. I found them to be nice and trustworthy, and their personal approach to selling fine art online intrigued me.”
Contemporary Chinese American artist Lu Hong has also recently joined TheArtGallerist.com exhibition. Lu Hong was born in Qin Huang Dao, a coastal city of Northeastern China. After graduating from high school in 1981, he attended the most prestigious art school in China, the Central Academy of Design and Arts in Beijing. He subsequently obtained a scholarship from the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts and moved to the United States in 1986. After his work was introduced by Segal Fine Art during the New York Art Expo and Los Angeles Art Expo in 1987, Lu Hong become one of the most acclaimed contemporary Chinese artists in the world.
“From western modern art, Cubism and Surrealism are two fundamental conceptual influences on me. However, the overall construction of my work is still rooted in traditional Chinese painting, both in terms of composition and technique. I try to focus on the lyric element in an image, a symbolist approach: to suggest, not to define,” Hong said. Hong’s newly exhibited work has a more art deco style, mixing bright colors with spiritual or sometime fantasy subject matter.
“We are proud that we continue to attract talented and collectable artists like Anja Van Herle and Lu Hong” said Brian Siedlecki, the company’s Founder. “We are also proud of the artists exhibiting in our emerging and student exhibits. People interested in buying fine art can be assured that our three exhibits only separate artists by level of recognition and achievement, not by talent. Our 100% Customer Satisfaction Guarantee and the potential buyer’s ability to actually speak directly with the artists via our “Guestbook” make buying fine art over the Internet and directly from the artist completely risk free”.
About TheArtGallerist.com
TheArtGallerist.com, LLC is headquartered in the beautiful seaside artist community of Laguna Beach, California. As the name implies, the company takes an active role in the online representation and promotion of only the most talented professional, emerging and student artists. For consumers, the website provides a fine art gallery experience. With three separate exhibits, powerful search and sorting tools, and other special tools that allow potential buyers to freely interact with the artists, the website makes finding that perfect piece of original fine art easy and stress free.
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Press Release – TheArtGallerist.com
| PRESS RELEASE May 22, 2010 |
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For Immediate Release: Contact: Brian Siedlecki 949-436-6004
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TheArtGallerist.com Features the Artwork of 15 Laguna Beach Festival of the Arts Artists
Laguna Beach, CA – May 22, 2010 – TheArtGallerist.com is proud to announce that three more talented artists that regularly exhibit their work in our online fine art gallery were recently accepted to showcase their artwork for the first time at the prestigious Festival of the Arts in Laguna Beach, California.
Some of their work was available for preview at the New Artists Exhibition reception this past Saturday on the third floor of the Wells Fargo Bank on Ocean Avenue in Laguna Beach. These three artists, Elizabeth McGhee (oil painting), Marie-Pierre Phillipe-Lohezic (bronze sculptor), and Danny Von der Ahe (oil painting) were among 17 other artists who will be joining tenured exhibitors in the 2010 Festival of the Arts. (July 5 through August 31, 2010).
Similar to TheArtGallerist.com jury process conducted by our group of art professionals, the Festival of the Arts exhibit of original fine art is the result of judging by a panel of seven knowledgeable artists to assure patrons the pre-eminent art experience they expect.
First time exhibitor and recent graduate of the Laguna College of Art and Design, Elizabeth McGhee, is actually following in her great-grandmothers footsteps. Charlotte Light was a fine artist, and exhibited at the Festival of the Arts back in 1957. Elizabeth McGhee, Marie-Pierre Phillipe-Lohezic, and Danny Von der Ahe will be joining 12 other tenured artists whose work is also available year round on TheArtGallerist.com fine art website. These tenured artists and the mediums in which they work are…Barbara White (photography), Breck Rothage (photography), Bruce Vanderwilt (oil painting), Derek Voien (ceramics), Ebrahim Amin (oil painting), Fred Hope (oil painting), Gina Lunn (art glass), Lindsay Buchman (printmaking), Margo Moritz (photography), Mark Hendrickson (ceramics), Mark Jacobucci (oil painting), and Michael Herman (art glass).
Since 1932, The Festival of the Arts has been a major factor in promoting and sustaining the fine arts in Laguna Beach. It has matured into a world renowned cultural institution drawing visitors from all around the world. In fact, American Style magazine recently voted the Laguna Festival of the Arts on of the top 10 art festivals in America. The Festival, with its premier attraction the Pageant of the Masters has shared its success, awarding millions of dollars in the form of scholarships to art students and grants to art and cultural organizations.
If you are unable to visit Laguna Beach, California to see and buy the fine art work of these and other wonderful juried student, emerging, and professional artists, then we invite you to visit our fine art gallery online at http://TheArtGallerist.com.
About the Company
TheArtGallerist.com, LLC is headquartered in the beautiful seaside artist community of Laguna Beach, California. As the name implies, the company takes an active role in the online representation and promotion of only the most talented professional, emerging and student artists. For consumers, the website provides a fine art gallery experience. With three separate exhibits, powerful search and sorting tools, and other special tools that allow consumers to interact with the artists, the website makes finding that perfect piece of affordable artwork easy and stress free.
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Using “Keywords” in Fine Art Descriptions
We have already discussed the importance of keywords in fine art, or when writing anything for the Internet that you want people to see. While the days of simply loading your title and text content with keywords are dead, it is still very important that you choose the right fine art related keywords and use them strategically to ensure the content of what ever it is you are posting is understood. Additionally, as search engines like Google continue to adjust their algorithms to help their users find the most relevant Internet pages based upon the keyword or phrases they use in their search, a new component has emerged as being important. That is the factor of time based relevance. While in reality there are more than 200 factors that go into determining “relevancy”, today rising in importance seems to be the ability to provide Internet users with timely information.
Today, what you post on social media websites like Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, etc. are far more likely to achieve page rankings faster than a page on a website. The reason is the “recency” or timeliness of the posts. Because the information that is constantly being updated in real time on these websites, they are simply crawled more frequently by the robots or spiders for new relevant information. In the search world, new relevant information is always better than old information that may be just as relevant.
It has been said repeatedly that everything you write online does have the potential of being found and “indexed” by search engines like Google, Yahoo, Bing, etc. I don’t want to over simplify this because that can’t be done, but what you write and how you write it still remains very important. On TheArtGallerist.com website, there are a couple of areas that artists can use to write relevant and fresh (recent) content for the search engines to find and publish. Those areas are the description section for every piece of fine art work you have created and comments you would like to make in your own “Artist Guestbook”.
Just like all websites and blogs, TheArtGallerist.com is crawled by the search engines on a regular basis that has been established by a number of factors. As we have discussed, one of those factors is the frequency of content changes. In our case, those changes might be to policies or general website information, the addition of new artists, new artwork, etc. While the creation of a biography and an artist statement are fairly typical for most fine art and artist’s websites, this information does not frequently change. The one thing that is always changing for fine artists is your inventory of art work! That is why it is very important that you take the time to think and write a brief description about each piece of fine art you create.
Use words or phrases that you think a person interested in your painting, print making, sculpture or photography would use to find you. That might include…
- Your artistic style (contemporary, cubist, impressionist, expressionist, surrealist, etc.).
- Your medium and substrate (this information is redundant, but it is more readily picked up by the search engines in the description area than from our menu. So if it is an oil painting on canvas or oil mixed media on wood include that in your fine art description.
- Your full name. This again is redundant but it helps the search engines when you write a description that compliments that page title.
While there are many ways to write a fine art description, please also remember to keep it short. If the description of the motivation behind the painting doesn’t include searchable keywords, I would think twice before getting into a long explanation of the experience that moved you to create the work.
Here is a good example of a good, succinct fine art description; “The impressionist style oil painting “Floating Feathers” by Adam Thomas is painted on a 1 ½ gallery wrap canvas and is ready for hanging.”
You will notice that the most important descriptors come first in this simple sentence. Generally, people who are searching for you by name will go directly to your website, but in this example, someone searching for “impressionist oil paintings” will find and go directly to your page on TheArtGallerist.com fine art website
It includes the style, medium, title, artist name, substrate, and another bit of important information for the buyer. If you feel that the size of your work does not translate on the Internet, then make sure you use descriptive adjectives like “large, small, life sized, or extra large”. If your photography is large format, your work contemporary abstract, figurative, classic portrait, etc., say so. Additionally, if the location or subject a recognizable one, be sure to include that should someone be looking for information about that person, place or thing.
To summarize, the idea is that since a search engine cannot read images, it is important that the text content reflect everything that would describe that page of yours to someone that might be interested in seeing your artwork. We then in turn create page titles, page descriptions and use the same keywords in the source code so that there is no mistaking that the text content of your page reinforces the source code information we create for you. For many of you who aren’t yet doing this sort of fine art description writing, doing so will definitely improve your search engine rankings.
LinkedIn for Artists
LinkedIn has always been used by business professionals as a way to stay connected to business associates whether they are customers, other people in the company they work for, or people with whom they have worked in the past. For artists who normally work alone and who have successfully avoided the corporate world, LinkedIn is a great resource for staying connected to people you have met in the business of “fine art”, and for meeting new people involved in the many aspects of fine art. This includes people who might be able to help you professionally with exhibition or sales opportunities, provide you with art related services, share ideas or engage you in interesting group discussions.
Unlike other social media websites we have discussed, when it comes to meeting other people LinkedIn requires you to have a professional knowledge of the person or people you want to connect with. LinkedIn does not consider it to be good etiquette to ask for someone to connect with you that you do not know well or with whom you have not worked. The reason makes complete sense. When someone “connects” with you on LinkedIn they are in effect saying, “I know this person and would recommend them based upon my experience working with them”. Because of this, the quality of your connections is much more important than the quantity. You want connections that are familiar with your art work, the artistic recognition you have achieved, your ethics, and that would feel comfortable recommending you to a fine art gallery or to an art collector for commission work. It is also important that you know your connections because you may be asked to recommend one of your connections to another. If you know very little about the connection, you weaken the integrity of your recommendations and of your network in general.
With 65 million users, LinkedIn members worldwide, LinkedIn is now proving that it is more than just a resource for job hunters. It is indeed a professional social network site. Recently, the people at LinkedIn have introduced some changes that make it similar to Facebook in that you can post an “Activity” for your network of “connections” to see. This can be the sharing of an interesting article related to the art world, an idea, question, or update on you or your fine art business. You can also open an account for your fine art business so that people can learn about what it is that you do. While it is clear that the LinkedIn people did not have the visual arts in mind when they built this professional social network site, it is another way you can create links and increase exposure for you and your art work.
Also like Facebook, LinkedIn provides its users with the ability to “follow” companies or businesses that they have an interest in like TheArtGallerist.com. The primary reason most people on LinkedIn follow companies is that they have an interest in the company and someday hope to work for that company. I suppose you might look at following a business on LinkedIn as the equivalent of becoming what used to be a “fan” on Facebook, but now you simply “Like” a business. You can follow a company or business that you would like to learn about the people that work for them, track their growth, learn about new products, events, etc.
In my opinion, probably the best feature of LinkedIn is your ability to join various groups. Groups have been created by individuals for just about every affiliation or interest you might have. While it is very easy to start your own group, there are many for you to choose from where your experience and knowledge can be shared with others. We talked about asking for a connection with someone who you have no professional experience with. Joining a group and contributing to the “conversation” can be an excellent way to establish your credibility and earn valuable new connections. From my experience, there are a lot of very bright people out there. Most have something of value to share, and the discussions and sharing of ideas can be addictive.
Finally, if you have a question about the business of fine art or an art marketing related question and you would like to ask an “expert”, try using LinkedIn’s “Answers” section. There you are free to post any question you would like and art business experts or other experienced artists will provide you with their best answers or recommendations based upon their experience. If you consider yourself to be an expert, you too can answer any of the posted questions from inside or outside of your network.
A Conversation with Mark Jacobucci
- Mark Jacobucci in his studio
I met artist Mark Jacobucci at last years Festival of the Arts in Laguna Beach. I’ve admired Mark’s oil paintings ever since he began exhibiting at the Festival in 2001. A member of the Laguna Plein Air Painters Association, many of the subjects of his oil paintings are familiar to those of us fortunate enough to live in the Laguna Beach area.
With a degree in Landscape Architecture, Mark believes it has much in common with painting. One is painting landscape on canvas, the other is painting landscape on the land. With one you build your own world and with the other you work within the “real” world.
As always, I hope you enjoy our conversation as much as I did.
When did you first realize that you had a talent for art?
As a very small child. I was always drawing. I took art classes all through school. It was just always a part of what I was doing.
What is your favorite medium and why?
Oils, because the act of painting combines the structure of drawing with the emotion of color. I also like to work in acrylics but with oils there is more time to push the paint around before it dries.
How did you decide on and develop your artistic style?
I started in elementary school, then high school exploring various mediums and techniques. In college I focused on sculpture and later painting. My style really didn’t mature until I came to California and studied with some of the impressionist landscape painters here.
How do you choose your subjects?
- Divers Cove, Laguna Beach
It is an emotional response to a scene. If I have my camera with me and a view is inspiring I may not know exactly why but if I want to take a picture there is something about the scene that captures my imagination. The photo serves as a memory or a reference for a possible painting.
What is it about you that makes you a good artist?
Part of this may be the ability to concentrate and focus for a necessary period of time. Part is training. The rest is desire.
- Balboa Alley
Currently I am working on a series about alleyways. I like to paint scenes that are not readily apparent a good scenes for oil paintings. But I like to pick out the compositional elements and colors and lighting effects that can make a nothing scene look like something great.
As an artist, what type of art do you appreciate?
I like all kinds of art. Impressionism, realism, abstract, Medieval, renaissance, Greek and Roman, modern, conceptual, video, performance – all of it.
Many people are concerned about spending money on art given the state of our economy. What would you tell them?
The relationship between a patron and a piece of fine art is an emotional one. If you have a connection with a work of art you feel it, and if you don’t act you may miss the opportunity to establish a long and satisfying relationship. Often patrons will connect with the subject matter, or the colors, or simply the mood of the piece. There are paintings that I can look at every day and see something new. Some of my patrons are like that too. I don’t try to “sell” my work. I don’t know how you can “sell” art. The connection is either there or it is not.
What would you tell artists that believe fine art should only be sold from galleries?
Everyone is entitled to an opinion.
Why did you decide to work with TheArtGallerist.com?
Spring Gleaning
I thought I would try it as a way to increase my exposure and the market for my work. I must admit, the concept of people buying fine art online is new to me because people see an image only. They do not necessarily see the texture of the paint, the play of real light on the surface of the canvas, or the actual size and physical quality of the piece. It is for those reasons that I know that anyone purchasing one of my oil paintings from TheArtGallerist.com would not be disappointed when they finally do see the piece in person. I do think TheArtGallerist.com has done a great job of creating an “online gallery experience” for its patrons, and presents artwork in the best way possible given the limits of a computer screen. Additionally with the 100% Customer Satisfaction Guarantee, they have created a no risk situation for buyers. If it is not what they expect when they receive the piece, they can return it for a full refund.
Thank you Mark!
Buying Fine Art – Investment or Pleasure?
The difference between buying fine art and “collecting” is simply a person’s intent. Buyers purchase fine art because they enjoy the artist’s work, and their intent is to keep the artwork they are purchasing exclusively for their enjoyment. They are not thinking about re-sale, as they are only purchasing the art because it gives them pleasure. Collectors on the other hand still enjoy their fine art, but buy a piece mostly with the intent of holding it for a few years and then hopefully selling it at a profit.
With that said, you should never buy fine art as an investment unless you really know what you are doing. Investing in art should be left to the knowledgeable. Some people enjoy the process of learning, and commit themselves to researching everything there is to know about their preferred art movement, artist, or genre. They need to, because it is the only way that they can understand the true value of their fine art investment. There are classes out there that will teach you the basics, and of course galleries are always willing to educate you if you have the buying potential. But then again, you have to know the gallery you are dealing with and the type of fine art they are selling.
Of course some art buyers have made money on their art purchases, but that was not the main motivation behind their purchase. Their purchase decision was purely motivated by the feeling or emotion that was evoked when they saw the artist’s work and decided that they wanted to enjoy it for as long as possible. It gave them pleasure. So the question is, how much are you willing to pay for that pleasure?
Most first time purchasers of original fine art are sometimes surprised by the prices. Well, to them I say that selling and pricing fine art is one of the most pure “supply and demand” models that exist. The artist theoretically creates one original work of art, distinct in its style, color, composition, form, etc. While that can be duplicated using some of the modern printing technologies available today, it will never be truly duplicated. That is the reason prints are so much more affordable than originals. If you are the type of person who is content giving or wearing a cubic zirconium diamond ring, then you probably won’t be concerned about purchasing a print of an artist’s original. A print is a mere copy of an original. No matter how good that copy, buyers must know that it was not created with the same skill and care as that artist’s original. That is why originals of anything cost more.
As with few other things that are man made in modern times, art is truly one of a kind and that is a fact that drives art prices. Like fine cars, jewelry, and other things, the finer the workmanship, the more enduring and the more people are willing to pay. Now you factor in the fact that the artist has created only one, and that one touches you in some way, well, the price will rise to what you are willing to pay. For some buyers of fine art, the question is how much am I willing to spend to own that feeling? For others, the question is how much can I really afford to own the fine art that evokes that feeling?
You may think a piece of art is expensive, and for you it might be. You just have to realize that the artist is entitled to earn all they can for their unique talent, and as long as there is someone out there who is willing and able to pay for their work, then that is the price.
The bottom line is that very few people should ever buy fine art thinking that they can turn around and sell it for a profit. My advice to most people is that they should only buy what they like, and then only when they can afford to do so. There is no doubt that a great piece of art can provide endless pleasure to the buyer, especially when you know that it is a one of a kind.
Whether it evokes a feeling or simply beautifies a room, buying an original piece of art is always something that will be remembered. Believe me from experience, that purchase will give you years of pleasure and the memories surrounding your purchase will be rekindled each and every time you look at it
Facebook for Artists
Facebook is one of the best social networking websites for artists. I say this because of the numerous ways this social media website not only encourages the sharing of ideas, but has various ways you as an artist can share images of your artwork.
I am not going to get into too much detail, and will assume that most of you reading this already have a basic understanding of social media websites like Facebook. With a basic Facebook personal account, one can establish relations with “friends”, and then information and images can be shared with those friends. These accounts must be held under your name. While this is one way to promote yourself and your artwork, it is definitely not the best.
If you are a serious artist you will want to keep your personal account to use with your friends, but then create a Facebook Page. Personal accounts are optimized for individuals, but Facebook Pages allow artists to showcase their work and interact with fans. These pages come pre-installed with custom functionality designed for each category. Third party developers will also build an array of applications that they will compete for Page Administrators to add to their Pages. Facebook Pages are also not subject to a fan limit and can automatically accept fan requests. It is important to note that Fans of your Page will not be able to see that you are the Page administrator or have any access to your personal account.
With a page created, you can then post images of your artwork for “Fans”. You actually control the applications on your page and who, if anyone beyond yourself can post images there. Users can immediately click through to that Page and interact with it, engaging Pages will benefit from a virtual cycle of user attention. Additionally, another major advantage of a Facebook Page is that it is publicly viewable. Facebook users searching for a particular artist on the World Wide Web will find a presence for that page or business account in an environment they know and trust.
There is no reason why your friends can’t also be your fans, but it leaves you with one account for personal use and the other strictly for the promotion of your artwork and of you as an artist. Here are just some of the things that you can do with a Facebook page that you can’t do with a regular Facebook account.
You can increase the number of fans of your Facebook page. Facebook Pages and the natural distribution through News Feed are free to Page Administrators. Page Administrators will have an opportunity to incrementally increase distribution as well with paid advertising. Paid promotions are Facebook Ads created specifically to promote traffic to your Facebook Page.
When you post to a page on Facebook, you are limited to the amount of text you can write. Normally TheArtGallerist.com tries to keep our posts to around 140 characters and spaces, but we have done some with as many as 170. While you can attach links to your posts, I recommend pasting the link inside your copy using a website like Bit.ly.com to shorten your URL so that you don’t waste valuable post space. When you do this, it saves the attachment functionality so that you can actually post an image of your artwork that can be enlarged for better viewing. Since these images are not copy protected, I always suggest using a watermark of some kind on the art work images you post. Lots of people like to copy and use good artwork as their Facebook image or avatar.
Remember, the key to effectively using any social media website is to not attempt to sell you fans, friends, followers or connections. You want to establish as many relationships as possible with potential customers and other artists. You do this by providing relevant content that will be of interest to your fans. On Facebook, I have noticed that some artists have been very successful showing people how they create a work by describing and documenting their creative process with photos. We have already talked about sharing information about upcoming shows or art events you will be participating in. The best way to do this is to send out a group invitation to an “Event”. You can attach photographs or videos to your event as you schedule them in order to create greater buzz or excitement around it.
Finally, although not the best social media website for networking with other artists, there are plenty of art “groups” that you can join to increase your exposure to other artists and their work.
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