A Site for Emerging Artists
Posts tagged Painting
Sell More Art using this Smart Strategy
Feb 3rd
By Carolyn Edlund
Artist Stephanie Paige uses a smart technique to sell her mixed media work. How this can help your sales, too.
Take a look at how Southern California artist Stephanie Paige shows her large scale mixed media artwork on her website. Visitors have the option of seeing her work in a traditional view, as shown below, but she also offers a professional photo of a room scene including the piece as well.
Rebirth 40" x 89" x 2", Mixed Media
See how effectively the room view helps to show the scale and impact of her work? Stephanie says her customers love it.
She says, “Using the images in a room setting has really helped my clients get a real good feel for what it will look like. I also have clients all over the world send me photos of their room wanting to see what it will look like before they purchase my work.”
Big retailers like Art.com have long offered this type of service on their sites. They know that showing art in it’s environment (as well as changeable wall colors, frames and mats) helps prospective customers visualize how the art could work in their own home or office, and can make a huge difference in closing the sale.
It’s difficult enough to make a purchase of fine art online, since it’s so much more “real” in person. Just think how this helpful technique could enhance your own art sales!
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Perseverance and Results
Dec 9th
Guest blogger Jacqui Hawk shares how she visualized and created success this year. Through giving and sharing, she received a bounty in return.
By Jacqui Hawk
My blog is full of posts about charities I have supported this year; The Painted Bra Art Project, which went viral on Facebook, Trees for Life in Edinburgh which I also attended and joyfully brought me together with my father whom I recently found after 42 years! Another very special post was “Paying it Forward,” a post about Jack Burke and Joey Middlemiss – two little boys each challenged in different ways, but connected with their courageous hearts and spirit and the paintings I did for each of them.
Many artists feel that charity events are ultimately not a win/win … I appreciate that you have to be selective! The ones I have given to have personally given back to me threefold. Artists could perhaps negotiate a 50/50 split of the silent auction profits if they find themselves doing a lot of fundraisers. The goal is to give quality art and raise a lot of money to achieve these goals. I believe it has to be a fair arrangement.
In January of 2011, I had a clear vision of my success and tried to visualize what that looked like and work towards it. I have been dedicated to painting every day. I get up early and paint for an hour before work and then paint for 2-3 hours in the evening, juggling a full time job at the University of Massachusetts in Lowell. Managing my time - life as a Corporate Project Manager has helped me keep on task, stay structured and achieve goals.
I took part in 21 events this year (gallery exhibits, solo shows, and fundraisers) This clearly helped raise awareness for my art. When I google my name now, there are about 30,000,000 more than last year.
I invested in a new website. This is very important I believe. Being one in a sea of thousands on a third party website was not for me. My goal in 2012 is to build my own “shop” on my own site.
I embraced Facebook, and created a Facebook business page where I organized all my paintings for sale, sold, etc. I network with a lot with artists all over the world on Facebook and Twitter, many of whom are becoming great friends. I make sure that I’m very visible in the art world on Facebook, and I am totally inspired by the amazing work I see being created. I make a point to share the work of artists I love; they also do the same for me and so the energy and momentum builds.
I network and collaborate extensively with other artists, especially those whose styles are very different to mine; great things can happen! Because of this, I receive many invitations to join other artists in new gallery opportunities.
An example of this is “Art Reach,” a collaboration between St. Joseph Hospital and six artists to “harness the healing power of art.” I painted a huge 6 x 6 ft canvas in the dark during the terrible October East Coast snow storm by candlelight.
I am a member of several art associations, and this year I became a regular artist member of 263 Art Gallery in Nashua. This gave me a lot more exposure. I intend to widen this net next year. I went through a huge attitude change this year. Every time I felt like giving up because I came away from a show where I sold nothing, it made me dig deeper and deeper and become so much more resilient – and I enjoyed 33 sales this year! You recognize those moments as a ‘turning point’ in your artistic journey. It’s not a race, and success is different for everyone. I intend to pay my art dues, showing up at my easel every day because I love what happens in those magic moments.
Energy Art Gains Momentum
May 2nd
“Some paintings vibrate with energy. Impressionists like Monet tried to capture light. Futurists like Boccioni portrayed motion and speed. Expressionists like Van Gogh conveyed emotions. These qualities – light, speed, emotion – are variations of energy. Energy is one of the most ephemeral qualities to depict.”
So begins the definition of this new art movement, begun in 2008, which is creating waves as an exhibition in Veliky Novgorod, Russia this month. The Energy Art Salon 2011 is an international effort by artists who create art which shimmers, pulsates, and crackles with energy, or the depiction of what energy can do. Reaching outside its roots in North America, this second annual salon is bringing an exciting experience to audiences worldwide.
Members believe that enhancing their creations with energy – either in composition or in subject matter – adds artistic value to their
depictions. The Movement strives to follow a progressive trend of forward evolution in the Fine Arts, while embracing both traditional and digital media.
Movement Organizer Giogio Vaselli explains that 99 artists submitted work, hoping to be included in the exhibition, which includes 43 works of art. The call for artists and competition took place on Facebook.
He describes the entries as being of exceptional quality, and many great pieces had to be turned away. He states, “The point of the competition was not the idea of ‘competing’ itself, but rather, the selection/curation of the art by the public for the Energy Art Salon 2011 which opened just a few days ago in Russia. This was a step towards our announced long-term goal: becoming an increasingly democratic vs. centrally-run art movement, ie. an open art movement. Currently movement membership is application/invitation-only, to ensure our values and standards in this initial period since our founding in May of 2008.”
Why was Facebook chosen to solicit entries? Vaselli states, “As expressed in an essay of mine, I have great faith in the opinion of the public, and since Facebook has recently become the third largest country in the world, spanning multiple countries, it was a natural choice for handing over the task of curation, via the preliminary competition. The public’s opinion was weighted with that of our featured members.”
Other venues are also used to gain publicity and promote Energy Art as a movement. He explains, “We have maintained an online presence via various channels since our founding, with our website remaining our central headquarters. About a year ago, Facebook has become our secondary headquarters, in order to maintain our connection with the public. We create primarily for the people, and we hope to eventually be run by the people.”
“In addition, we have profiles and groups on DeviantArt (primary headquarters at our founding), Flickr, and Fine Art America, where we accept submissions from any artist, who may also be invited this way.
Considering that we are not merely an online phenomenon, but are also having our fourth international real-life exhibition, the Movement tends to attract some level of media attention, which is clearly key to reaching a mainstream audience.”
Featured Artist Diane Hoeptner
Mar 16th
Diane Hoeptner is Artsy Shark’s newest featured artist. Enjoy her portfolio! Find out more about Diane’s interesting background and see more work by visiting her website and blog.
What are your goals?
I want to make art that resonates with truth, beauty and mischief. This is a goal that doesn’t seem to change much from year to year . . . But if you are doing “art” right, it can be a lonely business. It’s not enough to make better paintings, one must share the work too. The more I paint and sell, the more I realize how important and worthwhile it is to acquire and to maintain loyal collectors. Most artists will agree, when somebody “gets” what you are doing, it’s an amazing feeling. I want more of that! So, selling and finding more ways to share my work is also a goal.
What are you working on now?
This year is about working bigger. Literally. I started as a daily painter, apinting 6″ x 6″ paintings. Last year, I did mostly 8″ x 8″ paintings. My challenging “comfort zone” size is now 12″ x 12″ – but I want to go bigger.
I specialize in floral still life, but I’m adding vintage toys and cats to the mix. I love juxtaposing obscure items . . I want to do more of that this year. Fresh flowers and old rusty or wood toys are an exquisite combination. My husband and I frequent many antique flea markets and I’m constantly buying cool old “props.” There isn’t enough time in one lifetime to paint everything, but I try!
What inspires you?
Beauty with a message, daffodils on gray, opposites in shape or value, applying color theory as learned from a book to my painting, making work that is both beautiful and contemporary, the challenge of being consistent in style and delivery, doing better over the long run, finding like-minded artists and collectors, painting, my nephews, Pantone’s color of the year, and I’m sure there’s more . . .
Featured Artist Amy Kollar Anderson
Feb 28th
Amy Kollar Anderson has completed a series of five paintings, which explore the original Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland/Through the Looking Glass text, combined with personal metaphors and twists. The work will be displayed in Los Angeles at The Hive Gallery and Studios in March 2011.
“When I was invited to display work at The Hive, they mentioned that the rest of the gallery would be focused on work inspired by ‘Alice in Wonderland.’ I have been a fan of both the writings of Lewis Carroll and the reinterpretations by both Disney and Tim Burton. I reread the stories and began sketches for my versions of the stories, combing characters from both books and adding new characters, like the Queen of Diamonds. I enjoyed the series so much that I am continuing the work even after this required series has been shipped to LA. I have plans to create images for the Wasp in the Wig, the Red Knight and the Queens of Clubs and Spades.”
Amy Kollar Anderson grew up in the suburbs of Chicago. Her inspirations are gathered from the work of the Surrealists, Symbolists, Art Nouveau, and the decorative arts. Intrigued by the forms, textures and colors found in nature, she collects bits of plants, rocks, bones, and feathers, then sorts them in jars in her studio. Her recent Vivarium Series explores divergent environments inside and outside the containers, and addresses issues of environmental concern and child welfare.
She received her B.F.A. from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago, and her Master of Humanity with a focus in Fine Arts, from Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio.
She currently lives with her husband and their four cats in Dayton, Ohio, and works as the Gallery Coordinator for the Rosewood Gallery in Kettering, Ohio. When she is not painting, she volunteers time with local organizations such as the SICSA Animal Shelter, Daybreak Youth Shelter, and United Rehabilitation Services.
Artist Statement
With my paintings, I create narratives about obsession and containment to explore the differences between being in-and-out of control. Containment is revealed through locations with physical barriers, but it can also be addressed through the emotional or psychological condition of the individuals. Obsession can be seen in the multitude of details, or in the characters that are fixated with an object or idea. I attempt to find a balance between contrasting concepts, such as control vs. chaos, attraction vs. repulsion, etc.
I find these worlds through an oblique path, beginning with an idea and then wandering my way into the finished piece through multiple layers of color and patterns. Each layer adds to the complexity of the puzzle, and in turn reveals another part of the puzzle differently, affecting the final piece. This kind of revelation and exploration takes time, often with changes in composition and color, but the process uncovers a more complex and satisfying narrative than first glimpsed in that original idea.
I enjoy the process of creating a completely new environment in each painting, complete with new rules about interactions and colors. The aesthetic involves a contrast of overlapping vintage and modern design elements and untraditional paint choices, such as metallic, fluorescent and interference colors. This subtle psychedelic presentation misdirects the viewer from immediately focusing on the issues presented, therefore adding to the harmony and tension in the narrative.
See more of Amy’s portfolio by visiting her website.
Featured Artist Leah Jay
