Category: Artists

June 15, 2013

5 Ways to Introduce and Promote Your Artwork

Selling your precious artwork can be a little bit frustrating most especially when you are a newbie in the business and don’t really have a market for them. The only way to go is to reach out and attract as many people as possible and make your work known so you can find possible buyers. Here are some tips on how to promote your artwork.

1. Create an Awesome Portfolio
Remember that your goal is to impress potential clients. A detailed portfolio is the first step to establish a first good impression. Showcase what you can offer by having well-photographed, high-resolution images of your work on your portfolio. Put some details about your art like the materials and technique that you used and you may also add a short story about what inspired you to create them which makes it more interesting.

2. Set a Social Media Page
Social media has been the most useful tool to disseminate information nowadays and you can use this to your advantage and it’s free! Set up a social media page and make it as your second portfolio. Organize and specify the category of the artwork that you are promoting either by size, by subject or by material then add relevant keywords to increase the possibility that you will be searched.

3. Participate in Art Contests
This may sound stressful but think again. Remember that your goal is to promote your artwork to as many people as you can. If an on-site art contest is not your thing, you can join online art competitions instead. It really doesn’t matter if you win or not. What’s important is you have exposed your style and what you can offer through your entry to thousands of people who visited the site.

file24954 — “Passage,” 2010, Odili Donald Odita, acrylic on canvas

4. Hold Local Exhibits
There’s no better place for your artwork to be known than in your own local community. Make yourself known as an artist and share your artwork with your community by organizing a local exhibit. It doesn’t have to be grand and expensive. What’s important is you are able to showcase your artwork to possible clients. Find an interesting venue that will serve as a beautiful backdrop for your artwork such as lobbies, cafes, or even malls to attract various kinds of clients.
Doing your exhibit at your local art galleries also has its own advantages. Since they have already established a network of art collectors, there is a better chance of bringing interested patrons to buy your work and you will be able to meet other local artists as well. Why is this important? You will find out next.

5. Get To Know Other Local Artists
More often than not, every city has its own local art community or council composed of local artists and art enthusiasts. Being part of this group will expand your network and will surely give you more opportunities to meet more potential buyers. They usually put on events like exhibits where you can display your work for free. Get involved with community art projects that will expose your talent even more and will introduce you to local businesses as well. Through these events, your chances of being recognized is way much bigger.

June 14, 2013

Jackson Pollock: Master of the “Drip” Technique

“It is only when I lose contact with the painting that the result is a mess. Otherwise there is pure harmony, an easy give and take, and the painting comes out well.”
– Jackson Pollock

Jackson Pollock is best known for revolutionizing the world of modern art with his unique abstract techniques, specifically the drip painting technique. Born in January 28, 1912, Paul Jackson Pollock, more popularly known as Jackson Pollock was a major influence in the abstract expressionist movement. He studied under Thomas Hart Benton, an esteemed painter and muralist, before exploring abstraction expressionism. Pollock died in an alcohol-related car accident in December 1956. He was 44.

The “Drip” Period

In 1936, Pollock attended a workshop by Mexican muralist David Alfaro Siqueiros in New York City and this is where he was introduced to the use of liquid paint. He used paint pouring as a technique and he began painting with his canvas laid down on the floor and the “drip” technique was born.

The “drip” technique is a combination of Pollock’s body movements, flow of paint, gravity, and paint absorption. It was a technique which merges the controllable and uncontrollable factors in painting. Pollock moves around his canvas while dripping, pouring, splattering paint onto it until he’s satisfied with the result.

Pollock’s paintings became famous during the “drip” period, between 1947-1950. The Life magazine published an article on Pollock in 1949 which asked, “Is he the greatest living painter in the United States?” that made him distinguished in the art world. His exhibition in the sames year at the Betty Parsons Gallery sold out and he instantly became the best paid avant-garde painter in the US.

Here are some of Pollock’s most famous paintings during the “Drip” period:

Full Fathom Five is one of Pollock’s earliest drip paintings. The top layers consist of poured skeins of house paint, creating a lace-like image. Pollock used a brush and palette knife to build up the underlayer of the painting.

Number 1 is the masterpiece of the drip technique. This is one among Pollock’s largest works, pulsing with energy, with an intricate web of hues that suggests speed and force.

Composition (White, Black, Blue and Red on White), 1948 is a great example of Pollock’s “drip” technique or flung paint. When Pollock was creating this masterpiece, he placed his canvas on the floor and painted in a rhythmic, undulating style. This piece represents pure abstraction, a painting with no focal point and thus making all areas of the painting important.

Image sources: www.biography.com and www.jackson-pollock.org.

June 10, 2013

Tips for Building a Successful Online Artist Profile

When it comes to building an online business, artists should include in their priorities writing a quality profile. It may seem not as important as creating your canvas art, but if you want to increase your success rate selling your pieces online, then you have to spend some time drafting your profile.

Here are some tips on how to build an impressive online profile:

Tip 1 – Create an engaging profile. Write about some interesting details about your life, focusing on how you were led to the painting business. Tell why you paint, how do you use your paintings as an expression, and write in the first person narrative (I, we, my). If your site visitors can connect with you on a personal level, they are more likely to purchase your art than those who don’t have that kind of connection.

Tip 2 – Edit your profile. Don’t write a long, complicated profile. Read it to a friend first and if he loses interests after awhile, then you’ll know you’ve written a lengthy one. Ask for your close family and friends what they think about your profile and consider their comments.

Tip 3 – Use correct grammar, spelling, and punctuation. There are websites such as SpellCheck.net which you can use to check these things. Don’t post your profile until you’re sure it’s free from errors. It shows that you care about the littlest details and are serious about your business.

Tip 4 – Use effective keywords in your content. Keywords are important in getting high rankings in search engines such as Google and Yahoo! Using the right keywords will help people find you across the web. Include top keywords which attract people who you want to buy your art works. These will drive qualified traffic to your website. The more popular the keyword, the more traffic it will bring you.

marshall_kerry_james — International renown artist, Kerry James Marshall

Tip 5 – Include your best photo as your profile image. Use a good photo of yourself. People are visual creatures, especially in the online world. We want to see the person behind a blog or website. Seeing your profile picture lets other people know that you really exist and they will be more comfortable communicating with you if they have a picture in their mind of how you look like. It’s difficult to connect with someone whom you don’t know how he/she looks like. Eventually, you will have the occasion to meet your clients, so they should connect your profile photo with you in person.

Image source: http://mileswmathis.com/ and http://newsgrist.typepad.com/

May 31, 2013

Hotels for Art Lovers

There are numerous museums all over the world and it seems that whenever there is a museum, there will also be hotels. If you love traveling and art, here is a list of the world’s best hotels for art lovers.

Minos Beach Art Hotel
Crete,Greece
The Minos Beach Art Hotel is one of the finest hotels in Crete. It has a seafront setting and is located near the Agios Nikolaos Archeological Museum and Lake Voulismeni. It offers bungalows, suites, and villas to tourists wanting to get away from the hustle and bustle of the city. The hotel also serves as an art gallery, displaying sculptures from leading Greek and foreign artists.

Baur au Lac
Zurich, Switzerland
Baur au Lac is one of the world’s best hotels, maintaining the top position in the international luxury hotel industry for more than 165 years. The posh rooms offer spectacular views of the Swiss Alps and Lake Zurich. The hotel organizes an outdoor sculpture exhibition called Art in the Park where world-class artists display their works on the property’s grounds. Art pieces of Robert Indiana, Joan Miro, and Sol Lewitt have been included in this twice-a-year exhibit.

W South Beach
Miami Beach, Florida, USA
W South Beach is a resort hotel that also displays museum-caliber art pieces. The selection owned by the hotel’s co-owner Aby Rosen and the pieces are from modern artists like Francis Bacon, Andy Warhol, and Jean-Michel Basquiat. The hotel is located close to the Bass Art Museum which recently opened the exhibition called “From Picasso to Koons: The Artist as Jeweler,” an exhibit showcasing around 200 works by 135 artists.

Gramercy Park Hotel
New York City, USA
New York City boasts hundreds of museums, making it a haven for art lovers. The Gramercy Park Hotel has an impressive selection of art pieces. It houses the work of world-class artists such as Andy Warhol, Richard Prince, Keith Haring, Julian Schnabel, Jean-Michel Basquiat, and Damien Hirst.

Hotel Siru
Brussels, Belgium
Hotel Siru offers 101 unique rooms. In the 1980s, the hotel commissioned 130 Belgian artists to work on the rooms so now, all the rooms and public areas features contemporary works which includes framed prints, 3-D papier mâché sculptures, and murals. If you’re staying at Hotel Siru, try and visit the Centre Belge de la Bande Dessinée or the Comic Strip Museum.

The Ritz-Carlton Millenia
Marina Centre, Singapore
The Ritz-Carlton commissioned art pieces worth S$5 million dollars which are positioned in the best feng shui locations. A detailed map will show you the location of all 4,200 pieces on display which includes the works of Zhu Wei, Dale Chihuly, Andy Warhol, Frank Stellar, Henry Moore and David Hockney.

The Merrion
Dublin, Ireland
The Merrion Hotel not only offers the finest accommodations in Ireland, it showcases the work’s of the country’s most important artists including Daniel Maclise, Nathaniel Hone, Paul Henry, and Mainie Jellet. Guided tours are available from the National Gallery.

Images are from here and here.