In July of 2008 I was contacted via my photography tutorials blog by Brian Walker owner of DiscoveredArtists.com for a review of his new online art gallery.
They were getting ready to make some big announcements and open their site to the public and he was looking for some press in the photoblogosphere.
I respond to every email that I get. Every. Single. One.
So as I ventured over to this new online gallery I was looking at it from two perspectives.
- The photographer wanting to sell his/her work online.
- The customer looking to find artwork online.
As I look at websites for reviews I try to put myself in the shoes of the target audience. Actually, I do this on everything I review; software, products, gear, websites, etc.
I initially found DiscoveredArtists just to be okay. I mean, off the bat, there wasn’t really anything that “special” about it. It wasn’t very 2.0 in terms of design but it was pretty easy to navigate and there was really good artwork there. The photography section was really lacking in both quality and quantity, but the other works were really good with some outstanding artwork and some artwork that, while not my particular taste, I felt would sell quite well.
I needed to get a conversation going with the owner because I was pretty hard pressed to do a “review” for the site and recommend it to the readers of a photo tips website. I mean, most of the audience there is just looking to get better with there cameras, not sell their work next to some truly talented folks. Some of their work, should they sign up for the service, probably wouldn’t compete well. It’s like sending a little league player to fill in for a spot on a pro roster. Just waisting space on the virtual bench.
Brian and I talked a lot about his vision for the website, their marketing plans, their background, and I was hooked.
This was different. Not completely different from anything I’d seen before, but I was really impressed by his knowledge of the industry, his passion for art, and his ability to see how social networking online was going to play a big role in how the brand of DiscoveredArtists was going to become a competitor on the web.
The one thing that probably impressed me most, and ultimately what helped me decide to join DA, was that they were charging artists!
Now most people would be put off by this. Why would you charge artists an annual fee and then take a percentage of the sale as well? Who would sign up for this?
I would.
And so would most artists who have had the pleasure of dealing with “real world” galleries where it isn’t uncommon to pay 50% of your sales, or more, to the gallery. DiscoveredArtists charges at most 10%
So would most artists who get fed up with uploading images to other online galleries to see their works of art fall well below the first few pages because a handful of other “artists” are uploading their freakin’ vacation pictures. Are you kidding me? I see this happen on Redbubble and Imagekind all the time.
I showed my work to Brian and he offered to make me a “founding artist” for the site.
What do I get out of it?
I get to sell my art work next to other committed artists.
The ones who really put the effort into their work. The ones who want full control of how their work is seen and delivered. The ones who are willing to put themselves in a higher pool of talent by eliminating those looking for a fast free way to make money off their vacation photos.
I get to print my work and price it as I see fit. I also get to deliver it with my packaging and throw in any other promotional materials I see fit.
Here’s the deal. If DiscoveredArtists becomes one the premier places to find the highest concentration of truly great artwork online (and I think they will) then I benefit hugely by having my work right next to theirs.
My contemporary fine art photographs benefit from being in the same online gallery as David Colon whose work has been exhibited at venues such as The Morris Graves Museum of Art (CA), Alpan Gallery (NY), Viridian Artists Gallery (NY), CameraArts Magazine, Fraser Gallery (MD), Washington Gallery of Photography (MD), Denver Int’l Airport (CO), and Old Town Art Gallery (CA), among others or Niki Sands whose list of exhibitions and accolades is longer than my arm.
Today Brian Walker announced that he was making a change to DiscoveredArtists.
DiscoveredArtists is now 100% curated.
DiscoveredArtists.com Goes 100% Curated and By Invitation Only from DiscoveredArtists on Vimeo.
This, I believe, will put them on a higher level yet again. It isn’t long before DiscoveredArtists becomes THE premier online art gallery. I’m happy to be along for the ride.
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