I’ve joined a few Artist communities in the past in an effort to connect and share my work.
It’s been rewarding at times. I’ve met several people in the past whom I’ve grown rather fond of.
That said…as I’ve worked hard on my own sites I’ve left some of those communities by the wayside. Perhaps it was a matter of stretching myself too thin across too many platforms, or perhaps it was a matter of not feeling like I could contribute “enough” if I wasn’t present enough.
Either way I’ve decided to explore this avenue of community and networking within the art communities and see if I can, once again, contribute to the online art movement.
I suppose it would be easy to say that it’s all part of the “master plan” of promoting my work but I think I need to approach it in a different way this go around.
In the past it was all about sharing my work, getting my stuff seen, but this time, I’ll work on this website with more focus.
In conversations I’ve had with a few people I’ve been told, in kind words, that perhaps I’m a better curator than an artist. Maybe better isn’t the right word for it. It’s possible that my “giving nature” is what makes me enjoy sharing other artists’ work.
I do that often on my photography tutorials blog, but really haven’t done that much on this blog, and if there’s one thing I’ve learned in the past three years of blogging it’s this: People appreciate giving more than asking.
While this space has been a place for me to share my art and my photography, as well as my occasional off topic ramblings, I will now venture into showing off artwork from other artists and talking more about art and photography in general.
So what are some of the better online art communities out there on the Interwebs? What makes them so special? Where are the best art conversations taking place?
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 their 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 wasting 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.
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.
New addition to online art photography gallery at DiscoveredArtists “Of blossoms and things” can be purchased for $85 as an 8×10 limited edition print.
Of blossoms and things
Requested piece by the wife. She loves black and white photography with floral and natural patterns. It’s good to have someone to “request” work that I don’t mind doing.
I think most people have this misconception of Midland, TX. Perhaps it is because we are surrounded by West Texas desert or perhaps it’s because we are often plagued by hot hot summers.
Once you enter a truly great neighborhood like ours your perception starts to change a little. There is an abundance of wonderfully kept gardens just ripe for great photography.
I don’t have a green thumb and find myself looking, with awe, at the care and intimacy that our neighborhood gardeners have taken in creating lush and beautiful landscape.
I feel like our home is a sore spot on the rest of the neighborhood. Perhaps I’ll work on my green thumb in the Spring.
