Selling Prints and Products on Fine Art America

 I offer prints and products on Fine Art America / Pixels, which are print-on-demand sites, "FAA" in my shorthand. They are two sites, same  company, practically identical, but Pixels offers a few more products than does Fine Art America.

A few products available from FAA: acrylic print, throw pillow, tote bag, and pencil case

People often ask me if I like the way FAA sells my work. I read this as emphasis on THEY. Are they (meaning FAA) doing a good job for me? They, in this case, are not doing anything to sell my work other than provide a (fabulous, in my opinion) platform and process for me to sell prints and products.

In the question is embedded a little confusion about marketing. A gallery markets your work - they get the potential customers in front of your pieces and try to match buyer with artwork in a satisfactory fit. I see this as a kind of highly-skilled matchmaking. It takes experience, insight, and knowledge to match the right client with the right artwork. And it takes serious curating. A gallery will not show just anything - they will show work (and dedicate resources to) that they believe they have clients for.

FAA and other POD (print-on-demand) sites do not do marketing. They offer a convenient platform for the artist to offer prints and products. It is up to the artist to get the clients to the site. They also do no curating, so the platform is open to anyone.

Framed Print of "Line of Fire #1"

If you have work up on FAA or another POD site and nobody is buying it, it is not because the site is not doing its job. It is because you are not doing your job. Don't give up on POD if your work is not selling. Send people to your POD page via links on your website, social media posts, newsletters, etc., and see what happens.

This is a screen shot of my new website's navigation menu.

I personally love the POD concept. For me it means that people can have images of my work in whatever form suits them, for very reasonable prices. Not everyone who likes my work is in the market for original pieces of art. I love it that they can have phone cases, notebooks, tote bags, etc. as well as fine art prints at a size and price that works for them. It's not for everybody, and it doesn't pretend to be original art.

I would like to hear your thoughts on print-on-demand, and to know what kind of experiences you have had with this kind of platform.

Edgewater Gallery in Middlebury, Vermont

Edgewater Gallery is now carrying my work.  I am PSYCHED!  As I have had this gallery in mind as a potential venue for offering my work for sale.  They represent some awesome artists, in quite a range of styles. 

Recognize the work?  This is a section of "Stripes and Drips #2".

My work is at their Mill Street location; they have another location on Merchant's Row in Middlebury, and another in Bozeman, Montana. 

A few larger works on paper will be added to the collection; they are at the photographer's now.  Stay tuned, as I will be doing demonstrations, and possible short workshops here. If you are in Middlebury, drop by.  If not, check out the web site!

New Beginnings

Anyone out there do New Year's Resolutions?  Sounds drab, doesn't it?  How about New Year's New Beginnings?  Just starting something new sounds more fun and exciting.

A friend of mine, Joan Ruben-Deutsch, who has taken some of my workshops, just started an art blog after thinking about it for years:  Art and More.  Take a look and write her a comment.  When I first started this Collage Journeys blog I had no idea where it was going, or why exactly I was doing it.  It turns out to be a fabulous way to have ongoing conversations and develop an art community that has no geographical boundaries.  Just put something out there, and see what comes back.

To start a blog, click on "Create Blog" and Blogger will walk you through the process.

To start a blog on Blogger, go to the top right corner of my blog (or Joan's), where it says "create blog".  Click there, and it will take you through the process.  Make it really simple so you can get started, and then you can gradually add more features or update your design as you get comfortable with the process.  Here is a Blogger Tutorial that I give to online students, that shows how to post on a blog.  Starting your own is only marginally more effort.

Another friend, whom I've had the pleasure of having in my workshops, Rozsi Moser, has opened a studio and gallery in Acton, MA, called "The Artists Corner and Gallery".  Take a look here.  This is a brand new venture, and I can't wait to offer a little workshop there!

 

I also have some work on display at The Artist's Corner and Gallery.  Here are a couple of examples:

The above are all 9"x12", framed, and are $350 each.  Contact Artists Corner and Gallery to purchase.

Tell me about your new beginnings for 2016!

Gilded Pear Gallery

I just shipped off some work to Gilded Pear Gallery in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.  My friend, Mary Zeran, referred me to it, and we're hoping it will be a good fit.  Mary has a show there opening on December 6.  I send four of my Shapes pieces, several other 10"x10" pieces, two of my new 12"x12" grids, and a whole mess of my 4"x4" pieces.  I was not sure how to title the new 12"x12" grids, but I realized that they are a continuation of the edge and atmosphere explorations I did in a series last spring, called "Edge Location".  So they are part of that series now.

Here are my pieces laid out on a table, all mounted to wood panel and varnished. The 10"x10" pieces are on 1-5/8" deep panel, and the two 12"x12"s are on 3/4" deep panel.

Here are the two 12"x12" grids, "Edge Location #7" and "Edge Location #8", standing up.

This is how I put the hanging wire on panel pieces.  With the wire mounted to the inside of the panel border, the piece hangs flush to the wall.

This is available as a print.

This is available as a print.

This is available as a print.

This is available as a print.

I am in process of uploading new work to my Fine Art America gallery, so more of it is available as prints.  At Fine Art America, you can choose the size and materials of your print.

Pattern and Process

I just hung my show at the Canfield Gallery, in Arlington, Vermont.  I'm calling it Pattern and Process, and now I have it up online!  View the individual pieces here; they are all available for purchase through the Canfield Library.  I will take care of shipping after the show comes down at the end of May.  Enjoy!

Here are shots of the gallery, just after hanging.  The opening is tomorrow, 3 - 5 pm.  I'll post pictures of that next week.

BIG (for me) pieces, 22"x30", framed 32"x40"

Big Fat Art, each 18"x24", framed 28"x34"

Works on canvas, each 12"x12" in a floating frame

A few of my figure pieces, 9"x9", framed 15"x15"

4"x4"s from the 4"x4"x400 Project, framed 9"x9"

My grid of 4"x4"s on panel, available  as individual pieces

Works mounted on panel, 8"x8" and 10"x10"

A few 9"x9" square pieces

Some of my Vertical Series, 7"x22", framed 13"x28"

Enjoy the show!

New Gallery

Thanks to all of you who commented on and e-mailed me about my Working in Series post. Glad it was helpful to some of you, and I love your ideas! Yesterday I added a new GALLERY to my web site dedicated to small works. There are only a few so far that have not been posted on the blog, but I'll add to it periodically. Thanks for visiting!!