Never underestimate the potent worth of sincerity, or the ability of people to catch on to it. [...]

Being active online is crucial if you desire to 'connect' with your target audience. You may want to think about participating on online forums / blogs that cater to the scene or interest that you regularly explore with your artwork. [...]

The point is to consider what you have to offer your fans and collectors and find ways to fill their needs and wants. Be creative – that’s what you are as an artist, by the way. [...]

If our environment is one that inspires and makes us happy it will show in the art we produce. Collectors buy art that makes their lives better and are, in essence, buying a piece of who we are. [...]

The advice generally goes something like this, "it's important to be consistent in your marketing. Your website, business cards, letterhead, postcards should all match in color and style, and be recognizable, blah, blah, blah, blah". I sometimes wonder if people who give this advice have ever sold a work of art in their lives. [...]

If you are an exhibiting artist you likely have some understanding of who, in a sense, you are creating your artwork for. In other words, you have likely 'picked up' on the type of individuals who tend to frequent exhibit openings at your gallery. That information may be deceptive in that the visitors are likely gallery regulars who show up to every exhibit at the gallery regardless of what is being shown. There may be a combination of factors -- not just YOUR art -- attracting them to that specific art gallery in general. You need to dig deeper if you wish to determine -- and target -- YOUR audience. [...]

The wonderful news is that when a person with my lack of art background can be successful, then anyone can. I’m not super talented and had no art training. Nothing, nada, zip. No workshops or classes. [...]

What spammers do is wrong; they are using people; and as long as it works, they will continue to do it. That’s a primary reason. A secondary reason so strong that it’s pretty much primary is that I do not want a link to a questionable site on mine. We work hard, very hard, to run our business honestly and with integrity, and I don’t want to jeopardize our good name by digitally associating with a place that deceives people. [...]

The point is, when we converse with non artists, do we sometimes forget that they don’t understand some of the concepts and vocabulary? Speak on their level. [...]

So here’s the beaver, with more work than he can manage, work that excites him and keeps his mind learning and exploring. Work that’s now more challenging and creative than the sticks he’s chewed for decade upon decade. Work that not only makes the homes of other folks (forest folks, of course) more comfortable and practical, but also more lovely and more valuable… [...]

I'm tempted to say that every artist should choose the follow-up method that feels easiest and most comfortable for them, but in reality for many artists, no method of follow-up feels easy or "right" at first. Just like with learning to create art, learning to network effectively requires an investment of time and energy to get past that awkward beginning stage. [...]

An interview with FASO founder, Clint Watson. [...]

Banksy gave his target audience what they wanted. What did they want? The answer is simple. His early admirers wanted affordable artwork that contained a social message they could sink their teeth into. He filled BOTH needs - he did not care about what other artists, collectors, and galleries were doing. He focused on HIS audience... and it paid off. The popularity of Banksy's artwork - spurred by a legion of dedicated fans - eventually forced prominent art galleries to see what all of the fuss was about. His artwork is now worth millions... BUT his target audience is still intact - still 'fueling' his name. [...]

While it won’t result in sudden, agonizing death to allow a spam comment through in our comment section, it is something we want to avoid. Before we delve into this, you may want to know, as I did, why spammers leave comments on our websites at all -- what do they get out of this? [...]

Just as the trail deceptively begins easy, so too, some artists have unrealistic ideas of what is necessary to pursue a career in art. Yet, the trail gets steep quickly, with few areas of ease. Being an artist is certainly an uphill climb with few times of relative ease. [...]

'Bacchante 3' by Marina Dieul was selected Best of Show in the April 2013 BoldBrush Painting Competition. [...]

Networking is as much about giving as it is about taking. It's about listening, not talking. It's not just about asking for help, it's about generosity of spirit and the willingness to commit to helping others. Networking is about valuing what you have to offer this world and not being afraid to share it. [...]

All of us need a Smokejumper in our lives. In the daily course of living little unexpected fires pop up. [...]

Social conditioning within the art world runs deep. Artists find themselves trapped by boundaries that they are conditioned to have within the art world itself. For example, many artists are conditioned to believe that they must do 'this and that' (move to NYC, earn an MFA, gain attention by a specific art magazine, exhibit at a specific art fair, hire a specific manager or art coach... etc.) in order to be a 'successful artist'. This rhetoric can spread like a plague -- spurring artists to question the value of what they do when compared to all of the 'glorified' hearsay / hype. [...]

But spammers, like all dishonest people out to make money without actually earning it, are innovative and intelligent, and they are constantly changing their tactics to outwit the tactics of the anti-spammers. And the anti-spammers figure out what they’re doing and block them, at which point the spammers introduce a new concept that the anti-spammers haven’t addressed yet. [...]

It is not uncommon for organizations (specifically arts organizations) to hold fundraising auctions in order to secure extra funding. I applaud those efforts. However, these auctions often involve donated artwork – the result of a 'flood' of donation requests sent to various artists. There is only one problem with this process – several problems, actually. [...]

Our esteemed judge, Andrew Kish III has completed the judging of the April 2013 BoldBrush painting competition. [...]

No matter how successful you become -- people will respect you if you still take the time to reach out to others. The snappy 'Do you know who I am!' remarks don't win fans... remarks like that tend to push away even the most dedicated supporters (we see that happen often with actors and musicians). Thus, strive to be as humble as you can be. [...]

Over the course of this series of 3 blog posts, I'm going to dig in and break down the "why" and "how" of networking and why artists should get a grasp on just how beneficial genuine networking can be over the course of a long art career. [...]

Time ain’t money when all you got is time. [...]

Don’t you wish that I would give you concrete, bullet-pointed, step-by-step instructions for how to increase art sales? I’ll never do that, you know, because I won’t deceive by promising easy answers to complex problems, but if you really want these tips, there are numerous groups, speakers, writers, magazines, social-media resources, and programs out there that will -- for a price. [...]

I find that most of my plein air works could have been greatly improved in compositional choices. This is one of many reasons my plein air work serves mostly as studies and not as finished paintings. If I do a very large canvas, I wouldn’t want to consider it a mere study. I would want a finished painting. But with all the visual stimuli out there and quickly changing light, most compositions aren’t as well thought out as they could be. [...]

We often forget that even the most praised artists created 'lesser' works. The works we view in the books -- and at museums -- likely reflect only a small percentage of what the artist created throughout his or her life. They tend to be the 'best of the best'. You have to step back and think of all of the 'failures' that led up to those works. Don't be fooled into thinking that those praised artists created one masterpiece after another. Heck, even the Old Masters made mistakes... so it is safe to assume that even they faced doubt while chasing perfection. [...]

The brushstrokes we leave on the lives of others never fade, but I didn’t know that was literal as well as figurative. It is time to put my fears aside and move forward with understanding and faltering confidence. It is not too late to follow a 30-year-old dream and to paint like there is no tomorrow until all my tomorrows are gone. [...]

I realized that the artists who managed to fight through this recession have a better shot at longevity than most. The recession was a test of your resolve and passion. I think as we come out of these rough times we will be more adept at survival and will have gained the skills necessary to make a long fruitful artistic career. There will still be those that fade away but we are more likely to grow and bend with the times and prosper. [...]

It is true that some art collectors don't care about artist statements -- or details about artistic process, for that matter -- but others DO care. They WANT that information. In my opinion, it is better to have that info -- cover all the bases -- than ignore it outright. The art collectors who don't care about said info will likely avoid reading a statement if it is provided. Fair enough. That said, the collectors who WANT to read your artist statement WILL end up searching for it on your website. Imagine their disappointment when said info is not provided. They may look elsewhere... [...]

Fifteen minutes of fame doesn’t make a career. An article in a magazine, newspaper, interview on television or multiple print ads may stroke your ego, but nothing much else. An artist’s career is a lifetime venture. Just because an artist is on top doesn’t mean they are sheltered from a crash. As has been stated, the higher you climb, the harder you fall. [...]

Because we’re supposed to -- because the normal way of going about things is to join prestigious groups and enter prestigious shows and try to catch the attention of prestigious galleries and not even dream of doing things on our own. In order to sell artwork, we are told, the quality and beauty of the artwork itself is the last thing we’re supposed to consider. We need the right group, the right publicity, the right show, to make it all happen. And in order to be in the right place at the right time, we need be joining those groups and buying those ads and entering those shows -- consistently writing out checks to other people in the belief that they will do something for us in return. [...]

My plein air work is about responding emotionally to the moment. But, I have realized that my studio work enables me to explore other ideas, push compositional choices, or push color to create a mood. [...]

If you ask 10 artists about commissioned artwork you will likely receive several variants on how art commissions should be handled. It appears that there is no 'cookie-cut' solution as to how commissions should be handled in general. Each art commission is unique... because each client is unique. Thus, each commission involves unique factors /problems that must be worked around. That said, there are common factors that should be considered. These common factors can serve as a foundation for how you choose to handle the commission process. [...]

Don't forget that the Studio Hop is a community event. It may attract people from all walks of life – and incomes. Thus, you may want to think about offering affordable art. For example, you may want to consider creating an affordable series of quick drawings, monoprints, or small paintings on various surface if your 'regular' artwork tends to be priced in the thousands. You might be surprised by how much profit can be made by offering works priced between $5 and $20 at events like this. I know an artist from Jacksonville, Illinois who walked away with over $500 in hand after offering affordable / quickly created small works during a local event! [...]

A word about unsuccessful paintings - yes they do happen, more times then I would like to admit. Artists do not allow themselves to practice. Every time we stand in front of our easels, we feel we must complete a masterpiece. If only we could. I take all those paintings of mine that just did not work, for whatever the reason, and I do not look at them as failures but just as practice, a learning experience. Artists are human and not perfect, so why do we expect our work to be perfect? [...]

In the weeks ahead, I’ll share animal fables, showing how each artist…er, I mean, animal… dealt with this calamitous time in history. Ants, beavers, spiders and ostriches, all have a tale to tell. [...]

There are millions of public domain and Creative Commons images (many of which are free to use) in existence today. You could easily spend a lifetime viewing them all. Yet Richard Prince targeted specific copyrighted images created by Patrick Cariou. Considering all of the free possibilities that exist today... it is clear that Patrick Cariou's copyrighted images are a vital part of the images created by Richard Prince. It is a shame that Prince could not admit that outright. He disrespected Cariou... chipping at his own integrity in the process. [...]

Life in the real world often feels like Looking Glass land, in that when we approach a project directly -- like, a really good painting; or marketing that painting -- we often seem to be back where we started. [...]