Unless you have a couple of years income stashed, or are married to a thoracic surgeon, don't just jump in; the water is deep and fast moving [...]

Informed Collector Looks Back on 2009 FineArtViews Contest Winners [...]

the good news is that if you want to change the world with your art, are willing to be honest with yourself about the current quality of your work, are disciplined and determined to continually improve your work, and most importantly, have that insatiable hunger to create . . . . then it is only a matter of time until you succeed... [...]

Ellen Brown’s love of fine art began in high school, where an inspiring teacher opened her eyes to still life painting [...]

"Shadows of Life" by Tom Heflin was selected as a Finalist for Outstanding Watercolor in the November FineArtViews Painting Competition. [...]

Maybe writing this boils down to wanting to express some admiration and appreciation for artists, who despite all odds, continue to pursue their artistic passions and talents. I am an art addict. I admit it. I have been since I bought my first painting at the age of 16. [...]

I just retired in May from teaching high school art/drama for 34 years. In mid November I decided to get a website up with FASO, sent out my first newsletter, and sold 2 paintings the first week. I received rave reviews on my website! The FASO competition was an awesome experience. The artwork was incredible in November—560 entries. I was so excited to have my painting, “Mr. Blues” selected as Finalist-Outstanding Watercolor by FAV Jury! I love everything about FASO!...Tuva Stephens [...]

"Mr. Blues" by Tuva Stephens was selected as a Finalist for Outstanding Watercolor in the November FineArtViews Painting Competition. [...]

In the creation of artwork, there is nothing quite like being in that state of mind that we call ‘the zone’. It is pure joy. It is elation. It is liberating and awakens emotions and expressions that were previously unimagined. BUT… [...]

"Hand in Hand" by Steven Hileman was awarded 2nd Place in the November FineArtViews Painting Competition. [...]

Art Links for Artists Who Want to Change the World [...]

Selected Upcoming Exhibits by Informed Collector Artists [...]

Art affects people deeply. I've seen grown men weep in front of paintings and grown women brought to sheer joy from art. Perhaps people are so deeply affected because they are connecting with the logos via the hand of the artist. Don't ever minimize the importance of your art, your gift, to the rest of the world. You see, art really does change the world. [...]

"A View from the Top" by Stacey Peterson was awarded Best of Show in the November FineArtViews Painting Competition. [...]

'Effulgent' by David Cheifetz was a November Finalist in the RayMar Art Fine Art Competition. [...]

Our esteemed judge, watercolorist, Joseph Zbukvic, has completed the judging of the November 2009 FineArtViews painting competition. [...]

Sending a note of thanks is good business and simply the polite thing to do. I have also learned that occasionally it leads to immediate sales. [...]

Intense personal dramas unfold with intriguing use of shadows and darkness. [...]

Art Links for Artists Who Want to Change the World [...]

Selected Upcoming Exhibits by Informed Collector Artists [...]

Today we're being treated to a special double feature of Ask Stape: Read ahead to see what's on the mind of our favorite advice columnist... [...]

"Le Défi" by Dieul Marina (shown below) was a November Finalist in the RayMar Art Fine Art Competition. [...]

There are only two things you need to master to be a successful artist...1 - Creating remarkably good art. 2-Finding the people who love your art and sharing it with them...Unfortunately, many people spend their entire careers learning to be great at either the first thing or the second thing... [...]

The funny thing is, this sometimes leads artists to complain about other people who are actually promoting them for free by "stealing" their images and displaying them on other websites. Ironically, artists also complain that Google isn't indexing/showing enough of their images and they want Google to index more of their images. You can't have it both ways people, sharing is sharing. [...]

Ask any successful artist how much time he/she spends actually creating artwork, and you'll find that time in the studio far exceeds time either planning or dreaming. You see, they settled on some plans and dreams early on and then took immediate action in pursing those dreams [...]

"Venice Moon Mist" by Chuck Larivey was selected as a 'FAV 15% Favorite' in the October FineArtViews Painting Competition. [...]

Arguably, the most important factor in SEO is earning good inbound links to your website from other websites...Here's an easy way for you to earn an inbound link from us. [...]

"Watch out" by Sarah Kidner was an October Finalist in the RayMar Art Fine Art Competition. [...]

It can sometimes be difficult to sort through all the advice we receive about marketing art. Some of the information seems contradictory – even when offered by the same person [...]

Union Station, LA by Suzanne DeCuir was an October Finalist in the RayMar Art Fine Art Competition. [...]

We share links. We share stories. We share blog posts. We share photographs. We share ideas. We share tweets. We share thoughts with each other. We want to share images of artworks with each other (at least when the artist doesn't use those annoying right-click disablers to attempt to stop us from promoting their artwork for them) And, sometimes, we even string shared series of these thoughts, stories, links and ideas together into what we call conversations. [...]

Art Links for Artists Who Want to Change the World [...]

The journey, not the destination, is often when you learn and grow to discover the real truths of life [...]

Selected Upcoming Exhibits: by Informed Collector Artists [...]

There are a lot of people out there who want to be artists and there are other people out there who prey upon them. There is one simple rule you can follow that will help you to avoid falling for their scams, here it is: [...]

Midtown by Elizabeth Pollie was an October Finalist in the RayMar Art Fine Art Competition. [...]

It's true that sales beget sales. Psychologically, we tend to put value on items that we see other people purchase. If a collector falls in love with one of your artworks, and sees that others have invested in your career by buying, it is more likely that they'll get off the fence and make the purchase [...]

Magdelen by Wanda Choate was an October Finalist in the RayMar Art Fine Art Competition. [...]

For the past twenty five years Nancy Guzik has been quietly perfecting not only her skills, but the focus of her work. The result is an engaging warmth and honesty of expression. [...]

Causeway by Lisa Daria Kennedy was an October Finalist in the RayMar Art Fine Art Competition. [...]