So essentially... sales beget sales. It all boils down to finding ways to increase the demand for your work. There are dozens, if not hundreds of ways to go about this - and savvy artists will take their individual marketing and painting personalities into consideration when making business plans for the coming year. [...]

'Sky high 2' by Gary Kim was selected as a Finalist in the January 2012 BoldBrush Painting Competition. [...]

What has happened is a learning curve on my part, because the more I have listened, the more I have learned from people who articulate themselves well, generously share their knowledge at the level I can grasp it, and genuinely want to see my project succeed. Each change I make adds knowledge to what I picked up from the project before, as well as customizes our website to meet our marketing, client, business, and personal needs. [...]

'Canyon Buttes' by Rusty Jones was awarded 3rd Place in the January 2012 BoldBrush Painting Competition. [...]

Most within the mainstream art world (the world of high profile art galleries and top ranking art rags -- I mean, mags) ridiculed the idea of selling art online OR ignored it entirely until now. [...]

Art is much, much more than simply creating. If you wish to just do art as a hobby or pastime, then you can ignore everything in the list above. But if you want to sell your work, you must remember that you are a business owner. But more than that, you should be an entrepreneur. Create business. And do it creatively. [...]

'Fallen Trees' by Jesse Powell was awarded Second Place in the January 2012 BoldBrush Painting Competition. [...]

Shepard Fairey has damaged his legacy -- there is no denying that. That is something he will have to live with (and something other artists should learn from). [...]

One of the many benefits I've received from working with my core group of students for several years is that they demand new material, new lessons, and new challenges. They push me out of my comfort zone into painting new subjects in styles that differ from my norm. In order to challenge them to try something new, I have to become adept at the technique or medium in order to illustrate it to them. This stretches my boundaries and causes me to grow, perhaps much faster than I might on my own.  [...]

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

We're not normally "I told you so" type of people, but we told you so. :-) We cannot stress enough the importance of sending a newsletter...it worked for Jacki and it can work for you, too. [...]

Informed Collector Announces January 2012 BoldBrush Contest Winners! [...]

It has come to my attention that some artists are annoyed by Pinterest regarding copyright. [...]

If you are bogged down by the complexity of getting everything done, figuratively find a tall hill to view the battle from. Then, look through the fog and focus on what’s really important. We can’t do everything, but we can do anything we place our focus on. [...]

'figure on red' by Robert Lemler was selected as a Finalist in the December 2011 RayMar Art Painting Competition. [...]

There is more involved with the contact information you provide on your artist resume than just the 'face value' of said information on paper. [...]

I like that, because of the combination of my fumbling experimentation with the guiding expertise of technical support, I am less intimidated by (some of) the inner workings of my website. By experimenting with customization options, we created something that is uniquely ours, showcasing the specific products and services we offer, and enabling us to better market them. [...]

'The Catch' by Don Biehn was selected as a Finalist in the December 2011 RayMar Art Painting Competition. [...]

Have you ever felt in a rut with your art? Maybe you feel that there is a certain “sameness” to all your work. It may be the same subject over and over. Maybe it’s the same time of day, or the same compositional ideas or the same color palette. But you are known for this style or subject and have sold well. Maybe you aren’t in a rut. Maybe you still find enjoyment with your subject, but you want to continue to explore and try new things to keep your creativity fresh and alive. [...]

'Bolinas Lagoon' by Saim Caglayan was selected as a Finalist in the December 2011 RayMar Art Painting Competition. [...]

Your artist resume should be as professional as possible -- that involves being upfront about who you are. [...]

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

I cannot have a clear mind until I have taken care of business. When I enter the studio, I don't want to have anything on my mind except my artwork. That is a must. [...]

'The Dory Shop' by Jerry Markham was selected as a Finalist in the December 2011 RayMar Art Painting Competition. [...]

Here’s one last reason not to give in to the lizard brain: Whatever you say about another artist to ‘cut them down to size’ will eventually get back to them. Worse, it will be misquoted, or taken out of context, or magnified in malice. And they will never forget. Our art world is too small for that kind of bad energy. And life is too short. Lead with your big, loving, highly creative heart. Be gracious about who you’re being compared to. Then give yourself the highest accolades of all. Tell the powerful truth about your own beautiful work. Forge the connection, then take it to the next step, on your terms. You’ll come out smelling like the proverbial fragrant-yet-hardy-shrub-rose! [...]

Blogging about your local / regional art experiences can be a strategic addition to your overall art marketing efforts. [...]

So if you are one of those crazy seven or eight, sitting in front of the machine, designing that newsletter, when everyone else is out on holiday, look at your calendar. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Schedule that article/newsletter to go when there's actually someone there to receive it. [...]

'Farms Across the Valley Floor' by Bryan Mark Taylor was selected as a Finalist in the December 2011 RayMar Art Painting Competition. [...]

'The Floating Market, Willemstadt, Curacao' by Thomas Kitts was selected as a Finalist in the December 2011 RayMar Art Painting Competition. [...]

The important thing is to make sure that you take advantage of every opportunity available – and in order to do this, it helps to recognize that opportunities come in different forms that aren’t always obvious, predictable, or traditional, and in marketing your art, you will expand your horizons beyond the easy, customary, and expected. [...]

Keep in mind that your artist website may benefit from blog posts about your art-related influences (assuming your art blog is located on your artist website). For example, your blog/website may receive traffic from specific searches due to art blog posts you have made about famous artists -- or even lesser known artists who happen to have high online visibility -- who have influenced you. Point blank -- those blog posts may help to increase your website ranking based on those specific searches if people discover your content when searching... especially if you utilize social networking websites to introduce others to your art blog articles in general. That is a good reason to get over the intimidation that many artists feel when considering art blogging. There is so much to gain... you just have to start posting in a way that is less intimidating. [...]

Things to look for: (1) A sense of urgency (2) Poor grammatical use in the email (3) Wanting to pay by Cashiers check (sometimes a greater amount than you are asking) (4) They want to use their own shipping agent. [...]

Original art is special. There is something that emanates from an original work that doesn’t from a print. [...]

'Garden' by Louis Escobedo was awarded Best of Show in the December 2011 RayMar Art Painting Competition. [...]

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

The dark night of the soul is inevitable, at some point, in our artistic lives. It is born of frustration, the inability to do the sort of work we want to do and not being the artists we want to be. Primarily, I believe, it is profound self-doubt. Self-doubt is not a bad thing. [...]

Your art blog should be an art blog-- NOT an everything-under-the-sun blog. [...]

On the strength of that post alone, I was able to connect with someone who actually had lived or spent time on the island many years before. I never knew anything about her prior to receiving that email. Thanks to my blog, I was able to connect out of all the millions of web pages that exist on the Internet. This is the power of blogging. [...]

'The Front Porch' by Robert McFarland was selected as a Finalist in the December 2011 BoldBrush Painting Competition. [...]

Comments will come in time -- or not. If they don't come... DON'T give up on your art blog. [...]