Art Print Issues by Barney Davey

Digital Artists & Fine Art Photographers: Are You Making Convergent Media?

Digital Artists and Fine Art Photographers Should Be Using Convergent Media.

Convergent Media is a term I coined in 2007 for Digital Artists. 

 Digital artists and fine art photographers were in attendance when I recently spoke at art business webinars, art marketing panels and podcasts. During those talks, I mentioned why I believe "Convergent Media" is a great term for them to use. 

It Was a Busy Week Talking About Art Marketing and Art Business

My first activity was as a panelist for the 2012 smARTist Telesummit last Thursday. Tuesday this week was very busy. In the morning, I presented my “Boost Your Art Career: Using Publicity, Promotion & Power of Self-Belief to Leverage Your Success” webinar for smARTist attendees.

Download an Informative Art Marketing & Art Business Podcast for FREE

Later that day, I took part in an “Art Marketing & Art Business Podcast” with Jason Horejs. He is the owner of Xanadu Gallery in Scottsdale, author of "Starving" to Successful: The Fine Artist's Guide to Getting Into Galleries and Selling More Art, (A must read for any artist),and a prolific blogger.  Jason has done more than 100 live workshops designed to help artists learn the insider secrets for getting into galleries. 

More than once when presenting, I suggested using "Convergent Media" to my listeners, who included digital artists, and fine art photographers. The idea is to use “Convergent Media” as a functional term that accurately describes works made using digital technology and printing. I came up with the idea for the term in a 2007 Art Print Issues, "Convergent Media - Is It Time to Bury Digital Art?" blog post. It was a response to a question from a digital painter who was seeking help to describe her work that was not made up marketing hype, and still succinctly descriptive. 

Have You Charted the Steps to Create a Finished Digital Fine Art Piece?

As I thought about the process that is involved in creating a finished creation of digital art, I envisioned the numerous steps to get a piece ready to market. Of course, a fine art photographer, who does not significantly alter the original image, will most likely not want to classify the work as other than fine art photography.

However, digital artists and those fine art photographers who also use advanced Photoshop, digital painting, and other methods to complete a work  are prime candidates for using a term such as “Convergent Media". I think digital artists, photographers and painters will find the term particularly useful.

The “Convergent Media” process runs the technology gamut, including considering a digital fine art print is calibrated, and put through a digital printer to complete the work.  Because of the many steps and processes involved, I was reminded of the well-used art term of “Mixed Media.”

In mixed media, artists use different techniques, artifacts, surfaces and processes to come up with a final piece of art. It struck me digital artists use a similar process that mainly involves digital technology, but might also include hand embellishments or treatments to the printed piece, before it is offered for sale.

I trust this term will help you in describing and marketing your own digitally created works of art. I have a couple of other blog posts, including a guest post on Absolute Arts, covering the idea of using “Convergent Media” in more detail You can read them on these links:

• Convergent Media - Stretching the Imagination
• Convergent Media - Is It Time to Bury Digital Art?
• Brave New Digital World

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Time to Build Your Art Career on Defensive Opportunistic Optimism

There was disturbing news this week in the art print market. *Boundless Gallery, an online art venue had been around for a several years, and also had become an important online art business retailer and a steady source of income for some artists. It abruptly announced it was closing its doors saying the business model was no longer profitable

This week, I added my comments to a lengthy and ongoing commentary to Maria Brophy's blog post, Should you be a Sucker or an A-Hole – You Decide. Maria manages the business for her artist husband, Drew Brophy. He has been rocking the surf art world for 20 years. Her post details how an arrangement went sour with a company had hired Drew to custom paint 50 of its camper van rentals.

The gist of the post is after tough negotiations that led to an original discounted price, the buyer announced he was getting offers to do the job at a price more than 30% lower than his current contract with  Drew. He gave them an ultimatum to lower prices or he would pull the deal. Read Maria’s post and the comments for more details.           

These events punctuated a moment of clarity I received after contemplating for some time about what is best for visual artists in the art business today. The clarity came in the form of three words:

• Defensive
• Opportunistic
• Optimism

Defensive – now, more than ever, artists need to realize they are mostly on their own. That is, they cannot count on publishers, galleries, or dealers to be there for them as in the past. The news about Boundless Gallery and the blog post by Maria proves the point.

I am not saying you should not trust galleries, online art marketers or art dealers. I am saying you cannot afford to rely 100% on their ability to look out for your best interest, especially if it conflicts with their own best interest. To some extent, this has been the norm, but the situation is worse now.

Opportunistic – it follows if you cannot put as much trust in others to carry your water as before, then you have to be opportunistic to create your own direct sales opportunities. Fortunately, in these times, visual artists can benefit from the confluence of growing Internet and e-commerce usage, changing consumer habits and Social Media trends to forge their own distribution models.

Having a Website used to be a personal decision. I believe it is now a “must have” item in your marketing arsenal. Further, I believe virtually every artist should have a blog. The SEO (Search Engine Optimization) and Google Page Rank benefits alone should make blogging paramount to artists.

Additionally, I believe the divide between those artists who do and don’t blog will grow larger with the former category taking market share from artists without a blog. Those who add a Facebook page, build a real Twitter following and utilize other social marketing tools will pull further away.

Optimism – unarguably, you need optimism to fuel your attitude, desire and ability to generate your best results. While you may temper enthusiasm with an honest realistic view and even pessimistic view of how times are tough, to be positioned for success you must prepare for and visualize the best possible outcome for your career.

You may not always be able to control your circumstances, but you can always control your reaction to them. If talent, hard work and luck are equal; optimism will win out every time. When you confidently convey you expect good things to happen, you take your collectors and other constituents with you.

I have a sister who has dealt with much adversity in her life, much of it coming from things over which she had little or no control. She reminded me of the great opera singer, Beverly Sills, who, despite a fabulous professional career, had painful personal hardships in her life.

Sills succinctly summed up what I mean about being optimistic in tough times when she said, “I'm not happy, I'm cheerful. There's a difference. A happy woman has no cares at all. A cheerful woman has cares but has learned how to deal with them.” 

If you watch your back, look out for yourself, and stay as cheerful, optimistic and as open to opportunity as possible, you give yourself the best chance to enjoy success in your fine art career

* A shout out of thanks is due to both Fine Art Studio Online and Empty Easel for their generous offers to help artists who were on Boundless Gallery. If you are one, check them out.

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Decade in Review for the Art Print Market

There have been numerous reviews of the past decade in print, broadcast and online media such as this one from Newsweek: Decade in Review (It is seven minutes long).

 

Here is my take on The Decade in Review for the Art Print Market. The dates and information supplied are subjective, arbitrary, approximate and included to the best of my ability, but not guaranteed for accuracy.

 

1999 (These items in this year are not officially part of the 2000 Decade, but close and significant enough to include)

• Commerce Publishing Company sold to Pfingsten Partners LLC. Properties include Decor magazine, and its sister Art Buyers Caravan, Frame-o-rama and Galeria tradeshow division.

o Actually happened in mid-1999, but most changes due to new ownership started in the new decade

o Many longtime employees leave Decor and Decor Expo

• Getty Images buys Art.com for $115 million in May 1999

2000

• Art Buyers Caravan (ABC), Frame-o-rama and Galeria shows rebranded as Decor Expo

• Cafepress.com gets initial VC funding

• West Coast Art & Frame Show in second year continues to grow with nearly 250 booths

2001

• Terrorist attacks on 9-11-2001 cause Atlanta Decor Expo show to be cancelled

o This singular event was a turning point for the industry

o Although some shows continued to grow in size, the industry never fully recovered its momentum as other factors compounded to stymie its growth

• In the wake of the dotcom bomb stock implosion, the founders of Allwall.com purchase Art.com from Getty Images for a fraction of Getty’s purchase price

2002

• Pfingsten Publishing & Advanstar Communications agree to single registration fee, to share registration and shuttle buses expenses between venues at the Jacob Javits Centerwhere ArtExpo is held and the Westside Piers where Decor Expo Art & Framing shows are held

• Art Copyright Coalition is formed by Art Publisher's Association members

• Alyson Stanfield launches www.ArtBizCoach.com

2003

• Pfingsten Publishing & Advanstar Communications agree to co-exist in the Jacob Javits Center putting ArtExpo, Decor Expo in the same location for the first time ever

• West Coast Art & Frame Show fills void in exhibit space as it grows with more art publishers finding success at its show

• Digital art begins to get traction in fine art print market

2004

• ArtExpo New York and the Atlanta Decor Expo (formerly Atlanta ABC Show) continue to grow in size and importance

• Internet retailers command growing sales from consumers and in orders from poster publishers

• Thomas Kinkade featured on CBS News "60 Minutes" show

• Increasing volume of Chinese assembly line oil paintings create concerns

2005

• Barney Davey launches Art Print News; publishing it as an online newsletter

• Atlanta Decor Expo lands at # 145 on the Tradeshow Week 200 signifying it is one of the largest tradeshows in the US

• Advanstar Communications agrees to sell its art properties, including ArtExpo shows and Art Business News magazine to Pfingsten Publishing LLC

• Print-on-demand technology proves to be a game changer as giclée sales eclipse all other media in the limited edition market

• Sharp decline in the number of independent art retailers brought on by the rise of Internet shopping, growth of big box stores, flood of cheap Chinese oil paintings and changes in consumer tastes wreak havoc on the poster publishing business

• Allposters.com and Art.com merge. Allposters.com is #145 on Internet Retailer Top 400 and Art.com is #95. Both sites continue to operate independently to date

• Etsy.com is launched

• Marilyn Sholin launches www.DigitalPaintingForum.com

2006

• Art Print News changes format from online newsletter to blog

• Summit Business Media LLC acquires Pfingsten Publishing LLC for the latter’s financial publishing properties. Art group gets short shrift as management unsuccessfully seeks a new buyer for it

• Imagekind.com is founded

• Thomas Kinkade is reported to have earned $53 million in the period 1997 to May 2005

• West Coast Art & Frame Show continues strong appeal to art exhibitor grows to more than 500 booths

2007

• Changing economic and market conditions continue to cause dramatic declines in booth space at tradeshows and ad space in trade magazines

• Decor Expo New York is cancelled and move to Baltimore. For the first time in three decades there is not a spring international picture framing and poster publishing tradeshow in New York

• Inaugural ArtExpo Las Vegas show opens to mixed signals

• Blogging for independent artists takes on growing use and importance

2008

• Decor Expo Baltimore is canceled

• Imagekind.com is acquired by Cafepress.com

• Etsy Raises $27 Million to Expand Marketplace for handmade goods

• ArtExpo Las Vegas opens on day Dow drops 600 points. Show never recovers

• Limited edition Shepard Fairey art available exclusively at CafePress through partnership with Rock The Vote

• Wyland paints 99th Whaling Wall "Water for Life” in North Lauderdale, Florida

2009

• Kim Feager, publisher of Decor, Art Business News and Volume magazines, and Eric Smith, Art Group Vice-President purchase the art group properties from Summit Business Media LLC. Feager gets magazines and Decor Expo shows. Smith gets ArtExpo shows.

• Decor Expo Atlanta cancels 2009 show. New owners vow to return stronger in 2010

• ArtExpo Las Vegas show canceled, future is doubtful

• ArtExpo New York announces it will move to Pier 94 from the Jacob Javits Center

• Social media outlets including Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn rise to become important marketing vehicles for artists and publishers

 

Undoubtedly, there were other momentous events affecting the art print market in the past decade. These mentioned where what easily came to mind for me, thus making this list both arbitrary and potentially inaccurate. I welcome all comments with corrections and additional items worthy of mention in the past decade.

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Start your year off with the learning and inspiration you will get from the 2010 SmARTist Telesummit in January!

If you want more help on you career from me, I will be one of the eleven speakers the 4th Annual SmARTist Telesummit. Click here to sign up now or to get more information about the topnotch panel of presenters who are ready to help you catapult your career this January. With the impressive lineup Arianne Goodwin has put together, you are sure to get a very positive career boost from your investment in time and money.

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Three Art Marketing & Art Publishing Links to Make You Think!

It goes without saying, there is a great amount of very good information for visual artists to be found on the Internet. That so many put forth the effort to share what they know is remarkable. These folks, all of whom have full lives, are to be commended for their efforts.

We'll start with post from Myron Arndt. He has been a publisher in the art print market for many years. Long enough to have observed the many twists and turns this market segment has taken. I'm sure he's like me and would not have predicted a few years back how much the open edition print market has changed. Undaunted, he provides some straightforward advice in his Art Business Thoughts blog post titled: 10 Simple Things Artists Should Know About Reproductions. As the title implies, the information is simple, but knowing and paying attention to it can make a big difference when you are gearing up for the print market.

The art market is full of terms that have multiple meanings. For instance, ask 10 people what is a print and you get my drift. This next link, Getting Your Artwork Published, is from gifted pen of Lori Woodward Simons. Now, when I hear getting art published, I go straight to thinking about someone like Myron Arndt at his Island Art Publishers taking on an artist's work.

Not so fast, Lori's article is all about getting your work published in a print magazine. The same term takes a different meaning under her tutelage. Her article, published on Clint Watson's splendid Fine Art Views blog, where she is a regular contributor, gives great insight borne from years of her personal experience and observation.

I've long been a proponent of getting publicity wherever possible. Lori's advice on how to go about it should be must reading for any artist seeking to get wider exposure via traditional media. Good publicity is worth its weight in gold. You just can't buy the credibility that comes with the strong implied third-party endorsement of a well placed media piece.

Now that you have some ideas for making prints and how to go about getting recognition for your work, you need some ideas on how to get it to market. Who better to give you a unique twist, one you probably haven't given much thought, than Alyson Stanfield, in her Art Marketing Action newsletter? Recently, she published a piece titled, Get People to Sell Your Art for You. The article has great ideas and links to dig further into affiliate marketing.

True to form, after hearing from her readers, she followed up with more thoughts in her Art Biz Blog to offer more clarity on the subject. You can read Is Affiliate Marketing for You? there. It asks and answers the questions about whether such marketing techniques are useful for everyone. The answer, is of course, no. As with any serious undertaking, you have to judge your fitness and desire to take on projects no matter how promising they seem. One thing is for certain, getting good solid advice from art industry veterans such as the fine folks featured here can only help your cause.

Change Your Life Links for Visual Artists #1

Success in art marketing requires being informed. Not just about the art business and how to sell art. It requires general business knowledge and personal insight. You'll find some help on all those fronts in this post. My Google Reader has more than 1000 blog posts begging to be read.

Of course, who has the time to read them all? Not me. But I do have the time to scan the headlines for irresistible topics, (This points out the importance of writing blog titles that arrest attention.) Admittedly, the title of this piece was written to illustrate the point. I've set aside some of the more interesting and helpful topics to put into this post for yo.

I scan those articles because I have an insatiable curiosity that compels me to learn about new things. As my reader, you gain the benefit of my inquisitiveness. You will find below an eclectic collection of posts gleaned from my Google reader with subject matter, (Titles notwithstanding), sure to garner your interest and help you in your life and business. Enjoy!

Lifehacker - Getting Things Done with Google NotebookThis blog is a continuing cool compendium of the best ways to manage your life better, especially, but not exclusively, online.

Pick the Brain - Ten Ways to Instantly Build Self-Confidence Pick the Brain is a site with a wonderful collection of articles and help on motivation, productivity, self-improvement and much more.

Health Care Fine Art - Interview with Diane Spellman If you have not yet considered how health care and art intersect and what that could mean to you as visual artist, this article is must reading.

Fine Art Views - Generating Creative Business Ideas It's really good to see Clint Watson back at full strength blogging. The addition of regular contributing writers as with Lori Woodward Simons, who penned this insightful piece. By the way, Clint had a succint poignant comment on the previous post about the death of Blog Rush.

Ancient Artist: Developing an art career after 50 - The Value in Mini Marketing Sue Smith has emerged as a terrific artist and savvy marketer. I'm north of her in age and as such greatly respect her chutzpah, wisdom and all she brings to the art marketing conversation.

In a brazen bit of bragging digression, I recently completed an arduous three-week training program with a high tech marketing firm here in Arizona. (Had to get an RJ (Real Job) to bring my health care costs under control.) Despite having nearly 20 years on all but one of my 14 classmates, I was the sales leader at the end of the training which in the last week was nearly all sales calls. I smoked 'em all by an embarrassing amount.

I'd mention the name of this company, but then I'd have to put in all kinds of disclaimers which I'm not inclined to do. Suffice it to say it felt mighty good to put all the young hot shots in my rear view. You just can't replace life experience in many situations. It's been fun to be part of a dynamic fast growing company that is recognized as one of the best places to work in Arizona. Enjoying success straightaway makes it all the more fun

Copy Blogger - Free Link Bait Report Brian Clark's blog is one of the most popular marketing blogs on the Internet. If you are blogging, you should be thinking about how to incorporate Link Baiting as part of your efforts and his free report will help you understand how to do that. If you don't know what link baiting is, you really need to read his report.

Art Licensing Info - Directory of Illustration - Advertising Opportunity Tara Reed generously provides insights into art licensing from the artist's perspective. Her link to this directory could be invaluable to many readers of her blog and this one.

Mashable - Reasons to Start CoworkingThis blog is an ambitious collection of all that's new on the Web. It updates multiple times each day, so it's really difficult to keep current with all it offers. The life, career and work of a visual artist can be a solitary and lonely way to make a living. Coworking offers a unique way to break out of that mode for artists and others who work solo. It is described as a global movement of localized mobile/remote worker communities coming together to share their otherwise independent work experiences.

The Value of a Descriptive URL

I began publishing Art Print Issues in 2005. Initially, it came was delivered as an 8-page PDF newsletter and available in HTML at:  www.artprintissues.barneydavey.com, a subdomain of my www.barneydavey.com Web site. BarneyDavey.com serves to promote my book and consulting services. You can find links to those early newsletter archives here on Art Print Issues.

Choosing the right blogging platform is helpful

A couple of years ago, I converted to blogging using Typepad as my platform. At the time, I felt the free Blogger was not robust enough for my tastes and WordPress platform required too much tech ability. Although both alternatives have made great improvements, I have never regretted the choice.

Choosing and using the right URL is both smart and crucial

Until recently, despite owning the ArtPrintIssues.com URL since well before its newsletter inception in 2005, I forwarded the address to my BarneyDavey.blogs.com Typepad URL. That was partly due my domain registrar not allowing me to do domain mapping. With domain mapping, one can use a service such as Typepad and have their personal URL function as their blog address. This looks so much more professional than having a composite subdomain address.

I had a confessed complacency with my doing something about my Art Print Issues URL. Since the Typepad URL contained my name, I delayed the hassle of transferring my URL to another domain registrar. I was also unnecessarily concerned about losing traffic or causing confusion during the process.

Choosing the right domain registrar makes your life and marketing easier

If you pay close attention to goings on here, you may noticed I finally put in the request to transfer from Namesecure to GoDaddy for my Art Print Issues domain. Now I wish I had done it sooner. Namesecure.com, my former domain registrar, has no way to contact or communicate with it besides email. It takes 24 or more hours to get a response. If you have issues, you have to be patient. GoDaddy, by comparison, has 24/7 US-based live help for all its services. There is no comparison. I have found the GoDaddy service to be topnotch with professional, friendly and knowledgeable. It took about a week to get the URL transferred. ICANN rules state they have to be done in 5 business days.

Once I had Art Print Issues with GoDaddy, it only took a few minutes to make the well documented changes provided by Typepad to the CNAME records. A couple of hours or less later and my Art Print Issues began to appear to my blog readers in the address bar. If you have any posts saved or bookmarked to the former URL, don't worry. They still work and will point directly to what you wanted to keep.

A good domain name is worth thousands, even millions!

Domains have a commoditized value. A check at www.urlappraisal.net shows ArtPrintIssues.com has an auction value of $5,629 while BarneyDavey.com is $7,540. When you think about name value, it makes the effort to get a URL in your own name as opposed to borrowing one from one of the free services worthwhile. When you use www.yourname.blogger.com, you do not own the URL and it has no value to you. I cannot be too smug about the value of my URLs when compared to ArtBizCoach.com which comes in at $32,645, or Art.com only worth a whopping $17 million and change.

The marketing communication branding value of a good domain to an artist is priceless

More importantly than the commoditized value of your URL is the priceless value of your personal brand of which your URL should be an important part. It can be debated, but I believe using your name in your URL is the best thing you can do. It helps with keyword searches, with personal branding, with recognition and with memory. If someone knows how to spell my name, they can easily find my Web address. If I tell someone to find my blog just remember Art Print Issues, they can get there easily without having to write down or remember some long complicated multi-part (yourname.blogspot.com) nomenclature.

When it comes to promoting your art, you are the brand. I think tag lines like "Painter of Light" are nonsensical and pretty much useless. Every painter paints light, some might capture it better, but do they truly sell more work because they say something like that in a slogan? I doubt it. To my ears, such phrases sound like empty words of blah-blah bravado. If the slogan were descriptive, "Painter of Vintage Autos", it would at least have communication and marketing value. But, I digress.

It's not too late to start using a good domain to help market and promote your art business

If you don't own the URL that is your name, and it is available in any form, get it. If you need to make it: www.johnsmithartist.com,  or some other variation, then get the one that works best. I realize some names are long or difficult to pronounce and this is a special challenge. In such cases, you may to be creative in how you brand yourself. Whatever you decide, stick with it and promote it like there is no tomorrow. You may have a considerable investment in branding a URL without your name, you have to decide what the value is and what the future value of using your name would be to you. It could be a tough thing to change, but in many cases, especially for emerging artists, it's better to bite the bullet now than waiting until you feel you have no options.

If you have a blog or Website that uses a multi-part URL that you don't own, try to get it domain mapped using your new URL. GoDaddy arguably is the easiest and it provides an email account with your URL. Speaking of email, set yours up so you can use the URL as your email address even if it is forwarded to your gmail, Yahoo, or AOL email address. This is just another case of looking professional and extending your brand into cyberspace. The more searchable your name, the better off you are. The more professional you appear in the details, the more confidence you give to dealers and collectors. A lot of little things that are nearly intangible go into making your best presentation of yourself and your business.

Creatively Borrowing Eclectic Link Karma #1

With apologies and admiration, I creatively borrow the Link Karma concept popularized by uber blogger, Brian Clark. He publishes the widely read and wildly popular Copy Blogger blog. If you haven't yet availed yourself of his offerings, here is a perfect example of why you should: Ernest Hemingway's Top 5 Tips for Writing Well.

Please enjoy the following eclectic list of links presented to inspire, inform and entertain you:

♦ Heifer International - Ending Hunger, Caring for the Earth: Ten Things You Can Do Today to End World Hunger

♦ With his Art Business Thoughts blog, Myron Arndt continues to provide invaluable insights from a successful art publisher's unique perspective. Here is one of his latest posts: Reproduction Glut and On-Demand.

♦ There once was a fellow from Sarasota
A retired art rep who always made quota
Now he produces podcasts
Full of wit and wisdom so fast
So his eager students miss not one iota -- for my friend, Dick Harrison, who shares his invaluable experiences and limericks (I trust he won't find the above too lame.) through his Sales Tips for Artists blog and podcasts. His latest missive is: Skills that Will Help You Sell Yourself and Your Art

♦ Clint Watson's Fine Art Views blog is one of the best online resources for visual artists. This recent post clearly shows why: Life and Art, Recursively

♦ The inimitable Art Biz Coach, Alyson Stanfield, who adds so much to the community of visual artists, generously provides a FREE 9-week program for setting up an Art Marketing Salon in your area. It's a terrific concept and a thorough program. Go ahead, get involved and make difference in your community.

♦ Art.com offers this fun program to bring out the inner artist in anyone. Careful, it can be addicting. Is there something you can do to create an interactive experience for your site visitors?

♦ Last, but far from least, The Positivity Blog, which I heartily recommend regular reading, provides: Mark Twain's Top 9 Tips for Living a Kick-Ass Life

Enjoy!

Drawing the Line on Reproductions

Technology for better and worse...sometimes a little of both

For as long as the ability to reproduce art has been available, there have been those who have sought to use it for legitimate purposes, and unfortunately also for ill-gotten gain. There were numerous reports last month about a ring of crooks busted for selling $7 million in fake Picasso, Miro, Dali and Chagall prints, including a post here. These details come nearly on the one-year anniversary of the announcement of the conviction of Kristine Eubanks and her husband, Gerald Sullivan. That pair had been charged with selling $20 million in bogus art prints, many of which were made in their own professional giclée printmaker studio.

(This content is republished from the April 3, 2008 Absolute Arts blog where I am a guest blogger and where you will find an interesting running commentary on it.)

Personally, I quite enjoy that visual artists can reproduce their work and thus create a secondary cash flow from it. It gives them another price point and allows them to introduce their work to many more collectors as well. Seeing cases of fraud, as mentioned above, concerns me visual artists creating legitimate reproductions can sometimes find themselves under unwanted unnecessary scrutiny. As if making a go of it for most artists was not already difficult enough.

What Is Art?

Part of the romantic allure of the art business – yes folks, it is a business – is it is kind of Wild West when it comes to what one wants to do and what one wants to call it. By golly, the debate over “What is art?” rages on and has never really been satisfied. Surely, the folks at the NEA (National Endowment for the Arts) can attest from regularly coming under siege for funding controversial works can tell you there is a wide range of sentiment regarding the question of “What is art?”

So, if we can’t decide on what is art, is there any chance we can decide on what is a print? The short and correct answer is no. The mixed use of terms in the business creates confusion that leads to anxiety and distrust.

What Is Investment Art? Can Giclées Be Considered Investment Art?

For many, buying art is more intriguing because one can also hope it may appreciate in time. Ask any of those folks taking part in the $200 million dollar class action suit against the Park West Galleries for its cruise ship art auction tactics. You can bet all bought with the idea of getting a great deal. Unfortunately for them it was only after being shorn did they realize they overpaid for art. It is the same mentality and likely the same herd, only on terra firma, that were taken in by the aforementioned couple of Eubanks and Sullivan who foisted their fraudulent works on their “Fine Art Treasures” cable TV show. In fairness, savvy buyers through the centuries have capitalized on buying undervalued art...and still do today. Tennis great, John McEnroe, says he's made more money in the art market than on the court.

We Should Rethink Limiting Digital Prints

I have for years championed the idea of abandoning limited editions for giclées. In fact, I blogged nearly three years ago on Absolute Arts with a post titled “Limiting Success” about it as well as on my own Art Print Issues blog. It just doesn't’t make sense to me for a variety of reasons; including it begs the question of why limit that which can endlessly be reproduced perfectly or as improvements come along all the better.

Limited editions also nicely lend themselves to some of the schemes mentioned here. I contend if the art is good enough, people will pay a fair price for it knowing it is in unlimited supply, which might help thwart some phony print schemes. Do I care if a recording artist sells millions of copies? Why should I care how many a visual artist will sell? If I want truly intrinsic value from a limited supply, I will pony up for an original, which is why many galleries have left the print/giclée market. They are tired of romancing the artist to a prospective collector only to lose the sale via the Internet when the buyer shops it. Selling originals avoids this problem, but it puts a kink in an artist's ability to leverage his or her work in the print market, which creates just another problem.

Regardless of what I have had to say, the fine art digital reproduction limited edition business remains strong, if not as vibrant as in its glory days. But then, you can say that about all kinds of businesses these days struggling to figure out how to survive in challenging changing times. Today, you can find many artists raking in big bucks selling limited editions in all manner of limited edition configurations. And, their galleries and they are not about to abandon a successful situation. Who can blame them? I merely argue they are leaving money on the table in the long haul by limiting editions.

How much did Greenwich Workshop & Bev Doolittle leave on the table?

Bev Doolittle's first giclées sold out nearly 4,000 pieces in a short time. Could she have sold more and still be selling them if they were merely numbered, but not limited? I contend yes. The early low numbers would ultimately have collectible value if the art is truly appreciable and not being Ponzied up by a limited edition marketing scheme. In Doolittle's case, I think the art would stand up to being open and sell well for years making he and her publisher more money with more happy collectors in the program as well.

A great image might sell well for years just as the back catalog of recording artists do. These steady streams of income could make a striking financial difference for popular artists and their families. Some, like the gifted watercolor artist, Steve Hanks, have retired huge editions on paper and are now releasing the images on canvas. I think Hanks would have never had to quit selling his work if the editions were they open and sequentially numbered because the work is enormously popular, timeless, compelling, representational and surreal at once. Instead, he’s had to resort to putting his watercolor work on canvas, which hardly reproduces as faithfully as his editions on paper.

Someone commented on my blog recently that giclées cannot be considered limited editions unless they are all produced at one time. The contention is they are a limited series instead. Once again, an interesting arguable take that further muddies the waters and heightens the desire for a ruling body to take hold.

Dead Artist's Estates Are Still Cranking Out Editions - So Are the Crooks - Who is Gary Arseneau?

To further stir the pot, there are many dead artists whose estates continue to print reproductions of their work. This, of course has been going on for years with the big names like Dali, Picasso, Miro and Chagall. While long gone, these artists remain in the news for the sale of both legitimate and fake reproductions of their work. Now along comes Gary Arseneau, he is a self-styled independent scholar, an artist, printmaker of original lithographs and a blogger. He is also the self-published author of books such as The Monument to the Victor Hugo Deception.

We ought to be asking, “Who is Gary Arseneau?” Is he a gadfly, or a crusader tilting in the wind trying to stem the tide of fake reproductions? You can only decide by spending time on his blog where he outlines in great detail his argument that the works of Rodin, Degas, Matisse, Duchamp and even Dr. Seuss that are being reproduced by their estates and heirs are fakes. He makes a heck of an interesting argument. Certainly, if you care about reproductions, buy them, produce or market them, you owe it to yourself to study his findings, read his arguments and come up with your own conclusions.

Is Having a Set of Enforcable Understandable Standards Too Much to Hope For?

Regardless of your personal opinion, the can of worms opened by Mr. Arseneau hastens the idea that establishing and enforcing true standards in the art world would be helpful. It is a crazy notion, I agree, but until a line is drawn on reproductions, the visual arts community will carry the burden of proving itself beyond reproach each time art of any value goes to market.

Artists Who Establish Authenticity and Transparency in Their Business Practices Will Win

As the world shrinks due to instant information and communication, being authentic and transparent becomes imperative. For those artists who find a way to embrace authenticity and transparency in how they create multiples or reproductions of their popular work and manage and market their business, there is ample reward awaiting them and their rightful heirs.

Noah G Pop Puts Pizazz in ArtExpo New York 2008

Pop artist Noah G Pop rocked this year's 30th Annual ArtExpo New York show, which took place February 28 - March 3. It is obvious he seeks to put more glide in your stride, more hip in your dip, more zig in your zag and more cut in your strut. In other words, this dude knows how to throw a party and have fun. That he manages to do it around promoting his art makes him just that much cooler.

When it comes to enjoying success in the art business, marketing and promotion are the twin synergistic generators that drive (AIDA) attention, interest, action and desire. Noah gets this in spades and that he effectively executes around making these waves as a SOLO exhibitor makes all he does more impressive.

Putting POP in Promotion, Party and Prints

In Noah's case, you find a confluence of terrific visual art and fun promotion creating a memorable experience for all involved. You can see for yourself, his party and attendant promotion pack as much punch as his art.  Both deliver on the promise of visual treat and stimulating exciting times.

His art is themed with the Pop influences of decades past, but as with any talented artist, he manages to make it current and specific to his artistic vision. It is no surprise he did well with his Jene NYC piece, shown here. It is hot, colorful, sexy, glamorous and fun. All the things one can hope to experience when attending ArtExpo New York.

The Fun Is Back, Let's Hope It Stays

Noah singlehandedly managed put back into ArtExpo a component that has been missing for some time. And, I'm sure he did it on a budget that would put to shame some of the corporate or show producer managed invitation only parties that run on the sedate side. The history of the experience of ArtExpo was there were always happenings. You didn't dare miss the show or the parties around it. The exciting open-to-all party element has been sadly missing in the past few years. As the show declined in size, it lost some of the zest that had made it special. Thanks to Noah G Pop, the fizz is back and the buzz around his art and his next party, which he already planning for next year are already in full swing.

Here is the content of his post-show email. Read it and you'll see he hasn't stopped having fun. And, while you are reading it, think about how you can put some fun of your own into your own art promotion:

3 More Important Things I Want You to Know Direct from the Noah G POP Playbook:

1)     First, I would like to thank everyone that attended my opening night bash at the Star Lounge and believe me there were a lot of you.  Our counter finally stopped somewhere north of 400 guests including artists, models, actors and a whole plethora of all-around cool people.  The vibe was definitely one of peace, love and FUN, FUN FUN!  I so much appreciate the support of each and every one of you.  Personal highlights for me included my Mom and Dad, my brother David, my sister Farrah, NYC Fashion Designer Grace Edwards, Iconic NYC Socialite, Philanthropist and Human Rights activist Zelda Kaplan, two of my favorite artists, world-renowned Painters Fabian Perez and Ford Smith and of course, it wouldn't be a party without the Naked Cowboy.  Also, special thanks to Rob Base who showed up and performed his hit single, "it takes two to make a thing go right". 

Now, for those of you that missed it; DON'T PANIC!  I will be hosting an evening of art, music and modern dance at the Grand in April (details to follow) and believe it or not, we have already begun planning our opening night bash for ARTEXPO NY 2009 (seriously).  Cue the cocktail music!  Yes!  This one will be bigger and better (think skylight cruise) and YOU ARE INVITED SO SAVE THE DATE!!!

2)    I would like to thank everyone that stopped by my booth to look at my work.  Thanks to your support and interest in my art, we had another killer show selling at least one of each piece with the big winner being Jené NYC who now has 5 new homes.  Thank you, thank you thank you. 

3)     I just saved a bundle on my car insurance!  I kid again.  I wanted to take a moment to speak to all artists but particularly my fellow SOLO artists.  Sharing your gift with the world can be a wonderful and magical experience.  It can be filled with excitement and joy but can also be stressful at times.  As someone that has personally experienced the broad spectrum of emotions that can accompany an event like artexpo, I applaud you for having the guts and the drive to share your art with the world.  For those of you that had a great show, I congratulate you and for those of you that would have liked to have a better show, encourage you to keep pushing, keep learning from your experiences and keep striving to share yourself and your art.

With this in mind, if I can be of any assistance to you in the future, please do not hesitate to contact me with any questions, comments or simply to bounce some ideas off of each other.  After all, we artists have to stick together.  Be on the lookout for Noah G POP Management in 2008.

I thank you for all of the support that I have received over the past year and of course, most importantly, Enjoy my art!

With much love and respect,

Noah G POP

For more information call 646.413.2366or email me at noahg@noahgpop.com.  Friend requests at www.myspace.com/noahgpop.

www.noahgpop.com

Some other observations about this year's ArtExpo

The final tally on its Website for exhibitors has a count of 467 companies. It's possible there are more, but even with last minute additions, it's hard to believe the exhibitor list came anywhere near the 600 touted by show management for the '07 show. The number of blog posts about the show is down from last year too. Here are a few I found you might find interesting:

Manuela Valenti looks like she is making good on her ArtExpo experience. It looks like she used this video in her booth. Regardless, it's terrific use of video to promote her art. Congrats!

Natasha Wescoat provides insight on her ArtExpo Las Vegas experience

Adan Lerma provides a running commentary on his experiences in 2007 & 2008 here

It's great to see Noah putting forth his energy into ArtExpo. For all the show has suffered from changes in the marketplace, revolving ownership and other circumstances out of its control, it remains the single best place to showcase artists in the print medium. There is still no place like the Big Apple for such a show. The Las Vegas show last fall proved nothing can come close. Let's hope the promise of young energetic talent like Noah G Pop and his contemporaries help revive the show's sagging fortunes.

Something Old Something New Meet Myron Arndt & Sue C. Smith

SOMETHING NEW

A long time art print indutry veteran recently joined the ranks of art business bloggers. His name is Myron Arndt. With his list of accomplishments and breadth of knowledge, he is sure to add value to the conversation about how to help the art market, prints in particular, navigate the choppy waters surrounding it today.

An example of the valuable information Myron is publishing on his Art Business Thoughts blog is his recent post titled, Art Submission Tips. It provides insights for artists on how to properly present themselves to a publisher. One of his ventures is Island Art Publishers. From this vantage point he offers firsthand knowledge, wisdom and tips for artists considering working with a a publisher. Check him out, you'll be glad you did.

I would love to see more art print publishers join the ranks of bloggers. It would be good for them and great for the industry and artists to have them publishing their thoughts and sharing their treasure trove of experience as Myron has chosen to do. If you have contact with any publishers, let them know about Myron and suggest to them the notion of starting a blog for themselves. Tell them to contact me for ideas, guidance and resources to get started.

SOMETHING OLD

Sue C. Smith launched her Ancient Artist blog in May 2007. I love the concept; the subtitle is: On creating art in Oregon, starting a second career in art instead of retiring, developing an art marketing strategy, and philosophical discussions about art.

How many artists does that describe? A whole bunch is the answer. Boomers are shedding their past and searching for their futures in droves. The number turning 60 every day is astounding.

I think Sue is on to something with her approach. Her blog topics are wide ranging, but are all nonetheless interesting. Much of her Ten Things You Can Do Now dovetails perfectly with my own philosophy of developing an art career.

Best wishes to both these bloggers to keep adding to the art business and art marketing blogging conversation.