Art Print Issues by Barney Davey

Is Good the New Great in the Art Business?

It seems not that long ago things in the art print market were booming. Housing was going through the roof, consumers were lavishly spending like drunk sailors, using the artificially inflated equity in their homes like ATMs with an endless balance.

When you get drunk, the price you pay is a hangover.

This economy we are in now is the massive hangover we are now suffering due to believing things were different and there was no end in sight to the good times ahead. The art print market was in a great position to take advantage of the upbeat and free spending economy. It was a good time while the party lasted.

It's not all bad news for the art business

There have been recent positive signs on jobs and spending and housing. The numbers have turned positive but not with the same bounce we have seen in past recoveries.

Companies like Go Daddy, the a leading Web hosting provider and domain name registrar, now employs more than 3,000 people and is looking to hire at least 350 more in the weeks ahead. If people weren't feeling good about their outlook, they wouldn't be spending on the basic tools of starting a business, which include a domain name, email address and website -- just the products Go Daddy provides.

Many of us are still suffering too much to take much solace in hearing positive numbers. We can still see empty houses in just about every neighborhood. We are reluctant to buy in too quickly on any prognostications about coming good times. So, for many consumers it is more a minor relief to realize the numbers we are seeing now are more of sign of the bleeding having stopped than they are the patient is recovered. It's not a reason to jump for joy.

We spend less, so do art collectors

So now with a more sober eye, we tend to be more conservative with our purchases for our businesses and for ourselves. Although we have relaxed our personal tight money policy to a degree, we are far from going back to our free spending ways.

Roy H. Williams, the Wizard of Ads, one of my advertising guru heroes, recently published in his weekly Monday Morning Memo a piece titled, How I Know the Recession Is Over. He bases his claim on reports from his elite advertising clientele, which chiefly consists of well-run small businesses. They have been reporting things turned up in the last quarter and are continuing to go that route.

Williams is convinced his feedback is an accurate predictor we have turned the corner and are heading for better days. I hope he's right. I trust he's right. While I won't bet against his outlook, the recent past has taught me to be more cautious when it comes to making moves that require a heavy investment. I'm not against such ideas, I just believe they need to be well researched and solid on every front before moving on.

Is good the new great?

I recently read the quote, "Is good the new great?" It is attributed to Greg Bloch, owner of Triad Art Group. Bloch built his art print publishing company into a marketing power house to publish and promote the work of Spanish artist Royo, and now others.

What he was able to do with his marketing savvy in quickly building a multi-million dollar art print marketing business with a very small group of employees and a single terrific artist was fantastic. His success embodied the greatness of the times in the late 1990s and early 2000s. As such, it is fitting he would come up with a phrase that adroitly captures the essence of our times.

Half the people you know are below average - comic Steven Wright

Sometimes it takes a comic like Steven Wright with his ironic philosophical twist on things to get us to pause long enough to question what is going on with our lives and careers. Wright's simple funny, biting and all too true statement is a perfect example.

If you stop to think about it, the world is full of ordinary people who consider themselves average, which is good in this regard. While as rocker Tom Petty once mused, "It's Good to Be King," society would not function were we all kings and queens. However, for an artist to seek to be average, it's a prescription for career disaster. Not if that artist desires to build a substantial body of work owned and appreciated by collectors on a large scale.

This is the wrong time to be an average artist

If you believe good is the new great, then you must also realize this is the wrong time to be average, or worse, below average. It is more important for us now more than ever to perform an honest self-assessment of our strengths and resources. It can sometimes be difficult to get a grip on where we stand when it comes to how good is the work. But, however you do it, if you get an accurate assessment of your situation, you can begin to work on an authentic plan to move your career.

Even the term good is arbitrary. Are we talking technical merit or commercial value or some intrinsic, yet intangible value. In terms of making a career in the print market, you have to have a grip on the commercial appeal of the work. If you have studied the market, you are fully aware some of the best known names are not the most gifted artists. This is true in other areas of the arts. No one would argue that Madonna is the best vocalist of her era. Yet, despite average vocal talent, she has remained a dominant force on the music scene in a decades long career.

It's quite easy to think we are better than we are about almost anything subjectively judged.

To some extent, each of us practices self-deception. Perhaps it's a coping mechanism that helps keep us from feeling or sensing too deeply harsh reality. It comes down not what, or not to where, but to who. Or, more personally put, it's down to you.

If you think Greg Bloch's quote, "Good is the new great" through, then you have to consider if good is the new great, then what the heck is the new good? For anyone trying to move forward and upward with an art career, anything less than good, as in great according this post, just won't work.

Introspection, investigation and planning are in order

Figure out what makes you unique. It might not be your look, your style or your genre. It more likely is something intrinsic. When you find it, without question, it will be your ability to tap your ambition that drives your uniqueness to new heights. Madonna took average singing and dancing skills and combined them with a compelling personality and an ambition as big as any celebrity of her generation. 

Stirring your ambition in equal parts to your imagination is the key

I'm sure anyone reading this has zero ambition to become an internationally successful pop music star. Nevertheless, there is no reason why you can't take clues from what Madonna did to build her career. Smart choices on her music, a willingness to shock her fans and the public, and the restless spirit to keep reinventing herself.

You don't have to use such a polarizing person as Madonna to investigate for how to take your career to new heights. There are plenty of examples you can use in the art world to help you ratchet up your art business.

New art print marketing webinart showcases successful print artists

You can find a bunch of them profiled in my just released, available free for a limited time only, webinart titled, "Harnessing the Art Print Market - Catch a Star." I put it together for Digital Arts Studio, the premier giclee printer in Atlanta. It is part of the benefits of being a sponsor of the recently released second edition of my How to Profit from the Art Print Market book. Check it out and comment below after you do. It will help me do my own assessment of my work.

Free Art Print Marketing Webinar: Success Stories,Trends & Visions

Digital Arts Studio is a premier giclee printer in Atlanta, GA. If you are seeking a digital fine art printing company to handle your work, you would be hard pressed to find a better operation.

DAS is remarkably devoted to helping its artists succeed, as evidenced by both its physical gallery and online Fine Art Marketplace showcase. 

DAS also is an advertising sponsor in my recently published second edition of How to Profit from the Art Print Market book and of the new GicleeBusiness.com directory. It provides free and paid listings of giclee printers and fine art market business resources.

Free Webinar Courtesy of Digital Arts Studio

One of the book sponsor benefits package is an Exclusive Free Webinar on a topic of the advertiser's choosing. DAS wanted its customers to learn more about "Success Stories, Trends & Vision in the Art Print Market."

Here is the copy from its promotional email for the webinar:

For those of you fortunate enough to have participated in the standing room only live presentation by Barney a couple years back at Digital Arts Studio, you know that his practical advice for artists is indispensable. This webinar will discuss what happens when his advice is implemented to advance your art career, highlighting true-to-life success stories, industry trends and the future of the art print market.

Limited seating still available

Although space is limited, there currently is some additional limited capacity, DAS has graciously offered to open the webinar on a first-come first-served basis to Art Print Issues readers. Seating is limited, so you will need to act now to grab a spot for the webinar. It will take place on Monday, April 4 at 8:00 pm Eastern time - 5:00 pm Pacific time.

I am excited about the presentation and hope to see you there.

YOU MUST RSVP to secure a spot in the webinar. Use this link to request your space with DAS. Or, your can use the DAS Contact page to request your spot. Once you are accepted, you will receive an email with the call-in number and login ID. The call-in number is local, so you may incur long distance charges.

Art Business Brightened by Uptick in Luxury Home Magazine Ad Sales

The print magazine business is just another sector that has been unmercifully hammered by the convergent effects of tech-driven changes in consumer information consumption and purchasing habits and a perilous economy.

I am an example. Not that long ago, I read every issue of numerous magazines cover-to-cover, including news magazines, trade magazines, art magazines, woodworking magazines and design magazines.

With 24-hour news and a wealth of information on the Internet, I have considerably cut back using print media. And, overall I spend more cautiously. It's obvious my changes are reflective of national trends in consumer habits.

If you’re riding ahead of the herd, take a look back every now and then to make sure it’s still there. ~ Will Rogers

No matter how successful you are, you are not immune to changes. This means if visual artists have game and can bring it, they can grow their art business at the expense of leaders whose market share once seemed bullet proof.

As an example of how things change, look at the magazines that cover the home and interior design field. They have seen the worst of times with ad page sales and circulation lows not seen in decades. Not that long ago smart money would have given long odds that Architectural Digest would be ever be surpassed by Elle Decor. And, it would have been wrong.

Vision, planning and execution are the tickets to success

I note the venerable Magazine Publishers Association (MPA) has changed its name to the Association of Magazine Media, which lacks a ring to my ear. No doubt, this is part of its effort to keep abreast of an evolving situation for print media. It will take more than a name change. Success comes from visionary thinking, smart planning and great execution. These are what makes the difference and cosmetic name changes without it won't save the day. It won't for visual artists either.

It's not just a good time to make changes, it is a necessary time to make changes

A recent story from the Associated Press titled Luxury Home Magazines Get Facelifts offers a positive spin on improvement in the luxury home decor market. The piece reports how changes at top interior design publications are being implemented. The idea is for these properties to try new things so they can stay relevant and keep ahead of the herd without losing it. Readers here should take note of this lesson and consider changing things up to try new things as well.

Ad page sales figures portend well for the art print market

What is truly heartening is the reports of advertising page growth in Architectural Digest, Elle Decor and Traditional Home in 2010. That is a sign that bodes well for the art market. If money is flowing into advertising in the "shelter books", as the home magazine category is nicknamed, then there has to be confidence the consumer is loosening the wallet and may be ready to spend more liberally in 2011.

I have reports from friends in the decorative art market that the poster business improved in 2010. This is encouraging sign for all visual artists. Still, it's not all hearts and roses in the art print market. You can look at the trade magazines that serve the art print market and know things remain anemic. For instance, Decor magazine hasn't had a digital issue or any changes on its website since December.

Trade magazines serving the art print market still hurting

The most recent electronic Art Business News January issue had only 30 pages with many devoted to the Toronto Art Expo, which it is promoting. The digital version of Art World News is a bit more robust with more print advertisers, but still only has 40 total pages. In years past, those books would have carried more than 40 pages of advertising in a January issue.

Ad sales figures like that cannot support a full-time magazine staff. So, we are still not out of the woods with the fate of art print publications, which a terrible shame because when they function as they are capable, they offer the industry leadership, experience and opportunity. The good news from the luxury home publications means if their page growth trend holds up it will help the art print and decorative market as well. Let's hope so.

Art Expo New York remains an industry bellwether

The 32nd Art Expo New York convenes at the end of March. It is aiming for 400 exhibitors. The Toronto Art Expo has about the same target. These are well off the peak years, especially for the New York show. Let's hope for good weather in New York and a decent turnout from buyers. Should these factors occur and the trending good news from the shelter books continues, the result could significantly boost morale and outlook for the remainder of 2011in the art business.

How to Profit from the Art Print Market - 2nd Edition sales are robust

From the very positive sales figures of my newly published and completely rewritten second edition, it appears artists are hungry for useful timely information to help them navigate the art print market today. I can't complain about the book zooming to a top spot on a couple of Amazon.com categories, "Business of Art" and "Prints." 

Sales through this blog and my www.BarneyDavey.com website have exceeded my expectations. Naturally, that is good news for me. Moreover, I believe the optimism shown by the sales of the book is a good harbinger of improving opportunities in the art print market.

What Kind of Art Sells Best?

Bare Branches and Red Maple Leaves Growing Alongside the Highway - photographic print by Raymond Gehman (Image courtesy Art.com!)

 

It seems while some advice is timely and best for the moment, other pearls of wisdom stand the test of time better.

Recently, I saw a link to this blog from a reply to a post I wrote on the Wet Canvas.com, Art Business Center, General Art Business forum in August 2007. It inspired me to repost it here.

I borrowed the thread's title for the subject of this post, "What Kind of Art Sells Best?" When you go there, you will find a wide variety of interesting comments and perspectives offered. In re-reading my post, I found it had both dated advice and timeless. I have interjected my current thoughts in red type to my original post republished below.

---

I think originals and reproductions sell differently to different kinds of buyers. Price points also make a difference. Over the years, Decor magazine has frequently surveyed its readers to ask what sells best in their retail art and picture frame shops. Not surprisingly, landscapes and florals top the list. It's the safest and most pleasing to the largest segment of the buying public and they typically go in any decor in any region of the country. How can a flower be controversial?

Art.com! publishes its Top 100, which is always informative from a trends perspective. Many poster publishers show what's hot on their websites as do other sites selling art online. If you study the ads in the trade mags or art consumer mags that most corresponds to your style and price points, you'll get a sense of what is popular.

Artists and publishers are too savvy to consistently spend thousands to promote dogs that won't hunt. So, by virtue of what they are offering, you get a view of what they perceive to be selling well, or think will sell well. Walking tradeshows like the upcoming Decor Expo Atlanta and ArtExpo Las Vegas can be very informative in this regard. (In a sign of the times, neither of these shows exist any longer, having both been canceled with little, if any, chance of resurfacing.)

I leafed through the latest Crate & Barrel and Restoration Hardware catalogs today. They both show more muted colors than previously. Chocolate browns and light blues, oranges, rust are still represented, but in darker, and to my eye more sophisticated palettes than previous iterations. (These colors are from 2007. If you want to see a current color forecast see my previous Art Print Issues post: 2011 Color Forecast Driven by Affordable Remodeling Trend)

You can pick up lots of color trends and content subject matter ideas from the home furnishings category if you are looking at the print reproduction and licensing markets for opportunities. If you seriously study trends, you will often find the color palette of the soft goods this season, such as sofas, lead the way for art and other decorative accessories in subsequent seasons.

If you are strictly in the originals market, you paint to impress your collectors, study your ideal collector, learn their tastes and design your work to appeal to them. You can't sell snow scenes in Scottsdale or cacti in Scarsdale. That means whether you are painting to sell to a national audience or a regional, you have to adjust what you are doing to meet the demand in the demographic and geographic areas you have targeted.

Being specialized and known for a look can help sales. It's done wonders for artists in all genres and price points to have a reputation staked out. Choose any well known contemporary artist and this is consistently borne out.

Your question (replying to the original poster) begs a question, which is, "What are you trying to achieve with your art?" Is it a few modest sales of originals, or are you looking to aggressively attack the poster or giclee market, or something altogether different? Are you seeking to be known nationally, or looking for regional exposure?

The more refined you are with regard to your intentions for your art sales, the easier it is to decide what sells best in the areas of importance to you. I think if you know what you want to do with your art, you can hone in on what you need to learn to make it happen. When you have that dialed in, you can put your blinders on and focus on getting there without the distractions of trying to comprehend and compete with the entire art market.

---

When it comes to your art career future, there is a great choice you can help to steer it in the right direction. That is by participating in the 5th Annual smARTist Telesummit. I will be returning again with an all new presentation for you to discuss how to succeed in the print market. The other presenters each bring their own expertise and wisdom to share with you.

Sign up now to get in on the Interest List. Only those on the list will have an opportunity to take advantage of the early bird special discount. It's a short window of only six days to sign up and save. But, you need to know about it first. Take a moment to get your name on the Interest List now, you won't regret it.

Another valuable art career tool is the 2nd Edition of How to Profit from the Art Print Market. You can order it now for delivery before the holidays. Click here to order and save on your copy.

What is the "Hot Color" Trend for 2010

Mardi Grape: Former Fashion Star Is Year's Hottest Color

According to Color Marketing Group (CMG), the leading international organization of color design professionals, GRAPE is the hottest color for 2010.

CMG, which has been successfully predicting color trends for 47 years, says this grape –officially called Mardi Grape – is a sophisticated crossover between purple, brown and gray. It’s a transfer from fashion with European roots.

Photo: Anna Beaudry 2009/Maria Killam Colour & Design

Chosen by hundreds of color professionals as CMG’s 2010 Next Color, Mardi Grape used to be a fashion color. Now, it’s all set to be the year’s biggest star for everything else.

Purple is a neutral for first time - expect it to be around for a long time

Said CMG president James Martin: “Purple has been with us for a while now, but the big story today is that we’re seeing purple as a neutral for the very first time. This purple is browner and grayer, a neutral we can love long-term.

These days everyone is seeking versatile colors with staying power. Colors used to be the focus while neutrals were the understudies. Today, neutrals are the lead performers, chameleon colors that shift and change.”

According to CMG, look for these additional color trends in 2010:

• Red – Reds are strong with pink intuition; bright and clean with energy and excitement -- a clean pop to go with neutrals.
• Orange – A rich, sophisticated color that moves away from earth-based colors to an optimistic orange, seasoned with a touch of gray.
• Yellow – A greener, more natural yellow, softened with gray.
• Green – Optimistic and uplifting, a clear and bright accent green with a slight shift toward blue.
• Blue – A saturated blue with gray influences; rich without being too luxe.
• Beige-Brown – A true chameleon to complement darker hues, it can be either matte or metallic.
• Neutral-Gray – Gray with a touch of purple, drawing inspiration from mineral, concrete and steel.

Color Marketing Group, founded in 1962 and based in Alexandria, Virginia, USA, is an international association of color design professionals. CMG’s major focus is to forecast the direction in which color is developing across multiple industries. For further information, please visit www.colormarketing.org

---

How Lucky Do You Feel? - Global Climate Change Options

Today is Blog Action Day. Along with 7,000 other bloggers, I have agreed to blog about Global Climate Change, the topic overwhelmingly chosen by participants. While I am inclined to believe it is more likely to be happening than not, I know some very smart people who believe it is a trumped up hoax. 

Like many Americans, if not most, you will find me concerned and in the middle on this and most thorny topics. In the case of global climate change, I am certain taking no action is wrong. I can't find fault with improving gas mileage, saving the rain forest, finding clean alternative fuels, being less wasteful and caring about our planet.

We cannot afford to hope to be lucky with the outcome of global climate change

The thing is with climate change, we do not know the outcome. We are part of an experiment right now, in the test tube, if you will. I don’t like that situation and bet you don’t either. If you have seen the direst predictions, then you know the situation could turn bleak quickly. Those who oppose the notion either don't believe the current climate change is not happening, or that current changes are a normal part of global function. Many of them think we are on a course of destruction by trying to save ourselves from something that will never happen.

Regardless of where you stand, for, against, or uncertain, this video will help you gain perspectice on what the real options are for the argument either way. I found it eye opening and thank Roy H. Williams, the Wizard of Ads, for exposing it to me along with many other great ideas.

Getting solar power ramped up to the right proportions would be a game changer

Energy consumption is a topic where all nearly agree we are too oil dependent and need to do something. Developing massive solar power energy would improve global climate change and benefit humankind now and for future generations.

Last week, I saw a tweet from Kathy Heasley, a powerhouse brand marketer with Heasley & Partners. The tweet led to The Information is Beautiful site and this article titled,Surface Area Required To Solar Power The World. It is a great example of the power of thinking large to solve big problems. If we could get our leaders to start backing ideas like this instead of the more trivial and parochial ones that hold their attention, we would all be better served by them.

Does Free Art Make Money or Sense?

Yesterday, I retweeted an article from ArtDaily.org. Its title, 50 Acclaimed Artists Give Away their Works for Free in the Last Ever Free Art Fair is a grabber. The idea gives one pause to contemplate fine art should be something greater than the product it becomes in commercial art fairs. I like the thought on any meaning you can take from it.

The show is aimed at taking art out of the commercial realm, at least for the moment, so it might be appreciated for the sheer beauty, imagination or message the artist intended rather than assigning it a dollar value. The goal, like timeless great art, is noble and is a concept all but the most cynical mercenary souls surely can value.

The Times They Are A Changing

Whatever your feelings, the notion of free, or giving something of value away, spotlights one of the fundamental, monumental paradigm shifts we, as a society of consumers, are experiencing. That is, we've come to expect, damn near demand, things be free. This is exemplified by the oft-repeated phrase, "Information wants to be free." The aphorism's genesis, pursued by Aussie scholar, Roger Clarke, makes for interesting reading on its own.

The simple truth is you can't separate art from commerce, even when you give it away. This is the point of the aforementioned paradigm shift. Artists are being shown they can give away their art and leverage the response to the offer to gain an audience and create a cash flow in some other ways. This requires getting out of one's way and accepting things are different.

Get on Board with the Band(s)

The music business offers the best example of how this works. The Grateful Dead's practice of freely allowing, even facilitating, taping of their live shows fostered the trend. Rather than destroying their business model, it nourished a steady and impressive revenue stream for the band from other sources. It has since become a path well-trod by many recording artists.

The idea, like The Grateful Dead, was radical, rebellious and well ahead of its time. The Dead's way of doing things foretold the future as their "far out" model became a widely used practice. For example, here's a paragraph from a lengthy Art Print Issues post from the fall of 2007:

We need to start looking at new ways of doing things. I had a blog post a while back titled, “Prince and the Art of Monetizing Free Stuff.” It described how he gave away 3 million copies of his new CD in England through newspaper inserts and more than made it up on concert ticket and merchandise sales.

The band, Radiohead, which currently is perhaps the best band in the business, is selling its latest album exclusively through its Web site rather than through traditional distribution channels, i.e, record companies, Wal-mart, iTunes, etc.

What make things far more interesting, the band is letting its fans choose the price they wish to pay for the download. Yep, you can pay nada, zip, zilch if you so choose. You can be sure players from every aspect of the industry are watching to see how this paradigm shift plays out. (Ed. note 9/14/09 The group abandoned the experiment after distributing millions of downloads. Whatever the cost, the publicity value had to make up for any shortfall.)

There Are Some Free Thinking Visual Artists Tossing Breadcrumbs

I recently tweeted this article: Surviving and Thriving as an Artist and I commend it to you again here. The author, Spryos Heniadis, is a visual artist who references Trent Reznor, yet another cutting edge recording artist who touts the practice of giving away high-quality mp3 downloads of music as the basis for building an audience, and thus a business. Heniadis has given the idea serious thought and has proposed a unique multi-part program to put the idea of building his own clientele by giving away his art. See if you can follow his logic, or improve upon it.

The debate over "Free" has Spilled into Business Headlines and Blogs

There is an ongoing debate about the real value of free by some notable marketing and trendspotting heavyweights. Chris Anderson is the editor of Wired magazine. He has written a book titled, Free: The Future of a Radical Price. It has spawned a debate between Seth Godin and Malcolm Gladwell who are two of the most influential authors on business and marketing these days. They don't agree at all. Just Google these three words: free godin gladwell. The results will bring you up-to-date on the debate.

I have written about how well-known visual artists such as Hazel Dooney and Banksy have been giving downloads of their art away. In an Absolute Arts guest blogger post titled Art Vs. Marketing – Making Hazel Dooney Cringe, I took Dooney to task more to make a point than pick on her. Besides that she is controversial and makes great copy, one can read her Self Vs. Self blog and know she is capable of taking and giving a jab with ease.

In this case, she took good natured umbrage at my suggestion her free downloads were smart stealth marketing with a retort titled: Google-eyed. Dooney is far from being naive, she understands it takes presence and awareness to make art important, and to sell it. To wit, she describes herself as a total media tart who takes any opportunity to promote her art and herself.

That she is smart enough to freely give her art away while taking its creation and the meaning behind with serious intent puts her full square with the organizers of the Last Free Art Fair mentioned in the first paragraph above. It also means she is understands and is running well ahead of the paradigm shift described in Free: The Future of a Radical Price. She gets it and uses it to her advantage. Bully for her.

Take Advantage of Low-cost Production & Distribution to Build Your List

As always for success, possessing the ability to create compelling art is essential. However in this new economy, compiling a sizable and viable emailing list arguably is your best asset when it comes to getting your art to market . Since Web hosting costs are nominal, it makes high quality downloads of available and previously amortized digitized art nearly free to distribute. Doing this brings to fruition visionary Marshall McLuhan's timeless maxim, The Medium is the Massage. He presciently wrote this book in 1967 and it remains a top seller and more relevant today than then.

I am not advocating giving away stuff to cost you money. I am advocating giving away stuff to make you money. If your emailing list were 10x, or 100x, or 1000x, or 10,000x larger than it is, you must agree you could leverage it to promote your art and yourself. I believe the results you would achieve would be far greater than you can imagine reading this post. 

That's What I'm Talkin' About!

Let the idea of your very own large email list marinate. Then ask yourself what is keeping you from getting your hands on one.  When you come to realize it simply is not already having employed a well-exectued plan, I trust you will be motivated to act on it.

Some things I know for certain and they are why I write posts such as this one. I know you cannot lose building a list. Repeat: You cannot lose building a large email list! Start now. Pay it forward; pass this post on.

Pursuing Style and Success as a Visual Artist

Many of you have read my book, How to Profit from the Art Print Market, so you know one of it main tenets is to have the ability, temperament and willingness to paint thematically. While this is true for artists seeking gallery representation for the their originals, I believe it is crucial for artists who wish to have a successful career in the print market. Basically, you have to be known for something.

Robert Genn's recent post in his Twice-Weekly Letter reminded me of this with his topic, A Methodical Pursuit of Style. Here's the first paragraph that gets the ball rolling for him:

"In 1947, the eclectic French author and theorist Raymond Queneau wrote a small classic called 'Exercises in Style.' It tells a simple fictional story over and over in 99 literary styles. Introducing writers to an almost mathematical formula for creating style, journalism and authorship hasn't been the same since. Queneau's demonstrated styles are loaded with fun. The concept may have benefits for visual artists."

I don't know about you, but as a writer, that sounds like a fun, challenging and stimulating exercise to me. But, only if I got to do it my my time and terms. Standing over me waiting for results would kill the fun.

Expand your style, just not at the expense of your audience

What Genn is getting at is to try different styles to expand an artist's talent and ability. He is suggesting pushing oneself to grow as an artist. This is laudable and I commend the idea. How boring would The Rolling Stones have been if they stuck to covering the blues instead of venturing into rock, country, reggae and more? Yet, despite their shifts in sampling other forms of music, they always were undeniably recognizable for their unique sound or style. When they did get to far out of bounds as with some Middle Eastern influences, their fans did not follow.

Painting using various styles is different than painting thematically, but it is closely related. It is hard to imagine getting gallery or collector attention if one is noted for painting graffiti art such as with Banksy, or marine-based art as with Christian Pierre Lassen, or even Thomas Kinkade's cottages if each piece came out as an experimentation in style with a succession of realism, impressionism, primtivism and so forth. Can there be significant influences of style on an artist who steadily mines a vein? Absolutely, the hallmark of successful artists is they manage to change, but do so in a way to bring their collectors and dealers along with them.

There is no shame and lots to gain by sticking to your knitting

Perhaps those at the pinnacle can do whatever they want and still have success. The reality for most artists working to make their art pay is they don't have the luxury to not feed the beast. The beast being their own creation of a marketing machine comprised of eager dealers, galleries and collectors who have their own expectations.

For most artists, this is not really a burden. They got into the business because they enjoy what they do. Having to paint yet another beautiful still life, landscape or portrait is not a chore. If it has become one, then paying attention to Genn's thoughts on expanding a methodical style will be the respite from the mundane they seek.

Different theme, different name; a time-honored practice

More than one artist has found the way to beat being pigeon-holed by painting under a "Nom de Brusse", if you will. I've known poster publishers who had artists with a range of talent paint widely different styles using another name. A gallery where I worked in Scottsdale represented several artists who were also in other local galleries, just under a different name and style at each. So, if your yen to stretch your creativity is there, you need not despair; just be as creative in pursuing different distribution points as you are in making your art.

Mostly Art Business Retweetables Volume Two

I find myself exposed to far more items of interest than I can possibly blog about. Twitter has been a great way to pass the best of what I find along. But, Twitter is much like listening to the radio. If you aren't tuned in at the moment, you don't get turned on to the content coming your way. Using the blog this is a way to encapsulate them for you.

These tweets, as they are called in Twitterland, are culled from what I think are the best and most worthy to pass along for your enjoyment, enlightenment and elucidation:

• This moving music vid compilation is so inspirational. Ben E. King would be proud to stand by it. Thx JD http://bit.ly/odSTg
• What Does it Mean to Make Commercial Work Too? http://bit.ly/e5clE
• 100 of the late Charlie Harper works found - I love his unique whimsical style. This is great news! http://bit.ly/9EmTk
• Checking out It’s Not the Recession, You Just Suck - http://outspokenmedia.com/s2a2 Ballsy take for sure!
• Uncool. @msofficeus is using Word to render emails in Outlook, killing standards support. See http://fixoutlook.org and RT
• "You can be better than you have ever been" John Gorka Morningside http://bit.ly/s6DSp
• RT GuyKawasakiTwitter users buy more music than average internet Joes: http://trkk.us/?gZq AC What about #art ?
• Ambition will where talent will not. We root for the underdogs and buy the winners. Never sell with your wallet. Offer Big! - Barney Davey said that
• Closed Car Dealership Finds New Life as an Art Gallery http://bit.ly/MJ1iv
• Fun film on typography. If you design create or direct design, you need solid typography skills http://bit.ly/102Drp
• Pics from Phoenix pub art project, Her Patience Is Waiting. Must be seen. Big file takes time to load but worth it http://twurl.nl/r132kv
• The Business of Art opens at The Art Gallery - What a unique idea to present artists! Check it out. http://twurl.nl/a3huf8
• $2.1 million suit against Thomas Kinkade upheld - one commenter dubs him Painter of Sleight http://twurl.nl/u1bnct
• 9 Reasons Your Website Can Have a High Bounce Rate http://twurl.nl/1h4ltu
• Art is a gift to the future. With any luck and a little conservation, it will last much longer than the artist.undefined - Barney Davey said that.
• Is an art kiosk an idea you can get behind? For the right artists, this could be fun and profitable! http://twurl.nl/n2dlo5
• Peter Green - Albatross this sweet soulful peaceful instrumental sweeps you away-works for me every time http://twurl.nl/eljggz
• The demise of arts education? Not so fast. http://twurl.nl/qhgrkl - This is encouraging news. We need more of it
• I take issue with using confusing terms such as Original Giclee (Reproduction prints). Huh? http://twurl.nl/dgo324

• What kind of art gallery has giant televisions showing the NBA playoffs? Is bold alternative marketing in your future? http://bit.ly/bVJVp

Easy Way to Put Your Website on Mobile Devices with .Mobi

Read Art Print Issues formatted for your mobile phone at:

www.artprintissues.mobi

If you don't have an iPhone, you surely know someone who does. The statistics for percentage growth of those using mobile devices to connect to the Internet are growing rapidly. Here is part of a recent comScore press release:

comScore: Mobile Internet Becoming A Daily Activity For Many

Number of people accessing news and information on their mobile device more than doubles in a year

Reston, VA. March 16, 2009 –comScore, Inc. (NASDAQ: SCOR), a leader in measuring the digital world, today reported that the number of people using their mobile device to access news and information on the Internet more than doubled from January 2008 to January 2009. Among the audience of 63.2 million people who accessed news and information on their mobile devices in January 2009, 22.4 million (35 percent) did so daily; more than double the size of the audience last year.

Now, if you have a blog or Website and can afford $4.99 a year, you can get your website formatted for mobile phones, or Mobilized, using GoDaddy.com's free Mobilizer software.(For full disclosure, I work there for GoDaddy. However, there is no monetary gain for my mention here. And, all ideas and opinions expressed here are mine and do not represent the company in anyway.) Follow this Mobilizer link to test the software. It will let you see how your site will look using it. It's a free look and if you want to buy the .mobi domain, you can get it on sale for $4.99 a year. That's $10 off the list price of $14.99.

Notice the new formatting for Art Print Issues?

I have moved the left column to the right side of the page. That allows the blog posts to download first. This better accommodates mobile device users. Also, it helps those with slower Internet connections be able to start reading the blog post without having to wait for the left column content to load. I already had been contemplating doing this for the latter reason, the addition of .mobi to my communication arsenal sealed the deal for me.