My first online art purchase
December 18th, 2006
Paul Butzi recently showed this photograph on Art & Perception. I fell in love with it at first sight. There was no discussion of the image in the post itself. I asked Paul if he could write something about the picture, and he did. At that point, I decided to buy the print.
This weekend Paul’s print arrived in the mail. I was not sure exactly what to expect, because Paul uses an Epson printer to produce his prints, and I had no idea what the result would be. Now that I have it here, I am surprised but pleased with the result. The print is crisp (despite my lousy photo of it above) and has lovely gray tones. It is not like a “normal” photograph, however — it is matt rather than glossy. This does not diminish its beauty, but does give it a different feel — say, like a fresco as compared to an oil painting.
Am I ready to “upgrade” to the 40″x50″ print for $2500? I’d like to Paul, though I’ll have to wait on that one. But I am most encouraged with my first foray into the online art market.
December 18th, 2006 at 4:20 am
It’s really nice photograph, good purchase!
December 18th, 2006 at 7:48 am
Paul’s description of how he created this picture is fascinating. To me, Paul’s explanation (viewing and understanding the weather of the landscape, ‘arranging the elements’ and photoshop work) and Hanneke’ follow-the-painting’ are the real gems of A&P
December 18th, 2006 at 10:02 am
Birgit,
There is a lot of interesting material in this blog, both in posts and comments, that is not easy to find, even if you know it is there. At some point we should start to make a handmade index of these things. Paul’s technical comment is the perfect example. Bartmans’s response to Leslie’s question about painting from photos is another.
December 18th, 2006 at 10:44 am
Colleagues,
while I was driving to work,I was thinking along the same lines as Karl above. Someone can write a book on the ‘Creative Process’ based on information in A&P. Other example, not necessarily technical, but equally revealing are Rex’ description of the drawing high school athletes. Earlier ones are Lisa’s comment on the therapeutic value of creating the quilt after her divorce or Steve’s post on the lighting in his ghost town pictures.
December 18th, 2006 at 10:59 am
And don’t forget Rex’s story about his winning soccer team in high school — a very interesting parallel to Bartman’s students, posted before the Bartman interview.
December 18th, 2006 at 1:40 pm
A gossip book on all our disputes might be a big seller too :)
December 18th, 2006 at 1:54 pm
David,
I used the word ‘gossip’ in the same context a couple of weeks ago. But then someone told me that some of that disputing can be useful:
(1) a little drama keeps A & P lively.
(2) it helps us to understand one another better. So much is missing in cyberspace compared to face-to-face interactions.
December 18th, 2006 at 1:58 pm
Oh, I’m not knocking it. I’m just saying it might be marketable :)
December 18th, 2006 at 2:29 pm
Drama is often marketable, but I think our drama gets a bit tiresome, rather than lively. Of course I could just be burnt out on it all at the moment as I was a recent particpant in some drama.” It wasn’t that entertaining for me, but maybe an outsider would find it so…
December 18th, 2006 at 2:33 pm
It’s not that interesting to me either, but when I go to the grocery store I see all those tabloids. Maybe we have to be famous before there’s a market though.
December 18th, 2006 at 2:33 pm
Leslie,
Sorry to be such a jerk. I apologize.
December 18th, 2006 at 2:34 pm
Leslie, if that is any comfort, David also defended me once against Karl by saying “why do you pick on your mom?”
December 18th, 2006 at 2:45 pm
Birgit, I’m touched that you remember :)
December 18th, 2006 at 3:14 pm
Karl,
Thanks for the apology. I do appreciate criticism and actively look for it, but I don’t like feeling attacked. I know you did not mean it that way. We go too far back to have such drama between us, in my opinion. Or maybe that was part of the problem…
I like what you are trying to do with the blog, even if I don’t like the outcome at times. It is your baby and people can come and go as they please.
And leave your mom alone =)
December 18th, 2006 at 3:32 pm
Thanks Leslie for your support.
But A & P is no longer Karl’s baby. It belongs to all of us. All of us are shaping it!!
January 7th, 2007 at 2:06 am
My name is Michael Ball, and last year I decided to make the leap and start an online business. Here it is: YourArtShows.com. My interest in the project stems from my love of art. My background is in theatre, and I have a well developed aptitude for the appreciation of visual art, but no formal training or expertise. The idea for the site came from my frustration with browsing for art on the web. I like to surf around until I find a work that intrigues me, then I save it as my desktop/background to enjoy for awhile. As I’m sure you know, there are numerous online galleries, but few of them are very browser friendly. They usually require a lot of clicking around through lists and text before ever getting to the art, and then it is most often a single work by an artist, or a lot of work by just one artist. The thumbnails are usually small and difficult to assess. I tried to build a site where it is easy to see a lot of art. If the art looks good, and the site pleasant for the viewer to manipulate, the site should sell more art. That was my thinking. That, and that the site should be a co-op of sorts, where the member artists can use their collective presence to increase exposure, sell more easily, and, as a group, build favorable relationships with businesses in their respective areas. I think we have the basic structure by which to build a great website that can become a valuable resource for artists interested in increasing art sales online.