Julie T. Chapman - ArtBlog

I’m headed off to summer workshop in a couple days, but before I go: here’s a topic inspired by an email from a fellow artist who had been contacted by Art-Exchange - they were offering to ‘jury’ her website and then list her work, market it to hunting lodges, etc. Since I made the mistake of falling for their spiel many years ago - and paying them a fee at the time - a couple of my prints are listed on their site (for astronomically high prices…I’m pretty sure I didn’t set those prices, but I frankly can’t remember). My cynical side suspects that this outfit is making most of its money from artist fees, not from actually marketing and selling work. They have gazillions of artists listed.

If an art-selling outfit (whether gallery or website) is going to make money, it ought to be from commissions - this gives them incentive to market the work.

Has anyone had any GOOD experiences with art-selling websites? For instance, I’m hearing from crafters that Etsy is starting to work well for them. There must be a fine-art site somewhere that juries for quality art and then actually works to market and sell it…

…so: how many of you receive inquiries from other artists asking to exchange website links? how do you respond?

I get these fairly regularly, and I dutifully go check out the requestor’s site. Mostly, the requestor’s artwork is unimpressive or worse (in fact, I’m pretty sure I could qualify this as “always”, not “mostly”). While incoming links help a site rank higher in Google’s search algorithm, I’m reluctant to give an imprimatur of approval by trading links with artists whose work I don’t care for.

Or am I just old-fashioned? You know - grab marketing wherever you can, regardless of the source…?

I love drawing, and I think at times that can actually get in the way of my paintings - I get caught up in clean, precise edges and other type-A (stands for “anal retentive”) fussiness. Yet I thoroughly admire the passion in Nicolai Fechin’s paintings - as his modern doppelganger, Jeffrey Watts, says of Fechin’s work: “the perfect blend of chaos and control”. And I am intrigued by the paint and surface textures in Oleg Stavrowsky’s work.

So I took a chance on my latest piece and textured the hell out of the panel, thinking that might free me from having to “color inside the lines”. The entire work can be seen on my website homepage, but below is a small area - about 8″ x 8″ on the actual painting - showing the results. I’m pretty damn pleased.

I was recently contacted by someone who contributes articles to blogs, and after I told her who tends to hang out here she sent me the following guest-written piece. Comments?

Tips for Creating Art Outdoors

Whether you’re painting a grand landscape or capturing the majesty of wildlife in a sketch, working outdoors can be a great way to really get a feel for your subject. Of course, while working outdoors offers many benefits, it also poses a range of challenges. Here are some ways that you can make getting creative en plein air a little easier and more productive.

Scout locations in advance. If you already know where you’re headed you won’t have to spend precious painting time finding a place to set up. When looking for scenic spots, choose somewhere that won’t leave you ravaged by sun or wind as that will make it hard to concentrate on working.
Check the weather. It may sound like a no-brainer but there are certain days where the sun is shining beautifully in the morning and by afternoon a raging storm has rolled in. Make sure you check the forecast to avoid getting caught in some unpleasant weather.
Learn to cope with lighting changes. Unlike in the studio, you won’t be able to control lighting when working outside. Whether you pick up the pace, adapt to changing light or only paint for a few hours each day, figure out a way that works best for you to ensure you won’t have an oddly lit work.
Work quickly. During your time outside its best to work more quickly than you would indoors because of changing weather and lighting conditions.
Get portable. No one wants to lug tons of equipment up a mountainside, so make sure the materials and hardware that you’re bringing along are designed to be moved. You may also want to limit the things you bring along to just those that you’re sure you’ll need.
Respect the environment. Many artistic materials can be highly toxic and you should do your best to ensure that none of yours get left behind or discarded in the wild.
Be safe. If you’re working in an area where large, wild animals reside use common sense and be cautious. Even the most apparently docile herbivores can get pretty angry if you’re infringing on their territory, so always put the needs of the wildlife over the requirements of your work.

Perhaps the biggest tip of all, however, is to just have fun and enjoy the beautiful natural world that surrounds you.

This post was contributed by Kathleen Baker, who writes about online degrees. She welcomes your feedback at KathleenBaker3212 at gmail.com.

I have the good fortune to count Kate Davis, founder and director of Raptors of the Rockies, among my friends. Kate is a hoot (literally - she can imitate owls well enough to fool other owls), a fellow artist, and passionate about the raptors in her care. I’ve had the privilege of visiting her “Raptor Ranch” several times and photographing and sketching some of the magnificent birds there. Kate now has a blog going as well. If you enjoy raptors - watching them, painting them - I encourage you to visit Kate’s website and blog. She has photos and bios of all the birds, plus plenty of entertaining tidbits on her blog.

The painting shown here - “Ruffled” - was based on one of Kate’s golden eagles; the piece is now in the collection of the Lookout Mountain Nature Center in Golden, CO.