As this is the first entry in my blog I decided to make it a “good news” day. I have been living away from my home in Grand Cayman for a fair while now (more of that later) and things in the UK have been going very well. However, living so far from my known art market has been a first for me, but I have continued to work, and have surprised even myself at some of the pieces my new situation has produced.
With a lot of encouragement from my husband to be and best friend, I have grown my internet presence in a variety of ways and (just as he promised it would) it has started to produce results for me. Selling original paintings online has been a steep learning curve, and, as I am sure many struggling artists out there will tell you, there is a huge pool of talent out there just waiting to be discovered. I hope that as time goes by, to share some of my hard won knowledge – I hope it can benefit other painters who are hoping to sell their artwork.
There are literally thousands of artists, working in countless mediums, all clamouring for the attention of art buyers and collectors and in such a vast marketplace it is by no means easy to reach them. But, it can be done, and it need not cost you the earth. Through this blog, I hope to convey some of my triumphs and disappointments in all areas of my ongoing career as a working artist. I hope that those of you who come along for the ride will enjoy it!
My two most recent sales are in sharp contrast to one another…….
“Horizons” is an acrylic on canvas painting, and is not really what I am known for at all……it is a Cayman beach/seascape and was painted at the insistence of someone who felt I should have a reminder of “home” through the cold and dark winter months in England. A lady in Pennsylvania saw the piece and it so reminded her of her vacation home on Grand Cayman that she asked me if I would be prepared to sell the painting. It always amazes me that one of my paintings is desirable to someone else….not due to any false modesty but simply because, like most artists, I have so many moments of self doubt about my work. I’m sure, dear reader, that you will know exactly what I mean if you produce artworks in any shape or form.
HORIZONS – ACRYLIC ON CANVAS ORIGINAL (Copyright Nickola McCoy 2005)
The other piece sold this month is entitled “And Suddenly”. Not really typical of my work again, although I don’t really have a “typical” truth be told, I see no reason to limit my art to a particular style or pigeonhole – labels are for fools as a wise man once told me. This painting is an abstract/figurative acrylic on canvas and is currently being stretched in preparation for shipping to Arizona.
AND SUDDENLY! ACRYLIC ON CANVAS ORIGINAL (Copyright Nickola McCoy 2005)
I hope that both of my latest customers will be pleased with their acquisitions and enjoy them for years to come!
View any of my artworks
http://www.arteccentrix.5u.com
Interesting beginning. I would love to learn more on selling art over the Internet. I hope you continue to post. I just started posting a daily painting blog last week. It is my first attempt atselling on the web.
You can check my blog at http://dailypaintingpractice.blogspot.com/
Thanks for the read and the comments Peter. I will indeed continue to post and share both my own experiences and those of others with regard to selling artwork online.
Starting your own blog is a good first step for any artist seeking a wider audience. It’s a lot of work but a lot of fun too and it will help you to meet a lot of good people.
Try some of the resources I have already linked to in this blog and visit as many art blogs as you can find to see what others are up to, and post your work on Flickr too!
Nickola–>
very interesting, but I don’t agree with you
Idetrorce