Art Blog - ArtId

It is almost impossible to sell paintings online in China, at least this is my own experience, and at present I haven't joined any paid websites yet, although I consider doing this later when I am more easy with my budget, which may be in 10 years time, because I have bought many insurrance which which will mature in 10 years ' time, at present I am really very tight.
Frankly speaking, ever since I have put my paintings on the internet, I find myself confronting with a lot of prejudices against female artists in my own country and with racism from the western countries, have any European female artists received in their online sites sex suggestions and such bad jokes as make you into an international art star ? For sometime I was really very angry with these kind of bad jokes, but now I am quite at ease with them, may be this is just another facet of life, after all the word 'art or artist' does not imply 'purity', there are so many facets to the word 'Art'

I agree with your comments wholeheartely
Caroline

I have had my own studio and did the touring gig for years. Had gallery shows,etc...I have been exploring the internet venue now for 5 years, and definitely see a climbing trend. I am still wondering about personal interaction, but so far, that has been covered in e-mail correspondence. Interesting, and definitely worth doing.

Interesting Dai, I agree that global art sales has it's flaws. However, interestingly enough we recently had a sale on the ArtId ebay store where someone in the US bought several pieces from an artist in Estonia. We have also seen several sales originating in the UK. Granted the UK isn't exactly foreign but it is outside the USA. Art sales on the internet is still in it's infancy, everywhere. It will take some time to close the gaps, smooth out the barriers and pave the way for simple CC and Paypal sales for everyone. Online sales should be only one venue of many in which you can sell. Traditional sales methods continue to be very valid but the internet is gaining ground now.

Mary has really struck a chord here.

The Internet has made the world a very small interconnected community. But that is only a statement of the obvious. Merely because technology enables universal communication, doesn't imply that we can actually exchange ideas. There are considerations of language, culture, time zones, artistic expression and ability to purchase online in comfort.

I live and paint in Melbourne, Australia in a time zone about 14 hours ahead of the North East of the USA. We are two allies "separated by a common language" as some wit was once heard to complain. I suspect that this geographic -- and cultural -- separation (for example, it doesn't snow in Melbourne) means that no-one in the USA will buy my artworks. The subject matter is too foreign and the cost to transport a painting too great. (Actually, for a small format work, it costs about USD15 to post it in a padded envelope).

Now magnify these issues in China, and add a little language barrier and cultural chasm for good measure. Oh, and few Chinese use credit cards, just to make ecommerce a bit more challenging.

As I have said previously, some of these challenges can be overcome anywhere in the world. China is a good, if extreme, example. I have sold works in person, at a large international art show, with an interpreter, after haggling over the price, and with payment in cash. Of course airfares, hotel bills, booth hire, interpreter fees, currency exchange commissions and all the other travel costs add up to make this a VERY expensive way to sell art.

The USA at the other extreme is generally comfortable with online transactions using PayPal and credit cards. No art sales for me from the USA. Why? I guess I'm simply off the radar, in a different hemisphere and a different time zone. This despite significant interest in my artworks in ArtId galleries.

I sure like the ease that Artid.com makes it in comparison to others'..really nice and then the representation of other artists and their works. I am a retired (psychD.) psychologist, disabled from a serious accident but rehabilitated and have been an artist most of my life. However, as amazing as it seems, the frequency of disability manifests itself so admirably in the enhancement of the most honorable artistic traits...these can be enhanced by the technolgy of these times with all thanks to our sponsor here Artid, your so good. I always wonder the states, countries, regions, provinces and etc, that we all represent..me I am MI, USA

Donald, in our newsletter we post who has had sales in the past month, from the site and form our eBay store. In our new homepage format we will also be posting sales. That is a good idea. We have to remember that buying art on the internet is not a mainstream activity yet. Those of us who have been online for many years are ahead of the curve and so are the artists coming on line now. Better to be here, be established, tweek your site and make it the best it can be; so when the trend starts to shift which, from what I've seen is starting to happen now.

I am curious to see how electronic sales compares to personal interaction with patrons at shows. Ask me next year!

Mary certainly isn't one to mince words and I should think that I too come straight to the point.

As a redeemed Information and Communications Technologist, I am at home on the Web. I have been a member of ArtId since January 2003, I have my own on-line gallery, I exhibit in other online galleries around the world, I have my own 'blog, I send out an eNewsletter every Wednesday, my online presence is PayPal enabled, I tweet my painting activities regularly and am a member of several Linkedin groups.

I receive around 1000 "hits" per week on ArtId; my online presence is viewed by several hundred people in 35 countries and 140 cities around the world.

That said, my sales are for portraits of people I know through my personal network, and for European landscapes at major art fairs in China. Although, to be brutally honest, I have sold three small works from my physical studio as a result of my online presence.

I suspect that an artist's online presence is one of several channels-to-market, and that buyers still prefer to deal directly with a known quantity they can trust. In many respects, fine art cannot and should not be commoditised.

Art sells on the web and to see what is selling from Artid I wish they would post daily the artwork that sells. Other art sites that I view and am displaying my paintings show what has sold BY DAY & for the past month or so if you really want to see what is selling. Once I see what is selling and who the artist is then it is just more than hope. It is really happening. With my digital art I show it three ways. Please view my trial gallery and let me know. Oh, when I do post, it goes to my FB and from that point on I start to get hits. I have also joined THE LATEST for professional networking just yesterday , and this morning I am starting to get linked up with other professionals.
Thank you

well you scared me into action. i just wrote my first blog.

I just got my first "Facebook" sale this fall. I posted a photo of a fooliage scene, "Apricot and Lavender", and a cousin fell in love with it. It's another way to be out there.

Have also found that selling online is so much easier than the hit and run of going from gallery to gallery trying to corner or entice someone into looking at the work. Folks, take a look at your own statistic tools for artid.com site. It is from here that see what work is looked at the most. Have managed to promote my work with ARTID in a very professional way; thank you ARTID!

A very well written message and I feel to be true.
Blessings,

Renee L. Marks Watercolor Artist

It's also possible that all this extra brain stretching actually improves us as artists. Most of us are constantly learning and applying new skills in the electronic media, but we are also perhaps evaluating our art at a level we would not otherwise do. When we write about our art to some extent we are rehearsing the art stories we will share with face to face clients or gallery owners, and we may sound smarter about what we are doing.

So true!

WELL SAID!