Home Website Plans Blog Artist Gallery

Blog

Should I include a picture of myself on my website?

O. K. Harris - Metal Sculptor
O. K. Harris - Metal Sculptor

This is a matter of personal choice. I, personally, like the idea of an artist having their portrait on their website. I feel like art is such a personal commodity (after all aren’t our buyers purchasing a bit of us when they buy a piece?) that a little insight into the artist’s life is warranted. It’s like a personal introduction to the artist and it makes the whole transaction seem less anonymous.

 

How (or if) you choose to show yourself is entirely up to you. I currently have a picture of myself at an art show where I walked in and was surprised to see that I had won one of the major awards. I love this picture because I was completely surprised to be recognized for my work.

 

Some artists choose to show themselves at work throwing pots, turning wood, pulling prints, painting en plein air, etc- all highly effective images that help bring visitors into your studio.

 

Others, choose to include images of activities from their life outside the art field, yachting, horseback riding, hiking, etc- which is great, too, because every part of our lives inform and influence our art.

 

Still others choose to have a more formal portrait. A professional studio-type shot always looks great.

 

It all depends on your personality and what you feel comfortable with.

 

Personally, I love the dramatic and artistic action shots, like the fabulous photo shown here of metal artist O. K. Harris taken by Karen Kuehn.

 

Some other great shots I’ve seen:

 

A potter friend of mine had a picture taken of her that showed her removing glowing hot raku pots from the kiln at night. She used it in her booth display at art fairs. It was a stunning shot that stopped people in their tracks.

 

Years ago, when I worked at a fine craft gallery, one of the jewelers we represented used a black & white shot of herself, dressed in an evening gown, her hands in long lace gloves holding a blowtorch – it was awesome, one of the best artist shots I’ve ever seen.

 

So, think about including an artist portrait on your website. Decide what type of image fits your personality and go for it. Let the world see who you are.

Tagged: Website Tips

Should I include prices on my website?

I am of the opinion that artists should include prices on their websites. The internet has opened the market for art up to a much broader audience. This includes people who may not ever go into an art gallery. They may not know what to expect to pay for a piece of art and may just assume that anything that is not marked with a price is simply out of reach. I know I often feel that if I have to ask, I probably can’t afford it. Most of these people would probably be pleasantly suprised to learn that they can indeed afford to purchase a piece of art.

Tagged: Website Tips

My Artwork speaks for itself – does it matter how my website looks?

It absolutely matters how your website looks. It’s great to think that the artwork speaks for itself. Unfortunately, as is the case with most things in life, presentation matters.

 

Let’s look at your art and your business in the physical world. Would you like to see your painting in a shoddy frame, or a busy overly ornate frame that doesn’t complement your work but competes with it. Do you want to hand a gallery a crumpled up business card, or invite an art collector to your studio and have them tripping over things? These aren’t smart business moves for an artist.

 

Your website is no different — it projects an image of you and your business, and should frame and complement your artwork. It should be easy for a collector or gallery owner to navigate and see your work without getting lost.

 

Your art is meant to appeal to the visual sense of your customers. If they’re visually attacked with your website, your business card, or your studio, they may just move on.

Tagged: Website Tips

How often should I update my website?

You should keep your website up to date with any events/shows you are doing, and any galleries that represent your work.

 

As far as keeping up to date with your work — it depends. You probably don’t need to add every piece you create to your website – that can be time consuming. Just be sure that your website represents your current style of work.

 

If you are selling your work from your website, it is important to keep up with what has already sold. You don’t need to take every piece you have sold off of your website right away, but you should mark it as sold especially if your site has “Buy Now” buttons or a Shopping Cart.

 

Try to set aside some time every month to add new content to your site and weed out what is no longer relevant. You don’t need to make a big deal of it. Just a few tweaks and edits should suffice. A fresh, current website is more enticing to visitors and has the added bonus of helping with search engines.

Tagged: Website Tips

Isn’t it expensive for an artist to get a website?

MoneyNo, your website doesn’t need to be expensive. You can get a pre-designed/template website very affordably. This can get you a professional looking website very quickly.

 

Now if you want something more custom with lots of fancy spinning/flashy stuff on it, yes this can become very expensive.

 

Many people also go the route of their niece or nephew, or a trade with a technically savvy friend. While this sounds great, we’ve found that all too often it leads to a disappointing website that may even strain a friendship. Often the website never gets done completely, or updates take a long time to complete. Since they’re not really being paid, your website falls to their back burner as a priority.

 

We specialize in artist websites that are affordable, professional, and easy to update. Several other companies do too. A professional company that specializes in artist websites will cause you far fewer headaches than tackling it on your own. Also, a fully custom website may be more than you need. You can always step up to a custom website later, the important thing is to actually have a website, and that it be useful and present your work well.

Tagged: Website Tips