Musings -- aka Blog
WYSIWYG -- Seeing is Believing?
Almost everybody I know, when quizzed, says that art needs to be viewed at close quarters before a decision to purchase can be made. Yet a high resolution digital image on a high definition computer display will pick up every brushstroke and every paint dribble in full living colour. A painting is a hand-made creation and is therefore imperfect by its very nature, so any suggestion that an attempt has been made to disguise a “flaw” is nonsensical.
There may be a valid argument that a painting frame has been chipped or that a glass has been scratched, but these things are peripheral to the work of art they display. In many cases, the presentation of the painting will be upgraded to meet the personal tastes of the purchaser, and the original frame and glass will be discarded.
At this point I should emphasise that I am speaking of artworks with a market value of $1,000 or less — not Italian masters or French Impressionists. In the latter instances, the frames are almost as valuable as the paintings they surround.
In Australia there is a current debate about the parlous state of the general retail industry and the effect of online sales on High Street shops. Naturally there are people who are a standard shape and who can confidently buy shoes and clothes off the online peg, so to speak, and others who simply have to try on the goods before committing to buy. Then there are thousands of items available on line for which an image or a written description is sufficient. I note that there are currently attempts in some jurisdictions to force advertisers to disclose whether digital image enhancement (“air brushing” for example) has been used to embellish a photograph of a good or a person. We all know the tricks of the trade when photographing food for publication. The presentation is certainly not edible.
But I would vigorously argue that a high definition image of an artwork is WYSIWYG — “what you see is what you get”.
Now, I understand that the purchase of original art is a somewhat richer experience for some than buying a pair of shoes or a raincoat. While we may not have an overwhelming desire to meet the Italian makers of our new Ferrari sportscar in Modena, we would love to greet the artist who embedded a small part of his soul in our sub-$1,000 artwork. It simply stands to reason, doesn’t it? And, if the creator of this unique and original piece of art is geographically distant, we can build a virtual relationship thanks to social networking on the Internet.
So, doesn’t it make sense to consider buying a modest artwork, infused with the soul of a living artist, redolent of the passion for the creation of beauty, original and unique in a world of me-too, and likely to appreciate in value with the passing of time? Buying online offers a choice as wide as the world, with no taxes, no middlemen fees, no gallery commissions, minimal freight costs and quick delivery. I, for one, offer a money-back guarantee when unwanted goods are returned in the condition they were sold.
Buying small, inexpensive artworks online is no riskier than buying other commercial goods. Remember that the Internet allows you to get to know the creator of your original and unique purchase — in person, albeit virtually in many cases. That’s not something you can generally do with other online purchases. And, finally, nobody can afford to damage their online reputation. Bad news and negative reviews travel at the speed of light on the Internet.
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Wow! Page 1 of a Generic Google Search
My limited experience with open art sites has been less than optimal, in that any hint of controversy is immediately stifled. Dear Reader, you may have noted my crude attempts at being perverse, in the non-sexual sense, trying to engender an open debate on the online marketing of art. Clearly, I have conveniently forgotten that, unlike FaceBook, website 'blogs are lucky to elicit a 5% comment rate.
I am an ardent believer in the power of the Internet and its future in the marketing of original art. This is partly due to my former life as an electrical, communications and computer engineer where I find great satisfaction in the technologies of online presence. With the assistance of the tools of social networking, I can hope to build buyer confidence and trust by revealing myself as a real person with all my attendant human foibles.
I was speaking at length yesterday to a photographer who wrestles with the same buyer perceptions as I do. He also agrees that, GFC and European debt crises aside, much of his buyers' hesitancy is a result of nervousness in purchasing something unique where the value is not immediately evident. Often not even to self-proclaimed art critics. It's not like a commodity item such as an iPhone or an SUV where everyone else has one and there is some actual practicality provided. You cannot request three competing quotes and check the boxes in features tables. It's often a leap in the dark. It's deciding with your heart and not your head. And, unlike the big electronics or motor car companies, there is no persistent advertising campaign instilling in your sub-conscience all the persuasive bullet points ("four cup-holders, walnut trim, bi-xenon foglights") for buying something you don't really need.
Evidently there are success stories in the marketing of art online and in the development of a fulfilling career. Julian Merrow-Smith in a small village in Provence in the south east of France would appear to be moving from strength to strength. As a member of the "Painting a Day" movement which includes Duane Keiser in the USA, Julian paints small oils on gessoed card and auctions them on his website http://www.shiftinglight.com Subjects vary from rural landscapes in vineyards surrounding his farmhouse, to still lives when the weather closes in. I sometimes follow the 24-hour auctions (he has developed his own auction software) and he regularly achieves USD300+ on each item. He also operates another site at http://stillives.com and paints slightly larger stretched canvases at USD2000. He has published two small books of works and included a potted history of his career from a movie projectionist in the UK to an artist in France. He also prints and sells giclées of his larger works.
Apart from his excellent draftsmanship, Julian is an entrepreneur. His wife, Ruth Phillips, a concert cellist, assists in the very successful social networking side of the business. Their farmhouse location in the vineyards of Provence and in the shadow of Mount Ventoux is the stuff of dreams for his American audience, despite the unpredictability of the Internet connection, the freezing Mistral winds, and the fire which destroyed their house 10 days ago. His followers love to view the unfolding of the seasons in the region as depicted in landscapes, skyscapes and still life paintings of market and neighbours' produce. He summarises his progress as commencing with 3 followers, blossoming to 3,000 after an article in the N Y Times Art Supplement, and increasing virally to 30,000 today.
I have unashamedly tried to emulate Julian's online success. I send out an image of a small painting twice per week using PHPlist software with self-subscription facilities. This is linked to a Wordpress 'blog with the same image, but allowing comments and containing a PayPal "Buy Now" button. I recently set up a mobile-friendly, Flash-free, small format, low-resolution website for iPhone and Android devices. All websites have been optimised for search according to Google's criteria and all contain XML site maps including image references. I monitor statistics using Google Analytics and Google Webmaster tools. I have had a brief encounter with AdWords, but am not prepared to pay for tyre-kickers. I receive frequent spam comments,Ugg boot and Viagra promotions, despite ReCAPTCHA on Wordpress, and spurious attempts to subscribe to my eNewsletter using automated software. Unfortunately, very few bona fide subscribers.
According to some statistics, my online presence is moving from strength to strength. When I Google myself "Dai Wynn" I occupy almost all of the first four pages of results, and over 100 in total. But, of course, one has to know who I am first. As a matter of interest and following a recent comment, I just Googled the phrase "Buy Art" and I have two results on page 1 of Google.com.au at unpaid items 12 and 13, just after eBay. That is of 174,000,000 results. Unfortunately I am suffering "statistics fatigue" this Monday morning.
I believe that my expectations are reasonable and that I don't have an inflated opinion of my capabilities. There is a huge room for improvement in all aspects of my endeavours. Often the main challenge is to remain positive about everything I do, including writing 'blogs. My loving wife would say that I should always embrace a "generosity of spirit" -- a literary smile if you like.
I just stress over that common TLA (Three Letter Acronym) "ROI" -- Return on Investment. That minor procedural step of turning hits into dollars.
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Art as a Business
Dear Reader, I’ll be upfront and honest with you — I want to sell my art in a professional and businesslike manner. I know you’re taken aback and may take a while to recover from the shock, but I am determined to exchange my artworks for filthy lucre. (“Lucre” is defined as “shameful profit” and I’m proud of it).
As I go about my daily life, I buy goods and services from dozens of people and companies. I don’t know why, but I expect excellent service. I am a stickler for expecting companies to answer the telephone promptly and efficiently when I call. I believe my well-reasoned emails should merit a response within a reasonable time. I take the view that the machines of industry should be well oiled and that business should proceed in a prompt and efficacious way. I'm more than a little cranky when goods and service providers let me down.
Then we come to art. I paint pretty pictures. You have money and like original art. Let’s do a deal.
You have to be smoking weed. It doesn’t work that way and, even in this Internet age with smartphones and GPS/Sat Nav, the tradition lives on. Art is different. One has to view the artwork “in the flesh” and to meet its creator “in the flesh”. This means an artist needs more than one channel to market. Bricks-and-mortar galleries still play an important role in selling art.
I feel confident that a majority of readers will have dealt with gallery directors and curators. A strange sub-species of homo-sapiens. Apparently while sitting an exhibition, bored witless, they surf the web on their laptops trying to appear to be researching the artworld online. (They have yet to discover me). This takes up so much cerebral effort that they are unable to respond to emails or to answer the telephone. Or perhaps technology has developed an “app” for their smartphones that flashes “newbie artist” whenever I try to call. Having completed Probability Theory 101 at Art College, they know that the chances of a “newbie artist” selling out his exhibition on opening night is infinitesimally small, so the phone goes unanswered.
Don’t try to get me started on dressing like an artist. Now that almost everyone is covered in tatoos, has body piercings and streaky hair, I’m not even going to attempt to differentiate myself. That said, I did see a gallery director type wearing a business suit, lace jabot and bright red “pope” slippers last week.
Then there’s a little issue of my nebulous “artist statement”. I believe that my former life has equipped me well for a juxtaposition of technology and creative art. Nice word is “juxtaposition”. I should also try to interweave the words “spiritual” and “healing” into my spiel. “Intersection” is also a favourite when taking philosophical pilgrimages. Of course my paintings talk to viewers and to each other in exhibitions. I can barely hear myself think for the inter-painting jabbering that goes on in otherwise peraceful gallery spaces.
No, no, no. I simply paint pictures which I like and hope that others may also like. Period.
Yes, I admit that I indulge my passion and enjoy my professional “work”. I know that’s generally a venal sin and that a large number of artists paint to wind down from a hard day at the abattoirs, coal-mine, recyclable rubbish sorting, or merchant banking. I don’t have a real job and for that I apologise, but could we just revert to the topic in hand?
Do you like the painting? Is the price affordable? Do you have the money? Let’s do a deal! Yes, I take credit cards. Even American Express.
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Mobile Access to Online Art
According to ourmobileplanet.com, the penetration of mobile smartphones in Australia stands at 37% and will reach 50% within a few months. This is higher than in the USA at 31% and vies with smartphone penetration in Singapore.
A smartphone is a device with a relatively large screen and capable of Internet access on the move. iPhones and Android devices predominate in this space.
We are warned that users check prices and availability of goods and services online on their smartphones and will click-to-call when a “Call Now” button is placed centrally in the website home page.
Earlier this year, I developed a “Flash-free, mobile-friendly” version of my own website www.daiwynn.com on a sub-domain. www.m.daiwynn.com uses the ubiquitous “m.” sub-domain to denote a “cut-down” version of a website suitable for loading and display on a hand-held device. Since Apple’s IOS operating system does not support Adobe Flash for animations and slideshows, images on my mobile site are still and of lower resolution for faster loading. Furthermore, the 320px X 480px screen of an iPhone tends to be viewed most often in portrait format, even though it can flipped to landscape for wider images.
Buttons are large for multi-touch screen use, and text is larger for easy reading. I have a simple home page displaying my weekly painting image, an “about” page with a simple artist statement, and a “contact” page with my contact details. I don’t yet have a “Call Now!” button allowing a user to “click-to-call”.
Needless to say, traffic on m.daiwynn.com is minimal.
Assuming that users know about my mobile website, why would they want to view a tiny image of my weekly painting on a tiny screen? Isn’t art better displayed on a high-resolution 27 inch iMac cinema screen? And why would potential art buyers feel the urgent need to call then and there to conclude a deal?
I suppose one could also argue, as I have done previously, that art is best viewed in close proximity, preferably hanging on a light-coloured wall within a metre of the viewer. And it may well be true that a potential buyer will use his/her iPhone to determine the location of that wall.
In a determined effort to not second-guess the intentions of those mysterious potential buyers, I have invested time and effort in developing a “Flash-free, mobile-friendly” website at www.m.daiwynn.com. In this game, one never knows where that big cigar-smoking man in the white stetson hat is lurking.
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Try before you buy
The idea that a potential buyer of art must see the painting before considering a purchase seems to have wide currency among the populace at large. There is general agreement that a photographic image -- digital or analogue -- is not an acceptable substitute for the real thing at close-up range. And, as an art lover viewing paintings at an exhibition, I strongly agree that even modern image reproduction processes in exhibition catalogues don't do justice to the actual artworks on gallery walls in front of me.
But my paintings don't bear a "Monet", "Picasso", "Dali" or one of a thousand other famous signatures, and they don't bear a price tag with six or seven zeros, so I'm not sure potential collectors should be too precious about demanding to see a painting of mine "in the flesh" so to speak, versus an image on a website.
In the last month I have sold a painting to a customer in Beijing, P R China for a not insignificant price. I have never met this buyer, nor had the buyer seen the original in Melbourne. However, I think it highly relevant that the art lover had already purchased six of my smaller works on previous occasions.
Firstly, a very small watercolour at a realistic price, was bought online but via my Chinese agent in Shanghai. So, there was an Mandarin-speaking intermediary who sanctioned the sale. I posted the well-packaged painting in Melbourne and it duly arrived undamaged in Beijing.
Secondly, the same buyer later visited my Shanghai agent and bought five small oil paintings on the spot. So the buyer was now familiar with my painting styles and the quality of my work, as well as the integrity of the "supply line".
The most recent purchase of the larger oil painting on stretched canvas was an act of faith, given the money involved and the fact that the buyer had only seen a digital image. Transfer of money and currency conversion turned out to be fairly straightforward (apart from horrendous fees) and shipping the artwork raised no obstacles.
Whereas I was fairly confident that I would be paid quickly (2-3 days), shipping is less predictable. I removed the canvas from its stretcher bars, rolled it and placed it in a strong cardboard tube, addressed it in both English and Chinese, declared its contents and a reasonable value (cost of materials), then posted it. It arrived within 10 days with no duty or taxes payable.
So, in summary, once a benchmark has been set, albeit on a work or works of lesser size and cost, a degree of trust is engendered and a buyer can feel more confident to purchase a work online and remotely. The risk of physical damage before and during shipping applies to all purchases whether they be in person or online. Art is no different in that respect and, clearly, no insurance policy is going to replace a damaged canvas.
Some artists would also have me believe that a painting needs to "talk" to the prospective buyer, and that the conversation cannot be achieved remotely. I'm afraid that I don't subscribe to that hypothesis.
I can only hope that I can convince others to "try before they buy". My advice to them is to purchase a small oil or watercolour for an eminently reasonable price, before even contemplating buying a larger oil on stretched canvas. Given the proximity of Christmas and the "Holiday Season", why not buy a small artwork as a gift?
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A Personal Taste in Art
I would be the first to admit that everyone's taste in art is different. That said, there are many artists -- alive and dead -- who command significant following. The French Impressionists remain hugely popular in part because their subject matter was generally non confrontational and concentrated on the prismatic make-up of light through the use of primary colours mixed on the canvas. Their popularity in the twenty-first century is measured in gallery attendances and prices paid for their better-known artworks.
When the Impressionists were hard at work honing their new-found skills, their economic situation was generally dire, basically because they needed to create a market very different from that which prevailed at the time for serious works of art. Clearly, the constant rejection of their creativity must have been debilitating for years on end. I can only imagine how their wives and families must have pleaded with them to "get a real job".
I too frequently find myself in a guilt-ridden state, questioning my selfish decision to indulge my creative passions at the cost of a regular income. My fervent hope is that the Internet will change everything to do with art sales as it has elsewhere. Hypothetically, I can hawk my artistic creations around the world at the speed of light. There are online payment systems and shipping lines can deliver in days. My audience counts in the billions. In theory.
While I too paint non-confrontational artworks, preferably of attractive landscapes and seascapes, I need to be reminded that only a small number of the world's population likes what I do. Not even members of my own family tick the "like" box, because their tastes are diverse too. I was reminded today by a gallery director who decided earlier this year that, while "your work is excellent, it does not fit our aesthetics". Not good for the ego, but oh well.
It would be helpful to my marketing efforts to be advised as to what "does fit our aesthetics" in an open and honest manner. "Nice colours" really doesn't do it for me, although I understand that good intentions are at play. My suspicions are that the non-artists among us don't possess the vocabulary to critique an artwork, let alone offer a frank and potentially bruising comment if necessary. That's the problem with political correctness -- it really doesn't offer any usable guidance.
So, I'll just paint subjects which please me, hopefully improving with time, and I will have to deal with my conscience alone. Time will also play a part in establishing a reputation. I regularly remind myself that I only need one customer per artwork. Now all I need to do is to stay sane while I locate those art connoisseurs.
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Buying Art Online
I would hazard a guess that many readers will have bought many items online in recent years. Did anyone buy original art online? If not, why not?
Despite the apparent risks of using one's credit card in the wicked world of cyberspace, I have bought airline tickets to holiday destinations without a thought. My online purchases, amounting to several hundreds of dollars, were for a vacation - a discretionary expenditure, just like original art. I don't need to fly to an exotic location to survive. I need food, water and oxygen. Most people can live successful lives without original art on their walls. So, what's the parallel here?
Many people I have spoken to would agree that "art is different". One can buy books on line, clothes on line, holidays online, airline tickets online, but art ...... no, original art is different. One has to see the artwork "in the flesh" so to speak. What's the main issue? Is it a matter of risk? Is it a fake? Is it fair value? Will it appreciate? Why does the signature "Mark Rothko" on a two-tone black-and-grey painting make it worth millions?
Of course, as we all know, there is absolutely no risk involved in a budget airline flight to an exotic location. Well, perhaps if the flight has not been cancelled, it may leave late. The on-board service will be non-existent, and the seat will be cramped. We will have paid extra for our seat allocation and more for our baggage. We may arrive at our promised destination on time, assuming we have not been diverted, and our baggage may have arrived with us, and in one piece. I avoided mentioning earthquakes, floods, fires and civil unrest in our chosen destination -- not to dwell on disruptions due to ash clouds from distant volcanoes. Did I talk about the airplane falling out of the sky? Absolutely no risk of that happening, is there?
Then there are online auctions. OK, I think you get my drift.
On the other hand, buying original art is REALLY risky.
One explanation I have heard recently is quite credible. Many folks are quite scared to spend serious money on something unique. They have no examples to follow within their peer group. It's not like buying an iPhone because "everyone else has one", or an SUV because the entire street drives SUVs. It's unique. There is no other artwork in the world like this one. "I can't flash it around because it's on my wall." "Anyway, what if no-one else likes it?" "What if it's a fake and worthless -- a product of an Asian painting factory?"
So, if buying original art is risky, buying original art online is simply out of the question. Clearly this is a cry for the advice of an "expert". A potential buyer craves the considered advice of a learned curator in working out what to buy. Then the judgement call can be shifted to somebody else.
Of course, learned art curators are generally found hanging out in bricks-and-mortar High Street galleries, not wafting around the Internet. A pity, because I have very high hopes for a successful online sales stream, based on my reputation as a legitimate artist.
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Google AdWords
On two occasions I have taken up Google's introductory free offer to try their AdWords product.
Essentially one has to nominate a daily spending limit (I chose $10) and an approximate cost per click (around $1.30). Key words and key phrases were then chosen within the budget and with appropriate relevance to my artworks. While AdWords provides very good traffic statistics, Google Analytics showed me how much more traffic to my site was generated by various keywords and phrases.
Whenever a key word or phrase was entered into a Google search, an advertisement, with words of my choosing, popped up on the results page. Its ranking depended on how much I said I was willing to pay per click.
Clearly the number of clicks on my advertisement increased the number of hits on my website. So, if I limited my daily spending to $10 and the average cost per click was $1.00, I enjoyed 10 more hits per day. Hypothetically, these hits were better "qualified" than most since a person searching on my advertisement related directly to the keywords I had chosen. Normally, if I look at the huge list of keywords Google Analytics tells me have led to a site hit, I am often amazed at how random they are.
One keyword that has sent hundreds of people to my website is "rainforest". A painting of mine "Rainforest Stream" has featured as number one or two in the page of images categorised as "rainforest" -- the rest are photographs. But a typical search could be on orang utans which live in rainforests -- not on oil paintings of a rainforest stream.
So, if Google AdWords delivers better qualified hits -- people actually searching on "landscape paintings" for example -- the return on investment (ROI) remains at zero. Now the experts at Google AdWords would sagely advise "No pain - no gain" which roughly means that I need to spend real money on an ongoing campaign, continually refine my keywords, be patient and understand the hidden intricasies of AdWords. Of course, no one can tell me how much I need to budget, how much detail I need to learn, how long it will take, and what my ROI will be.
Does anyone out there in cyberspace have an AdWords success story?
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