"Becoming a father is easy enough, But being one can be very rough!"
- Wilhelm Busch, poet and painter

Diego Velázquez   June 6, 1599 Paul Gauguin   June 7, 1848 Frank Lloyd Wright   June 8, 1867 Gustave Courbet   June 10, 1819 John Constable   June 11, 1776

Christo   June 13, 1935 Saul Steinberg   June 15, 1914 Jim Dine   June 16, 1935 M.C. Escher   June 17, 1889 Peter Paul Rubens   June 28, 1577

Email subscription options are now available for the Fine Art Registry® and
Fine Art Advocacy™ websites RSS feeds. Sign up boxes are on the respective home pages and subscribers will receive updates every 24 hours. So, sign up and keep up to date with all that is happening in the world of FAR®!

by Nicholas Dietz   Our Newest Columnist!

In the past few years, the media has covered a number of stories relating to the looting of antiquities and other cultural property. The sacking of Iraq's National Museum soon after the fall of Baghdad in 2003 drew international headlines, as did the Italian government's indictment in 2005 of Marion True, then Chief Curator of Antiquities at the Getty Museum in Los Angeles. Read the full article, or view PDF.

by Shaunda Clifton   New Art & Insurance Series!

Filing a claim for a fine art loss may seem like a frustrating experience, but the detailed questions asked by your insurance company are in fact for your benefit. Long-time art claims adjuster Shaunda Clifton explains the information you may be required to provide and why it may help you get a larger settlement than you expected. Read the full article, or view PDF.

by Dr. John Daab, CFE

Creative recycling with reinforced concrete sculpting can help you keep items out of the landfill while personalizing your environment.
Read the full article, or view PDF.

by Cork Marcheschi

A powerful combination of music, food and art evokes memories and an introspective look at the meaning of melancholy.
Read the full article, or view PDF.

Big Girls Don't Cry & Neither Should Artists!

I have never seen such a bigger bunch of cry babies than some of the artists out there today. Now of course I'm not including EVERY artist in this cry baby group. I'm talking to those of you who feel "entitled" to have it your way when just about everybody out there is re-defining their very existence... personally, professionally and financially. So if I hear one more artist start to whine about their work not selling OR not getting the dollar amount they used to for every painting, for whatever reason, I think I'm going to have to put them in time out.

I know artists are struggling (some more than others) and like any tough time in one's life, you have to strap yourself in and hang on for the ride. Now I'm not going to lie. There are artists out there that won't make it. This market is not for the weak at heart. Nor is it for those who refuse to make some adjustments in the sales and marketing arena. But, instead of berating this group of artists that probably wouldn't know an opportunity if it knocked on their door, I will attempt to pass along some ideas that I have seen artists trying that are actually working in this market.

Bigger is not always better. If you typically paint large works, try painting smaller pieces so you can lower your price point but still have some income rolling in. There are many art collectors out there who have had to reign in their discretionary income allotted for art purchases and they will appreciate the gesture. If you happen to market some of your work in an auction style format, selling smaller works doesn't necessarily mean a lower hammer price either. I've seen small paintings bring just as much, and sometimes more, than larger paintings. Remember, with art, it's what speaks to an art enthusiast, not necessarily the size. And who knows, you might also attract new clients who actually have the space to hang an 8" x 10" as opposed to a 36" x 24" painting. I'm suggesting that you give this a try and not just for a month or two. You should always have a few smaller paintings to offer for sale. Diversify your portfolio as it were.

Consider offers on your paintings. Okay, I'll admit, this can be a little tricky especially if you're an established artist with a nice track record with regard to past sales. In fact, you might be cringing right now, but let me emphasize the word "past" sales. We're in different times now and I'm not suggesting that you give your art away or even close to it, but you should always entertain offers for your work. Considering an offer doesn't always have to translate into a sale but surely you can afford to, on occasion, let a piece go for a little less than you have... in the PAST. You just might end up turning this potential client into an avid collector of your work.

Reach out and support someone. I'm not talking financially, well maybe if you're in a position to buy art from fellow artists that would be great. But what I'm really talking about is emotional support. Artists can be so critical of each other. Why? I've never quite understood and it's a phenomenon that runs all too rampant as far as I'm concerned. I know, it has through the ages, and I suppose it's not going to stop any time soon, but hear me out. It's critical to lift each other up rather than beat each other down, especially in difficult times. I recently had a fellow artist in NYC contact me out of the blue to thank me for some words of support I offered him months and months ago. He told me that it meant a lot and was needed at that time. It didn't cost a thing to offer that support and the artist clearly benefited emotionally from just a few kind words - enough to contact me months later to tell me. It takes very little effort to make a difference in somebody's life. Try it... you'll like it.

Network, network, network. Expand your circle of contacts. Talk to other artists and industry people. You'll be surprised at what you can glean from chatting it up with others. The important thing is to stay connected and to avoid fading into oblivion.

Customer contact. When is the last time you worked your client database? If it has been over a month, it's time to dust it off and get to emailing and/or calling clients. Once you've done that, continue to send out a monthly update with regard to what's new with you and your work. Your email should always include links to websites where they can purchase your work if they're so inclined. Do you think that monthly contact with your clients is too much? Think again. Why do you think social networks, reality TV, YouTube, blogs and Twitter happen to be so popular? If you click "send"... most people will probably read what you have to say. If you do a video blog about your work and put it on YouTube, it will get views. That's just the world we live in now.

Retail sales. Businesses do this all the time, so why shouldn't you consider a "sale" every once in a while. Offer your existing clients 10% off or more, if they purchase a painting from you within the next 30 days. That's just an example, as you can better determine the actual percentage off and the length of time you want to extend the offer.

I hope these ideas help foster a new plan of action for you to take. It's time to get creative and not just on canvas.

- Star Noble   (Need advice? Email our resident expert: StarNoble@fineartregistry.com)

Sign Up | My Account | Art Store | FineArtRegistry.com | About Us | Featured Artists | Art | News | Articles

Visit us online at www.FineArtRegistry.com or www.FARwebStore.com.

Fine Art Registry® provides a unique, patented, high technology tagging and registration system for artists, collectors, galleries and museums, to help ensure authenticity and provide accurate provenance for works of art and all valuable collectibles. Learn more about How FAR® Works.

This news, information and advertising message is brought to you by FineArtRegistry.com.
Global Fine Art Registry, LLC., PMB #215, 5350 W. Bell Road, Ste C-22, Glendale, AZ 85308 USA.

Fine Art Registry®, FAR® and the Fine Art Registry Logo are registered trademarks of Global Fine Art Registry, LLC. Fine Art Advocacy™ and Helping Bring Order to the World of Art™ are trademarks of Global Fine Art Registry, LLC.

© 2009 Global Fine Art Registry, LLC. All rights reserved. Policies