Featured Artists Spotlight

Facebook's Artist's, Authors, and Admins

This week is the first in a series of blog posts that will focus on artists who I have met over the last few years of being involved in Facebook Groups. The groups on Facebook are where the true social media thing is happening right now. There is a group for everything and everyone.

My talented friends are also my greatest inspiration

 

I set up two groups towards the end of 2015. In fact the last group is now only 9-months old and already is nearing 4,000 members. The Artists Exchange is a group that I am extremely proud of. There are members who are artists, buyers, collectors, and those who simply love art. In fact you can join it right here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/940723089340284/

Forget scouring back street galleries for emerging artists, if you want work that is highly collectible you will find that many artists in this group will fulfil that need. Many of them have many years of experience and their work is simply phenomenal.

The rules of the group are simple, only two self-promotion posts each week, share as much as you want that promotes other artists, art news stories, asking for critique and advice, and it is a group whose members are engaged. We even have weekly themes and the occasional challenges for artists and non-artists to participate in.

A question I constantly ask myself is why people go to such great lengths to discover amazing new artists when they are right in front of them! I was once like this, I would scour galleries all over the country and sometimes around the world too in an attempt to find a new artist that would offer me a decent return in years to come, and it was as much about the investment as it was about the art at the time. Today it is purely about the art.

I have visited galleries around the world, Russia, Estonia, the UK, the USA, Cuba, Jamaica, France, Spain, Italy, Germany, and more, and whilst I have discovered some beautiful work in these far flung corners of the earth, over the past few years that I have been on Facebook, I have realised that actually I haven’t seen that much at all.

I am constantly in awe of some of the artwork that has been appearing on social-media over the last twelve-months. There really does seem to have been a new era of art born in front of my eyes, to the point that my once favored artists such as Warhol and the old Masters have been cast aside of late. There is a new period of art, it is the social-media era.

So I thought I would pull together some of the artists who you will have missed, and I can guarantee that over the coming months you will be taken on a journey of discovery as I spotlight and feature some of the best artists of today, and as winter nears, these artists will brighten up the foggiest of days.

Art is a broad subject and we encourage those who create beautiful handmade items to be a part of the Artists Exchange too, as we do authors, actors, actresses, we are a community of art lovers! So my spotlight will feature everything and everyone who participates in the arts at one level or another.

Something else I plan to create is a spotlight on those hidden people who make art happen in the galleries and exhibitions around the world. From the young men and women who sell tickets at an arts event, to the curators, if you know someone involved in the arts behind the scenes, please let me know and let’s get those people featured too. After all, paintings don’t hang themselves on the wall. Art is aside from the artists, as much about the people who make it all happen every day. In the meantime, I would like to say thank you to everyone involved no matter what their role.

MINKIEMOO DESIGNS

 

MinkiemooDesigns.co.uk

Tina Anns is a specialist artisan who creates hand stamped jewellery and each item is an artwork in itself. Her work is timeless yet has a modern vibe that creates a marriage of form and material. I have known both Tina and her husband Lewis for a number of years, and they are two of the most wonderful people you could wish to meet.

Tina is the owner of Minkiemoo Designs and creates beautiful personalised sterling silver jewellery and it is this medium which is at the very heart of everything she creates. What’s more, her designs can usually be adapted to suit personal preference.

Perhaps one of my favourite pieces is her Tree of Life necklace which can be purchased here: http://www.minkiemoodesigns.co.uk/aboutme/prod_3510726-Tree-of-Life-necklace.html

Tina also has a range of giftware, ladies personalised bracelets, ladies personalised necklaces, personalised accessories, and wedding bouquet charms. The gentlemen are also catered for with a stunning range of men’s personalised jewellery.

Minkiemoo Designs also have a Facebook page and I just know that they would appreciate your like! They often run contests to win a piece of jewellery and this is where you can hit that like button! https://www.facebook.com/MinkiemooDesigns/

Tina’s work is inexpensive for such quality items. Her Wish bracelets make wonderful stocking fillers and gifts for teachers. They are all handmade and prices start from around £8.95 plus postage and packaging.

My advice if you wish to order any of Tina’s work is to get in quickly. Very often she is inundated with orders and becomes especially busy on the lead up to Christmas.

You can also check out Tina’s website (which will be updated soon) at:

http://www.minkiemoodesigns.co.uk

REBECCA CRECELIUS

 

Rebeccacracelius.com

Rebecca’s work has always inspired me. She is both witty and intelligent and her art elevates any space it appears within and demonstrates the emotion of the artist. Rebecca’s inspirations come from faith and beauty and she recently told me:

“This seems abstract, but to me art is a sort of religion. Therefore, its creation is a kind of worship. In addition, I find many things beautiful, including that which is traditionally considered unattractive. However, when things are hard for me to accept, sometimes I will spend a great deal of time creating work to find a sort of attractiveness. For example, I once created a series of paintings based on images of skin diseases”

Rebecca’s work can be found at the following site, http://rebeccacrecelius.com/ and you can follow Rebecca’s work at: https://www.facebook.com/rebeccaacrecelius/ and discover more at http://rebecca.crecelius.pixels.com.

You should definitely check out her NYC and Austin collections and you can also contact Rebecca through her website using the contact form.

SHELLEY WALLACE YLST

 

I have known Shelley for a while, but I have known of her work for much longer. She is a truly talented watercolor artist and her works show more than an awareness of the beauty of the everyday in an extraordinary display of talent. Her work is vibrant and fun, and often produces a multidimensional space where a variety of thoughts and ideas coexist.

Her works exemplify the mediums expressive potential to produce consistent works. There is never a doubt that the work you are looking at is a Shelley Wallace Ylst creation. I see the work on my timeline and immediately, the colors pop, the lines are consistently drawn, impressively executed and you feel a sense of ease and overwhelming joy when viewing the work. It really is that good.

Shelley told me that: “I fell in love with watercolors in high school, studied at the University of Utah and have been painting ever since. I love the spontaneity and transparency of watercolors and I paint in vivid, rich colors. My art is always evolving and full of joy”.

I quite often notice when perusing social media that her style is often mimicked, but the color never pops as it does on a work from Shelley, nor do those who attempt her unique style portray anywhere near the same sense of quality, care, and joy. Shelley Wallace Ylst is certainly a name to look out for, and I would advise buying her work immediately. I do not say this lightly at all, I have seen some impressive work in galleries around the world, this is certainly on a par, and then some.

You can view Shelley’s work at https://shelleywallaceylst.pixels.com and also at https://society6.com/shelleyylstart and over at: https://redbubble.com/people/shelleyylstart and you can follow Shelley at: https://facebook.com/shelley.ylst.art

CHRISTINE PARIS

 

Christine Paris - Artist

Another artist to watch out for this year is Christine Paris who is a visual artist who combines hand drawn and painted works with mixed-media and photography. Occasionally Christine creates digital art too.

Her work is a variety of spiritual creationism all based on the theme of love, peace, and serenity. Christine’s Facebook page is at: https://www.facebook.com/Serenity-Song-Designs-1733273783579281/?fref=ts and her website is at: http://christine-paris.pixels.com

Christine’s work is both creative and vibrant and I particularly like one of her latest works, Shamanic Soul, a piece depicting the totem spirit representation of a dearly departed friend who has the soul of a shaman.

Christine taught art at elementary school for many years where she was the art specialist the student came to a few times a week, to give them the space to be creative and forget the structured courses of their regular class.

Christine said, "I loved it and learned so much from the students. After a few years of teaching, I began creating my own works of art quite regularly...and I continue to create art in my daily life as a means to find peace within, in hopes of being able to shine some peace into the world and make it a better place".

Her work shows that she has an eye for color pallets that work extremely well together, and her pieces hold the viewers interest where the canvas becomes a story-telling medium often creating a sense of place, movement, and depth that often immerses the viewer in to another place entirely.

CAROLINE EVANS COLES

Another artist friend who has exhibited widely and won a number of awards for her work is Caroline Evans Coles. What can I say? Caroline’s work often leaves you open mouthed and her work demonstrates the intense emotion and passion of the artist herself. There is always an intricate weaving of elements in any of her works, creating a marriage of form and material.

Caroline’s artwork is exceptional and glorifies the beauty of nature, both fauna and flora, and continuously evolves. The release of each new work is always something that one looks forward to, portraying real and raw world and human issues through narrative illustration, colour and strong imagery/symbolism, bringing visual delight without detracting from her message.

Caroline views life through color and this is evident throughout. Her works are always consistent, and much like Shelley Wallace Ylst, her works are instantly recognizable, albeit in a very different style.

Caroline also feels deeply about quite a few issues, not least the destruction we are wreaking upon our beautiful planet and the appalling cruelty that is inflicted daily on defenceless animals. This is why a percentage of proceeds made on her Wildlife pieces is given to various animal welfare charities, with which she is involved. She has also donated some of her artwork for auction to help raise funds and awareness for these organisations.

Caroline says “Apart from my ‘realistic’ paintings, most of my artwork is pure fantasy and created not only for the simple enjoyment of being able to use my imagination, but also to hopefully encourage others to use theirs – through vibrant colour and visual stimulation. My more intricate creations encompass a lot of hidden elements, all of which can be interpreted differently depending on the viewer”.

Caroline’s work can be found at: http://carolineevans.net and you can follow Caroline at: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Caroline-Evans-Artist-Illustrator/351253865071605?sk=timeline Don't hang around, go and visit as soon as you have finished reading this post!

COLLEEN TAYLOR

 

Colleen creates some of the most astounding work

No relation, but you really DO need to see Colleen’s work, in fact you may already will have done because she is known primarily for her extensive years as a prolific large format wall mural artist within Colorado and the Rocky Mountain regions. Her work is visible widely online, and again, often imitated but never bettered. Colleen is also a friend and perhaps one of the most instantly recognisable artists along with Shelley, and Caroline on social media.

An internationally renowned artist who is also a rare blend of both artist and entrepreneurial business person. Her clients range from professional athletes, Beringer Vineyards, Warner Bros, The Denver Broncos Organization, Colorado Rockies Baseball & many professional builders. She has been featured and published in Denver Design Resources, the Parade of Homes, and many other publications throughout Colorado and the surrounding Rocky Mountains.

Colleen has an exceptional attention to detail and depth of field. She has mastered the art of creating unique, elegant and stunning paintings from sources within her life. Her unique approach is to become deeply absorbed in the complexity and challenge of her paintings. Combining organic traditional paints with the latest technological advances in the fine art field makes her paintings one-of-a-kind works of art. Colleen is an Image Licensed as well as a Rights-Managed license artist with Licensing.Pixels.com.

Colleen covers a myriad of subject matter. In reality it is not so much about the subject as the challenge of portraying the interplay of light and dark, the rhythm of shapes and the excitement of color, the mood and atmosphere. Whether it is a portrait of a loved one, a field of sunflowers, a precious pet, a child being chased by the waves of the vast sea, or a tender moment shared within a family, Colleen will capture the essence of the moment in an original painting that will be treasured forever.

Colleen’s work always shows an energy that is all too often missing from the works of many fine and contemporary artists today. Her paintings are skillfully and meticulously created, revealing influences of some of the great masters, and she shows a remarkable understanding of technique. To own her work is a privilege amongst discerning collectors, of which she has many.

You can and should visit Colleen’s site at: http://colleentaylorartist.com/ and you can also purchase her work at: http://colleen-taylor.pixels.com/

You can follow Colleen on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/ColleenTaylorArtDesign/?hc_ref=SEARCH

LISE LACHANCE

 

Lise Lachance - Artist

Lise has been incorporating mixed mediums for years. She says “I paint for me, to feed my spirit, to feed my hunger. I draw my inspiration from anything and everything: a conversation, a mood, a trip or a memory. Mostly, I feel like I am giving the flat canvass a chance to emerge into its three dimensional expression. The process is holistic, unplanned and part of a conversation between me and my tools. Sometimes we fight, most times we completely understand each other and at the end of it a little more has been revealed about what we are capable of”.

Lise is a self-taught artist who expresses her impulses artistically and she sets her own artistic path. Her work is honest and real and she never imitates a school or narrative, and that’s exactly why her art is unique. You can immediately tell that her work becomes a multidimensional space where a variety of thoughts and ideas coexist and creating a pictorial symphony. It is a poetic mediation of her spirit.

Lise says about art, “Art is: something that feeds your spirit but keeps you hungry. My art is - all of this”. I couldn’t agree more. Lise also has a range of fashion items available too.

You can view Lise’s website at: http://www.lisebydesign.com and follow Lise on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/LiseByDesign/

AUTHORS

Writing a book is like creating a complex piece of artwork, I know this all too well as I am currently going through the process myself. It is a path that I hadn’t ever planned on taking until I started to receive a number of emails asking me if the features I write on the blog were available in a book.

I thought at the time that it might be an easy thing to do, after all there are so many ways you can self-publish these days, and just like art, the gatekeepers are only at the door of the major publishing houses. How wrong I was. Writing a book is difficult even if you go down the self-publishing route.

Formatting for different e-reader software is a whole new level of skill that I am still attempting to figure out. I signed up to Apple’s book store, and Kindle, but what I hadn’t expected was that despite each of them saying just how easy it is to get a book published, neither of them tell you that it is easy once you figure out their formatting and read all of their rules, and there are so many rules, and the need for a proof reader, editor, and a multitude of other people who know what they are doing.

But now I am working on it I can say that it is becoming more and more enjoyable, but I can’t wait to start work on the cover, that is after all within my comfort zone. So I have a whole heap of respect for those who have been through this process already, and I am pleased to see the written arts represented within the Artists Exchange.

PAUL DANCE

 

A book of poetry that will make you want to visit the town of the gowns.

 

I have personally known Paul for a number of years and I have to say at times it has been down to Paul’s wit and motivation that I have managed to stay relatively sane in my day job away from the arts. It came as no surprise to me when Paul called me to say that he had published his book, and immediately I asked the question, just how on earth did you get the formatting so right on Kindle!

I have since read the book, and the poetry about life in Cambridge, the town and of course the gown, reminds me of the time I spent there. I never did attend Cambridge University, but Kings, Cats & Caius is a book of poetry that will remind anyone who has ever visited Cambridge of the fun that is to be had. In fact if I could sign up at Cambridge now, I probably would. If you have never visited Cambridge then this is possibly the best introduction you will find.

Paul’s book is available on Amazon Kindle at: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Kings-Cats-Caius-Paul-Dance-ebook/dp/B01HGG3084/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1472152829&sr=8-3&keywords=Paul+Dance+Cambridge

Paul’s book is also available on Kindle Unlimited so there is no excuse not to read it!

BRIAN HILLER

Aliens Believe Too! 2 A cover I had the pleasure in creating!

Brian is another author I know after creating his book cover for his second book, Aliens Believe Too! 2. Like many of us of a certain generation, Brian grew up in the era of Star Wars and Star Trek, when Star Trek was Star Trek, and the aliens were believable.

Brian is also a screenwriter and lives in Florida, USA, originally from long Island, New York. Interested in both aviation and space Brian has already published two books, Aliens Believe Too! And the follow up Aliens Believe Too! 2 with a third in the trilogy already on the way.

Art for the first book was created by Marianne Bell who used oils and acrylics in the creation of the cover. For the second book I took on the challenge and incorporated CGI style effects to create the front and rear cover and also created the concept art used within the book itself.

Aliens Believe Too! Sees a daring newspaper reporter James Lowery who is abducted by Aliens, the Silustrians, and a believed to be missing Earth Science Professor Landin Burke, during his investigation of unidentified lights in the night skies over his community. James then learns of a deadly virus released on Earth by evil Alien foes, the Tre'toans, and it is James' rare DNA that the Professor seeks to create a serum that will possibly save all mankind. Embarking on a dangerous journey ten light-years away, James and his new companions soon find themselves caught in the middle of a full scale war on Silus with the dreaded Tre'toans.

Aliens Believe Too! 2. Six years have passed since newspaper reporter now turned Chief Editor of the Daily Chronicle James Lowery, joined forces with professor Landin Burke and his Alien companions the Silustrians, in an effort to save all human life on Earth from the dreaded Tre'toans.

Now yet another darker threat exists on the horizon, the Mulchre, a race of beings with only one purpose, conquer and annihilation. James, his wife Debbie and six year old son Pete join forces again with Professor Burke and the Silustrians, to try and stop this dark swarm from conquering and destroying Earth.

Both of Brian’s books are available from Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/ALIENS-BELIEVE-TOO-Dark-Swarm-ebook/dp/B01EI2RLES/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1472628824&sr=8-2&keywords=brian+hiller+aliens+believe+too#nav-subnav

And you can also purchase from Barnes & Noble, Kindle, Create Space, and Lulu.

FACEBOOK GROUPS

I know from experience just how much hard work goes in to running a Facebook group, and in fact I wrote about how artists and others can set up their own Facebook Groups. If you haven’t as yet read it you can do so here: http://www.beechhousemedia.co.uk/2016/07/setting-up-facebook-groups-for-artists.html and it just happens to be my featured post too!

The Artists Exchange is where you will find almost 4,000 individuals who are a mix of artists, buyers, collectors, and lovers of art in general. What makes this group unique is that unlike many groups, only two self-promotion posts can be posted each week. The group is a community of art lovers who promote other artists work.

Taking this approach ensures that members are seen more frequently, over-promoting leads to the Facebook algorithm deciding which posts get seen by whom and when depending on how they were compiled (there is an art to creating a post that gets seen, I will cover that in a future feature), so two posts often have more chance of being seen than posting multiple times and often on the same day. It really is all about the ever changing algorithm.

The real joy of this group is that artists promote other artists. So if you have 100 Facebook friends, your post reach will never be seen by all 100 of your friends and followers due to the way the algorithm works, and of course if you followed a thousand people, you would never get to see anything. However, if another artist promotes your work, you will be seen by some of their friends and followers too. They might have a thousand friends, but each time your post is shared, your reach extends further than it ever would on your timeline alone. If it is then shared by others, your organic (I.e. You don't have to pay for) reach gets considerably bigger each time.

Believe me when I say I study every change Facebook publicly make available, and if there is a way of increasing reach, I will post it in the group.

And the group is also a great place to ask for critique, advice, guidance, and support, and we particularly love it when people post their works in progress. It’s also a fun community, and despite it being online, it actually feels like a community.

I have some major plans this year to make The Artists Exchange the number one group on Facebook for artists, buyers, and collectors, including some local groups which will form a part of another plan I am working on that will support local and independent artists from around the world in a totally unique way. You will love it.

The Artist Hangout is just that. A place where artists can hang out, post their own or others art, and as frequently as they like. There is often lively discussion, and the rules are a little different to The Artists Exchange, in that some other types of posts are also allowed. Think of it as a place to get your art seen so that others can promote it in the Artists Exchange. You can join The Artist Hangout by going to this link and joining: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1662965137254435/

But there are so many groups on Facebook who all offer different things so I thought I would also spotlight some alternative groups that you might just be interested in joining.

JOSHUA D. GREER

 

Visit http://breakingartsandmusic.com and be inspired!

Joshua D. Greer is the founder and admin of Breaking Arts and Music and not only does he have a Facebook Group which you can join here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1447193115581642/ but he also has a website (http://www.breakingartsandmusic.com/index.html ) and a YouTube channel which you can find here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC1amcqNLuEpMAlIlisz1bmg

Joshua is creating a wonderful community of artists and bringing them together, and he creates more tutorial, thumbnail, and speed-painting videos than anyone else I know! Despite the site being relatively new, it is packed with useful resources, artist contacts, and has a dedicated section on learning which I am very proud to say, my blog appears in!

Occasionally I get an email or message from Joshua, always full of wit, and always with a brand new idea. Just how someone can have so many consecutively great ideas is beyond me, but have them he does and I expect that we will see his site, group, and channel grow significantly over the next year because he works hard, clearly has a passion for the arts, and is genuinely a great guy. He's also extremely dedicated and works tremendously hard to create these wonderful resources. Joshua also has an epic sense of humour, take for an example when last week I received a random text from him saying that I had beaten Van Gogh in a group poll!

A new section on his site connects the creative community with each other and the rest of the world. Musicians and bands can share sound cloud links, artists can share their artwork, and performing artists can share video and well as upcoming events.

If a band or musician needs an album cover, this is where you can come to get it commissioned, and if an artist needs a song for a promotional video, they’re covered too. The group is local, so supports local and independent artists which regular readers of this blog will know that I am passionate about. We all need to support #Joshua

JACKIE POPP

 

Jackie's latest colouring book is available now!

Jackie owns Butterfly Meadow Gifts, and also runs a Facebook group at: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1101671673209796/ for those who love to colour. Jackie’s group allows people to post their photographs, art and pictures and Jackie works extremely hard to ensure that her page is a safe environment for all to enjoy.

Jackie also has a Facebook page promoting her Butterfly Meadow Gifts business which includes a “shop now” button that will take you to a range of Jackie’s products. You can view Jackie’s page here: https://www.facebook.com/butterflymeadowgifts/?pnref=lhc and if you are a fan of coloring you can purchase Jackie’s latest coloring book from Amazon at: https://www.amazon.com/Nature-Wildlife-Scale-Adult-Coloring/dp/1535050233/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1472658825&sr=8-1&keywords=jackie+popp+coloring+book#reader_1535050233

The group has grown significantly of late and every Friday she chooses a new cover photo from all that have been posted throughout the week. It is one of the few groups I have seen where there isn’t a huge push to sell art and provide links to make purchases, and it is a friendly community where the art and photography is the main focus.

SPOTLIGHT

Whilst this week has been busy and organising and creating this post has taken a lot of work, I am really keen to continue writing these features. I was taken aback at just how many people got in touch to ask to be featured, and also I was more surprised at all of the messages I received saying thank you for promoting other artists.

As an artist myself, I know just how tough the market can be at times, and any form of promotion can be worthwhile. But even if I had just reviewed a collection of artists, authors, and Facebook groups, without anyone getting in touch, these would have been my absolute first choices. All of these people have, and continue to inspire me to help other artists and to continue to write this blog and they inspire me to keep on creating my own art.

I often read posts on Facebook and I become excited when I see the art and the posts from the people I have featured here this week. But most of all, I really do believe that the artists featured are all amongst some of the best I have seen. As I said earlier, I have been lucky enough to frequently travel and have visited a huge number of the world’s major galleries and exhibitions. If I walked in one day to find any of the featured artist’s works hanging on the walls, I would not be surprised at all. Their work is amongst the best I have seen and you can see it all on Facebook and on their websites. So please do visit each one, and if you get to own just one of their pieces, hang it with pride and know that you have supported a local and independent artist/crafts-person/author/admin.

I NEARLY FORGOT!

 

M.A's work is available from a wide range of locations

There is of course one more artist who I admit I got nagged into including! That artist creates for the most part digital art, although he has been known to go into his studio and get out the brushes in between writing blog posts and spending way too much time on social-media.

Ok, that artist is me! Very often I forget or just don’t have anywhere near enough time to promote my own work so I was reminded by a friend that I should probably take this opportunity to tell you a little about where you can purchase my art too.

My art is available to purchase from both Fine Art America and Pixels at:

http://10-mark-taylor.pixels.com and at:

http://fineartamerica.com/profiles/10-mark-taylor/shop

And some of my works are also available at: http://www.zazzle.co.uk/beechhouse

You can also purchase my work from my Sales page on this blog: http://www.beechhousemedia.co.uk/p/gall.html and from my Facebook page at https://facebook.com/beechhousemedia when visiting my Facebook page, just click on the Shop Now button and you will be able to peruse my work and buy it without ever leaving Facebook!

If you prefer to visit a retail outlet, then you will find my work at Deck The Walls, The Great Frame Up, Framing & Art Centre, and also at Earth Prints, and through Fine Art America's Home Design and Disney/ABC programs.

Smaller works are also available directly, and any direct orders will also be signed. If you wish to contact me you can email mark@beechhousemedia.co.uk or complete the quick and easy contact me form at the bottom of each page on this blog. I also specialise in creating artwork for on screen use in TV and film, and have the ability to get a contract back to the production facility much more quickly than many traditional studios. I totally understand that if you need a piece on set, you shouldn't have to delay your filming whilst you wait for contracts to be returned. You can even opt to receive a digital file of the artwork and print off, and frame on set if needed. NDA's are also signed in the shortest possible time.

Whenever you purchase my art from Fine Art America or Pixels you will also get a 30-day money back guarantee. This includes my entire range of artwork on everything from museum quality stretched canvas prints, fashion, mobile phone accessories and home decor.

ARTIST SPOTLIGHT

All of the above artists and authors will be appearing on my Artists Spotlight Page on this blog, and there is still plenty of time for you to be featured too. All you need to do is provide the following information:

• Name (and include your studio name if you have one)

• A brief bio

• Up to two or three of your favourite works which are your own in a j.peg image. Ideally images should carry your watermark and be no larger than 800 x 600 (500 x 300 is ideal as it helps to load the page faster)

• Tell me a little about what inspires you

• Let me know where people can purchase your art/book/product and provide me with the links

• Let me know if you have exhibited, won awards, or anything else that you would like the world to know!

I will then feature the best entries in a future Artists Spotlight blog post, and will also promote some of the best on my social-media accounts on Facebook and Twitter. You will also appear on my Artists Spotlight page on this blog.

There is no charge for this at all. Whilst I cannot guarantee that you will get hundreds (or any!) sales/visitors it will give you another outlet where you can promote your work. If you do get lots of new sales, you can always buy me a coffee, just beware, I do not drink instant coffee at all and I can tell the difference at 50 paces!

COMING UP

My next post is all about something else that I feel passionate about, Community Arts Projects! So if you would like to set a community based art project up, make sure you come back and take a look. Also if you have been involved in community arts projects and have any tips or practical advice for others, please do get in touch or leave a comment.

I have now started to write the next Artists Spotlight feature, and already we have some great artists, authors, and admins, to look forward too. The quicker you get your submissions in, the quicker I can complete the post, as each blog post can take me around 20-hours to write, prepare, review, upload, and promote.

I will be having some surgery on my shoulder on Monday 5th September and according to the Doctor who will be brave enough to attempt this, I may have to take a few days off to recover. Hopefully I will be publishing my next post on Thursday next week, but please do bear with me, typing with one hand is not my forte, but then neither is typing with two hands!

In the meantime, please do remember to share this blog, and please do share the artists, authors, and groups who are featured this week. The more exposure we get for these talented artists the better, and if we can get a gallery or two interested, then please contact either me or the artists directly.

 

Copyright Beechhouse Media & M.A