The Art of Marketing Art

As I grow in confidence with my painting skill I become less concerned about putting it out there for the world to see.  The great compliments I get from friends and family have helped that confidence grow, but I'd still like validation that my stuff can "hold its own", so to speak.  So I loaded my pictures up on FineArtAmerica.com and signed up for the ability to sell prints.  So far, so good.  A few months (and a single sale) later I signed up with Google Adwords and threw a "test budget" at a campaign that drew lots of hits, but no bites.  So I think I'm beginning to understand what sells (or, at least, what doesn't).  Here's what I've learned so far...

1. The internet won't sell your art for you.  It's a passive medium that sits and waits for visitors.  My attempts at internet sales so far have felt a little like running a lemonade stand on major highway: "look at all that traffic scooting by!".
2. To sell art you have to 'grab' the viewer - either through the subject matter or the presence of the actual physical art object (i.e. live viewing)
3. For the subject matter to do the grabbing it has to mean something to the viewer.  My only sale was a piece that depicted a well-known view of Mistaya Canyon in Alberta and I sold it to a customer in....you guessed it....Alberta.  It sounds obvious, but took me a while to work this out.  I was confusing the meaning my paintings had for me with the meaning I felt they should have for the random viewer.  This simple fact is why the biggest selling art subject on FineArtAmerica.com seems to be celebrity portraits - they are recognizable.
4. For the physical presence of the art object to do the grabbing the viewer has already made the decision to physically go look at some art (as opposed to deciding to surf the net), so they may be more inclined to be grabbed.  This is where the technique, use of colour, etc will come into play.  This is an avenue I have yet to explore as my potential inventory of paintings is somewhat limited, but it's a natural next step. 

So in the coming months I'll be working on increasing the "grabbiness" of my art, while making zero compromises (I won't be churning out portraits of Tiger Woods or Miles Davis, thank you very much).  I'll be focusing on numerous skills that I think are required (this list will probably change as I learn):

• Choosing subject matter that will appeal to the viewer (and understanding what doesn't).
• Technique - developing a signature style.
• Speed - my time is limited so I gotta paint faster!
• Search engine optimization (SEO) - getting my web site a good listing in Google.
• Getting to know Adwords before I lose my shirt.
• Using other methods of free online and physical advertising.
• Participating in a show.
• Getting my own show (once I have 20+ paintings that I could bear to part with). 

Maybe when I've done all the above I can start to think about approaching galleries or agents (remember this is still supposed to be fun).  Right now I'm still at square one.  Wish me luck.