Me, chatting up artist Sylvia Chait at Artexpo New York 2010

Could you use a little promotion for your artwork/business? If you register to exhibit at Artexpo New York 2011 now, I can help you gain exposure for your work right up until the show doors open in March—starting today. Artexpo has:

• 18,000+ fans on Facebook and Twitter
• An active blog followed by artists & industry professionals
• A high-traffic website (167,032 page views in the month of March 2010)

Once you’ve registered to exhibit, you can think of Artexpo—and me, your Director of Social Media—as your own personal PR firm. Send me press releases about your latest works, upcoming shows, charity work, and anything else you care to share with our sizable fine art community online. As Artexpo’s Social Media Maven, it’s my job (and my pleasure!) to post information and updates about your work, so the media and other artists, galleries and publishers can learn more about what you do.

Social Media aside, it pays simply to be listed on our well-respected, high-traffic website! Many Artexpo exhibitors tell have told me they’ve made new business connections just from having their name/gallery listed on artexponewyork.com. Here’s what 2010 exhibitor Karen Kohtz had to say:

“The architectural firm that contacted me after the show never actually attended Artexpo. They had gone to the Artexpo website, went through the Exhibitor List, clicked through to all the artists’ websites and found my work that way. Just being connected with Artexpo and the Artexpo website opens so many different avenues for exposure. There are millions of artists’ websites out there—how else are they going to find you?”

At Artexpo, we’re here to promote you and your artwork—before the show, at the show, and long after (you can still read all about March 2010 exhibitor Karen Kohtz on our website, for instance). Once you reserve your booth for Artexpo New York 2011, just shoot me an email at christine@artexponewyork and we can get to work promoting your show together.

Questions? Email me, or drop a comment here.

"Memories Smell Like Flowers" by Ivan Alifan

Today’s Artwork of the Day is an introspective, sensual piece entitled “Memories Smell Like Flowers” (oil on canvas, 48″ x 36″), by Ivan Alifan. Ivan is published by Anna Art Publishing, an Ontario, Canada-based publisher that also represents the work of artists Anna Razumovskaya, Lucy Liasheva and Ludmila Yudina.

Here’s what Ivan has to say about his artistic process:

“Art is beyond an image of perception and creativity. Art is part of the past, present, future, where one can interpret their own view. Painting allows me as an artist to express my strengths or my vulnerability. Each brushstroke builds up a story, a life and, a passion.”

This piece certainly holds a story, a life and a passion, wouldn’t you say? What’s your interpretation? Anna Art Publishing is registered to exhibit at Artexpo New York 2011, so if you make it to the show, you may well have the opportunity to get a firsthand interpretation from the artist or publisher.

"China Town Lights" by Steve Horan

Today’s Artwork of the Day is a lush, dreamlike abstract cityscape entitled “China Town Lights” (acrylic, 48″ x 24″) by Artexpo New York 2011 exhibitor Steve Horan.

Here’s what Steve has to say about his signature vistas and the process behind them:

“In my artwork, I create a combination of and harmony between abstraction and realism. My abstract landscapes contain some recognizable elements—not every detail is abstracted. In developing my artwork, I allow my imagination to dramatically alter the size and shape of what I see.

“My abstract vistas give the viewer the freedom to step away from the literal landscape of nature and tap into imagery created within their mind’s eye. [The paintings] are based on an emotional reaction to a natural setting—urban or rural—rather than a specific depiction of a place.”

Born and raised in Chicago, Steve has had a long-standing interest in the arts since childhood, when he taught himself to draw with pastels. Throughout his artistic career, he has been juried into many national exhibitions and one-man shows and has had gallery representation in New York, Chicago and in many other cities. Agents and publishers of his limited edition serigraphs have sold hundreds of Steve’s prints to galleries and collectors, and he has completed works of art for galleries, corporations and private collectors as far away as Canberra, Australia (where architects William Pei & Associates selected a suite of his limited edition prints for installation in a hotel they designed).

Steve now lives in Bella Vista, Arkansas. You can look forward to seeing his cityscapes for yourself at Artexpo New York 2011. Meanwhile, have a look at his gallery and get to know him better at www.artbystevehoran.com

The fresh, cool breezes of autumn always seem to carry an air of excitement and anticipation, don’t you find? This year, that feeling is stronger than ever—especially at the Artexpo offices. Well over 70 exhibitors have already signed up to exhibit at our 2011 Spring show, and I have the feeling it’s going to be our best show to date.

I’d like to extend a warm welcome to our new and returning exhibitors! Here are a few of the most recently registered:

Anahit Etemadi | Anna Art Publishing | Anna Kornycheva | Cara Brown |
Charles Harold & Company | Chinese Cultural Promotional Society | Corey
West | Gallery MIZ | Darren Jones | Deljou Art Group | Joachim McMillan |
Kate McCavitt | Ken Keeley Studio | Ken Orton | Leon Oks | Leticia Herrera
| Nani Boronat Elene Nesterova | New Era Fine Art Miami | Progressive Fine
Art | Qi Zhang | Rodo Padilla Art | Sammoun Fine Arts | Julie Satinover |
Tenold Peterson Studios | UADC | VAL | Xiao Song Jiang

The other day, I asked Kate McCavitt—a California-based mixed media abstract painter who has exhibited at Artexpo many times—to share a few words about why she plans to exhibit at our 2010 show. Here’s what she had to say:

Artexpo New York 2011 exhibitor Kate McCavitt

“I consider the New York Artexpo to be my single most cost- and time-effective method for finding the right high-end gallery representation available to me today. Currently 80% of my gallery representation is a direct result of gallerists who found my work in the Artexpos since 2007. Independent artists take note: few other shows offer you the opportunity to present directly to the trade of our industry. The additional Public Days are a bonus for me.”

Thanks for your comments, Kate. You (and our other exhibitors) will be happy to know that Artexpo New York 2011 will be open to both trade and the public all three days of the show, so you can look forward to even more floor traffic than our 2010 show—which had over 10,000 attendees.

This year, as always, we’re working hard to ensure the best show possible for exhibitors and attendees alike. That means new and improved Education Seminars, a new [SOLO] Studio shared gallery, and other terrific developments. If you have an idea for an Education Seminar, or any other suggestions, now’s the time to speak up. We’re always open to hearing your feedback.

"Dream" by Leon Oks

Biography

Today’s Artwork of the Day is “Dream” (oil on canvas, 30″ x 24″) by Leon Oks. Over the years, we’ve hosted Leon at Artexpo many times, and I’m delighted to announce that he’ll be joining us for Artexpo New York 2011.

A disciplined, academically based painter, Leon combines technique with his own whimsical inspirations, citing the female form as “a very important catalyst” for his creations. Women of all shapes and sizes appear in his paintings, all rendered with fluid brushstrokes, dynamic movement and flowing, sensuous beauty. In Leon’s words:

“Woman is a vessel of creative power and spans the range of human emotions. She is nature, mother, joy, sorrow, struggle.”

Leon Oks was born in the Ukrainian city of Zhitomir in the former Soviet Union. His father was killed in World War II when he was just two years old. Leon’s early years were filled with hardship and loss (his family moved often to avoid Nazi troops), yet it was during these formative years that he discovered the joy of drawing and painting. After studying at the School of Fine Arts, Leon emigrated to the U.S. in 1980 and went on to become an internationally recognized, award-winning artist.

You can read more about Leon’s background in an earlier blog post about his work on this blog, or view his website at www.oks.myexpose.com We’re looking forward to seeing more of Leon’s rich, exquisite canvases at Artexpo New York 2011!

"Gomgashteh" by Anahit Etemadi

Today’s Artwork of the Day is Gomgashteh by Anahit Etemadi, an Artexpo New York 2011 exhibitor. The piece is 48″ x 60, mixed media.

Anahit was born in Tehran, Iran, where her artistic talents expressed themselves at an early age. In particular, she showed a fascination for drawing and painting faces—that fascination remains a hallmark of her work today.

As a young woman, Anahit was accepted to the prestigious faculty of Fashion and Textile Design at Alzahra University. At the beginning of her second year, she was among the few students chosen to exhibit at the Museum of Contemporary Art.

Anahit went on to study couture and jewelry ensemble design and by 1994 had established her own elegant fashion house in Tehran. In 1999, she claimed first prize at the “Shahrzad Goes to Milan” Fashion show held in the Canadian and Italian Embassies in Tehran. During the same year, in search of a more international perspective, she moved to Dubai as a consultant manager and designer. In 2004, Anahit immigrated to Canada, where she lives and paints today.

We’re looking forward to hosting Anahit Etemadi at Artexpo New York 2011.

Summertime is by far my favorite time of the year. I love the sunshine, the swimming pool, lemonade and most importantly… my ‘creative time’. I enjoy envisioning the upcoming fine art season. The month of August is a time for groundwork, research and homework. Many fine art galleries are preparing for their opening night galas. The large auctions houses like Sotheby’s are organizing ‘works on consignment’ for their brisk fall season art sales. Painters and sculptors around the world are preparing to participate as exhibitors in fine art fairs.

You may be asking yourself as an art professional, “How am I preparing for the upcoming fine art season? What can I do now to make sure I catch the art sales wave during September, October and November?”

Try these four easy and painless activities:

1. Mine for New Leads. It’s your job to find new ‘hot’ trade and consumer buyers. If you are an art gallery director or gallery consultant, you should be preparing yourselves by matching your gallery’s ‘stable of artists’ with new leads. Here are a few ideas:
   A) Always ask your clients for referrals. This is the easiest way to stimulate sales growth.
   B) Trade your gallery leads with other neighboring art gallery owners and work with them together on split sales.
   C) Specialized directories: these are sales lead directories targeted to a list of individuals according to profession. This is a great source if you are specializing in a certain style of art. For example, medical artwork to doctors or interior architectural renderings to interior designers, engineers and architects. Hey, this is your commission check and the fall season is the most important time of year throughout the art world! So your preparation time is a must.
2. Clean up your Database. It’s the old 80/20 rule… in this case, 80% of your fine art sales will come from 20% of your database. Keep it clean and don’t over burden your laptop with dead weight. And as you lose the dead weight of non-buyers, you will need to constantly add new “hot” prospective buyers everyday. I was taught in the fine art sales game that an art consultant needs to contact a new prospective buyer 3-5 times before an art sale is made. It’s true!
3. Ramp up Online. Creating and maintaining your website should be a top priority this summer. A website is more important than a business card these days. Give your prospective art buyer the opportunity to learn about you, your artists and especially about your business. As I see it, the beauty of our fine art industry is this: we are visual businesses and websites are tailor-made for the visual experience. If you would like to visit a professional fine art website with all the bells and whistles, just have a look at artexponewyork.com
4. Promote Testimonials. Over the last few decades of selling artwork, I have noticed a constant in our fine art industry and that constant is third-party testimonials. Yep, it has not changed! Why? Because everyone has an opinion and fine art is very subjective. Always ask for testimonials from your collectors, testimonials from fine art magazine editors, testimonials from fine art publishers and my favorite: testimonials from other artists. An artist with an opinion will always make you laugh, but to an art collector, a testimonial from art insiders is the gospel truth. Use their quotes on your website! You won’t be sorry!

Now the summer is half over and you look tan, trim & very healthy! Let’s order another iced tea by the poolside and get to work preparing for the best fine art season of the year. Shall we?

-Mark Shapiro is an Artexpo New York Sales Manager.

Mehron Zadeh, General Manager, Deljou Art Group

A few weeks back, we heard from Mehron Zadeh, General Manager of Atlanta-based Deljou Art Group—the world’s leading publisher of fine art, renowned throughout the industry and internationally. Deljou had a strong presence at Artexpo New York last March, as they have had in many past Artexpos. Here’s what Mehron had to say about his New York show:

“NY Art Expo 2010 was a sensible step in the right direction at the right time. It provided resurgence in the art community and helped in bringing back confidence to clients and exhibitors alike.”

We were delighted to host Deljou at Artexpo New York 2010. As always, they brought a stunning array of fine artwork by exceptional artists. We hope to see you again in the near future, Mehron!

To learn more about Deljou, visit their website at www.DeljouArtGroup.com

Antoine de Villiers

Pooler, Georgia-based artist Antoine de Villiers had a terrific show at Artexpo New York 2010:

“I recently returned from my fourth Artexpo New York—the best one ever!”

Antoine’s lush, sensual drawings and paintings were extremely well-received at Artexpo. The artist also established new connections that will keep her busy over the next few months:

“Exhibiting a variety of original oil and acrylic paintings as well as drawings, I sold a total of fifteen pieces during the course of the event (and more thereafter). Also with nine galleries around the US—as well as in Brazil, Canada & South Korea—wanting to represent my work and a number of consignments on the table, I surely have my work cut out for me in the months to follow!”

"Lateral Self II" by Antoine de Villiers

Between the on-site sales and after-show commissions and consignments, Antoine says Artexpo has definitely helped her grow her business over the years.

“I have no doubt that with every Artexpo I am further in my career than I would have been on my own.”

Congratulations to Antoine! We hope to see you at an upcoming Artexpo…

To learn more about Antoine de Villiers, visit her website at www.AntoineArt.com For information on exhibiting in [SOLO] at Artexpo Chicago (Oct. 1-3) or Artexpo New York 2011 (March 24-27), email Debbie Kuhn, Artexpo Sales Manager [SOLO] at debbie@artmarketools.com

On the advice of a gallery owner, Nassau-based artist Jane Waterous decided to exhibit at Artexpo New York for the first time this year. In addition to claiming one of three [SOLO] awards for independent artists, Jane had an all-around terrific show.

“I had a great experience at Artexpo! All my expectations and hopes were surpassed; the risk-to-reward was more than exceeded. “I was ecstatic with the response to my work, both in sales and commissions. Weeks after the show, I am exploring a number of opportunities that opened up as a direct result of the networking I was able do at Artexpo. Artexpo provides a platform for artists like myself to not only sell their work but also market themselves.”

Jane’s paintings span a wide range of media, themes and subject matter. Her trademark three-dimensional Crowds at Play series reflect the vibrant colors and unique lighting of the Caribbean, where she lives. Jane’s innovative canvases sold well at Artexpo, and the professional connections she made are continuing to pay off.

“It has only been a few weeks since Artexpo and already a number of doors have opened up. The professional networking and contacts I made from the show have lots of potential. Through them, I am looking to expand my exposure and widen my target markets. “Artexpo provided a great platform to see, hear and learn from an audience of professionals, fellow artists and the public.  More often than not, I never meet those who purchase my paintings when sold through a gallery.  It was great fun to see the response from the public! It turned out to be a great learning experience. Also, I was able to sit in on a few informative lectures, which was an added bonus to exhibiting.”

"Wisdom" by Jane Waterous

In addition to networking with attendees, Jane says she gained a great deal of inspiration from mingling with other artists and exhibitors.

“Painting can certainly be a very insular activity.  It was wonderful to rub elbows with other working artists, to share ideas, to brainstorm with those with similar and diverse creative ideas, to have an audience for my work and to see other artists’ portfolios.”

Jane says she was “elated” to have received the [SOLO] award for independent artists. We were delighted to have this talented artist exhibiting with us in New York, and we hope to see her again soon! For more information about Jane’s work, visit www.janewaterous.com. For information on exhibiting in [SOLO] at Artexpo Chicago (Oct. 1-3) or Artexpo New York 2011 (March 24-27), email Debbie Kuhn, Artexpo Sales Manager [SOLO] at debbie@artmarketools.com