ArtSites Updates

Traffic on my page has been slow and I'm looking for ways to get more visitors. Any suggestions you might have would be appreciated. Thanks!

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This week, I received an email from an artist asking me the above.

While there is no silver bullet, there are things you can do to increase your chances of more traffic! ;-)

Here are some articles we wrote a few years ago that offer several Search Engine Optimization tips and ideas!

• How Can I Improve My Google Ranking, i.e. Search Engine Optimization? Part 1 & Part 2
• 5 Common Search Engine Optimization Myths - Exposed & Busted
• Do Website Updates Help My Search Engine Ranking and Results?
• How Do I Blog? And, What Should Artists Blog About?
• How ArtSites Blogs and Newsletters Work
• Why Isn't My Website on the First Page of Results?

That said, while there are things you can do to improve your search engine optimization (see the articles above), you'll also need to be patient because website traffic tends to grow over time.

Enjoy and here's to getting LOTS more traffic! :-)

Connie Hackett - Our Newest ArtSites Team Member! :-)

This week, we're absolutely thrilled AND privileged to announce a new member to our ArtSites team! :-)

Please join Geoff and me in a VERY warm welcome to Connie Hackett!

Starting next week, Connie will be helping us to better support and promote YOU!

Connie will also be expanding our marketing and social media activities!

We're all extremely excited and know that Connie will be an amazing addition!

Here's a short bio about Connie, highlighting why she's PERFECT for ArtSites! ;-)

Connie is a passionate Art Historian with a love of Social Media. She graduated from the University of Victoria in 2012 and is currently completing the Award of Achievement in Social Media Marketing program at the University of British Columbia Continuing Studies. Connie has worked at The Reach Gallery Museum Abbotsford, The Fort Gallery and The Mission Museum. She is also involved with the Emerge At The Reach program at The Reach Gallery Museum Abbotsford which aims to promote young artists in the Fraser Valley through exhibition opportunities and artist talks. Connie loves to combine both her passions of the arts and social media and is always happy to lend a helping hand to those who have any questions about using social media to promote their art!

Orvieto Piazza by Jenny Reid

We know you LOVE art!

And, many of you also LOVE to travel - either to see art or to be inspired by new landscapes and surroundings! :-)

Well, here's a great article that gives you several valuable tips on combining both!

Enjoy!

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You certainly deserve to go on a painting trip, and get away from your usual routines.

A change of scenery can be very stimulating, and if you go in a group, you will benefit from their energy. In addition, you will get away from the distractions of home (laundry, grocery shopping, etc.).

Where to go is a wide open question, as there are wonderful places at home and worldwide, but the acme for painters is widely acknowledged to be Italy or Provence.

You can go at any time, but you will be painting out of doors (or else why leave your studio), so might want to avoid July and August unless you really like the heat.

May/June and September are good times, the first for the wild flowers and spring greenery and the second for the golden tones of late summer and early fall, not to mention the food festivals!

A painting trip can be arranged in many ways.

You have only to open an art magazine, or check online to find a multitude of organized trips. If you join one of these, all arrangements will be made for you, but the group may be larger than you like, and you may not feel that you want to be with an instructor.

In this case, persuade a reliable friend to do the organizing, or else do it yourself. It is not difficult, just requiring some care and attention to details.

We have organized 8 or 9 trips with groups of friends.

Based on our experiences, here are the details and tips we'd like to share with you about organizing a painting trip.

Briefly, we have put these trips together like this:

• Choose somebody to be the "Organizer in Chief".
  This person will take input from group members, but should bear in mind that democracy can be overrated – it is easy to paralyze the whole process when trying to accommodate a host of divergent views.
• Decide how many people will be in your group.
  We have generally fixed the group size at eight, since this is the greatest number that can be accommodated comfortably in the largest vehicle that a rational person would care to drive in desirable painting areas. Also, experience has shown that eight is a good number to have round a table at communal meals.
• Decide where and when you want to go, and for how long.
  Our recommendation is that you consider two weeks to be the minimum length for a painting trip. In one week, you barely have time to wind down from getting ready and travelling before it is time to return home.
• Work out your budget.
  This will be determined largely by your expectations for food and lodging. As a guide, our costs have typically been in the range of $2,500 – 2,700 in Tuscany and other parts of Italy. This does not include airfare to Italy, but does include almost everything else, specifically all food and drinks, lodging and local transport.
• Set up a communal “purse”, to be held by a chosen member of the group.
  Funds from the purse will be used for all group expenditures, which avoids forcing individual members to scrabble for correct change when eating out or buying supplies. If the budget has been carefully estimated, the purse should end up with a small surplus, to be returned to group members.
• Choose a place to stay, either a hotel or a rented villa, as you prefer.
  In a hotel, you will get your beds made for you and have access to a dining room. However, costs can be reduced significantly if you rent a villa, and you will have the advantage of enjoying a space all to yourselves.
• Plan to have your main meal at a restaurant or catered each day, either at midday or in the evening.
  To have a successful and enjoyable painting holiday you should avoid saddling anybody with the responsibility of thinking up, shopping for and preparing meals.
• Other meals, i.e., breakfast and lunch or supper, can be on a “some assembly required” basis, using ingredients from the nearest grocery or supermarket.
  It is a good idea to involve the whole group in such shopping trips, because they can provide a unique cultural experience, and also so that nobody can complain that their culinary preferences were ignored.

A couple of points deserve expansion.

The first being, is it actually necessary to drive anywhere? The answer is, of course, no. Public transport is generally very user friendly in Europe and a number of fantastic painting sites can be reached by bus or by train. However, there is no doubt that you lose a lot of flexibility if you stick to public transport, besides which, you will have to keep a very close eye on the time and the bus timetables if you want to avoid any inadvertent overnight stays.

It is also worth elaborating a little on the question of choosing your place to stay. The very best is to go somewhere that you know personally and like. Failing that, take a recommendation from a friend whose taste you know, and whose judgement you trust.

If neither option is available to you, you can type “Rent Villa Tuscany” (for example) into a web search engine, and be prepared to be totally overwhelmed by the number and range of responses! Fortunately, there is one further option, which is to consult a rental agency which has a local representative, so that you have the option of person to person communication. Ideally, this representative should have personal, direct knowledge of the accommodation.

In summary, we believe that all artists can benefit from going away on painting trips.

We do NOT organize such trips, but are more than happy to share our experience to help you plan your own.

Where we CAN help more directly is in helping you choose and rent a villa in Tuscany and surrounding regions of Italy, or in Provence, because we represent Invitation to Tuscany and its associated companies, Invitation to the Italian Lakes and Invitation to Provence. Invitation to Tuscany is a company based in England, with 30 years experience in villa rentals and a catalogue of some 150 villas from which to choose, covering a range to suit all budgets and group sizes.

If you have any more questions, please feel free to contact us - Jenny & Neville Reid!

Visions about our life, our health, our relationships, our jobs, our artwork, and our projects! Unfortunately, rarely do our visions turn out as planned! ;-)

In the following letter, Lisa Kirk beautifully and honestly describes how we all can thrive and grow - even when our visions don't go as expected! ;-)

Thanks so much for sharing, Lisa! :-D

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I write to you from my newly renovated office/den that sat for months unfinished as I prepared for my Christmas show at Blue Moon Winery. It is mostly finished with a bit of tweaking needed.

I have re-named it the Palace of Pure Possibilities (POPP) cuz it is where I create classes, communicate with most of you, and generally open, unfold and reflect about creative possibilities. And why not call it a Palace, even though it is the smallest room in the house!? Hubby says (tongue-in-cheek), “of course you would call it a palace; it is fit for a Queen!” He may be right - the Queen of Colour.

Interestingly enough, part of the reason the room sat here for so long was I could not decide on a colour for the walls. Yep, me, the Queen of Colour was stumped.

Some of you already know this, but strangely enough I settled on white!!!

Anyone who has been to my house knows how out-of-character this may sound. And I have to admit, painting it on the walls had me not feeling the colour charge and got me second guessing myself.

But, no worries I told myself, I had my heart set on a second hand IKEA cherry coloured loveseat that would punch colour into that white room. And, I actually found a second hand one (or my friend, with the Eagle Eye, did). Perfect I thought, except it needed a fresh new cover. No problem, we were going to Vancouver over the Holidays. The Queen of Colour had it all planned out how it would look.

So off I trot to Ikea with my friend with the Eagle Eye, a list of things in hand. We planned to be there for a few hours. I start off all excited and find a few odd things as soon as we step foot in the place.

All goes well…for a while. However, part way through the IKEA maze, my eyes start to glaze over. I begin to wonder where we are…and where was that thing I saw an hour ago that maybe I do wish to purchase?

I am beginning to feel overwhelmed, disoriented, and not sure what I came for. It was so clear before…

Have you ever been to IKEA? If you have, you may know what I am talking about, and, if not, well I am not sure it is something you want to experience.

We forge onward, I am enamored with a light fixture my friend points out to me, but am unable to decide. I think to myself, I can circle back if I want it…

We continue on, looking for the sale section that they have moved near the tills. My friend spots a beautiful leather couch with an excellent discount and no seemingly apparent things wrong. She sits down on it. Takes some time to relax.

Not me, I keep searching…for what I am not sure. I find a cover for the loveseat in the discount bin. But it is not cherry red, it is grey. She thinks it is lovely and ¼ of the cost. I am not sure, but hang onto it. She arranges to purchase the couch. This takes awhile.

I go in search of the cherry red cover I am perseverating about. It is out of stock. Not there. This cannot be possible. I search some more. Nope. Nada. Some swear words may have been uttered. Maybe, most probably.

I go back and report to her. She simply suggests anther colour scheme for my office (not yet named the POPP). I screw up my face and am visibly irritated. She shrugs, just a possibility, I think she might have said. She sees my mind is clearly closed.

The Queen of Colour had a vision of what it was to look like and a grey cover was just not in it. However, her suggestion of grey and turquoise blue pillows puts a splinter in my brain. Just a sliver of another option that irritates the perfectly crafted vision… and what about the grey with cherry red accents…I am now overwhelmingly confused.

We finally get the couch delivery organized and wrapped up in numerous layers of plastic and I am still unable to sit down. We have not yet seen the top floor!

My friend with the Eagle Eye was hurt on a horse some months previous and understandably has had enough walking. We borrow a scooter for her (yes, IKEA provides those!!). You would think this would have had me cackling with her as she takes off at lightning speed through the store. Nope.

I am STUCK in my head. STUCK with what The Queen of Colour thinks is the best idea. STUCK and unable to see outside the box. Unable to open my mind to the possibility of Another Way. I feel time pressured as I have another commitment that evening.

And I am unable to reason with this STUCKEDNESS, except recognize how irritable, and unhappy I have become, like a petulant child not getting the thing they want. I am stuck in a corner with my very unhappy self.

We finally leave, me with my discount grey cover and some other things. We were there so long the sun is no longer out, it is pitch black out and we are both late for other engagements.

I still cannot see myself and what has happened.

I get back to the place Dan and I are staying at. I remember I have not eaten or drank for 7+ hours. It is only now I feel starving and oh-so-tired. I get some sustenance in, and begin to feel different. My breathing deepens. I rest and we go out.

And the next day it all starts to fall into place.

Another Lesson in Letting Go.

Another Lesson in NOT getting attached to the final outcome.

Don’t I teach this stuff, I think to myself?!

I cannot believe I did not see it. These are the words I am always telling my classes…

You can have a vision, but as you work, let go of that vision so you can be open to what new possibilities might show up...

I was so attached to my idea of what I thought my new office would look like, I could not see the new possibilities.

I call my friend with the Eagle Eye who has fallen off the horse and apologize for my grumpy behavior. I share my insights with her. She totally gets it…and has some other kind insights. She still loves me.

Morals of the story~what you learn in Pure Painting can be applied to real life too (see above Lisa-ism). And don’t forget to eat. And drink. And sit down once in a while. And most importantly BREATHE! (Yes, all those that have taken my classes, know that one off by heart!)

Yep, I am really happy in this new space where my desk faces out the window. I saw a heron flying by as I was writing to you all. It feels like a really good way to start the New Year and a re-newed way of being open to possibilities!

How about you? What new possibilities are you welcoming in this New Year?

I had wanted to send you out a Christmas email, but alas, with all that was happening it just did not happen.

I am learning not to beat myself up about what I didn’t get done and celebrate what did get done. Someone recently mentioned the shift from the “to-do list” to the “could-do list”. I really like that.

And, as you have read above, I am reminded that I have a choice in shifting how I talk about things (especially in my head) and how I use my language. This shift in languaging can change how you feel. Yes, this shift does not happen overnight as we would all like to wish, but is an on-going process of observation. (Isn’t everything a “process”…maybe I am just a bit biased since that is my line of work!)

Well, Creative Beings, if you got this far, I applaud and thank you for reading! May you keep on creating in whatever way feels good for you!

Kind Regards,

Lisa, aka The Queen of Colour

P.S. I am waving my Magic Wand for you from the Palace of Pure Possibilities. And yes, please do make a wish!

P.S.S. I thought the office reno was over, but as I finish writing, Dan has taken up residence here drilling holes in walls and hammering. Almost there, the Queen Mutters…

2015 was a great "art year" again.

I did a bit of teaching, participated in some interesting art shows, had some works published and once again experimented with my art.

Some of this was documented on my blog.

I also spent some time reflecting on why I paint and renewed my energy and focus as it is so easy to get distracted by the pull of marketing, selling and some of the "hype" associated with art.

I was also fortunate to come across a book that helped me articulate some of my unformed thoughts about creativity.

The book is called "Big Magic" by Elizabeth Gilbert.

For me, many of her observations make so much sense and on top of that she is funny.

So, if you are interested in the idea of creativity, give it a try and I hope that you enjoy it as much as I did.

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Thanks for the great book recommendation, Linda! :-)

Microsoft will stop supporting older Internet Explorer (IE) versions after this Tuesday, January 12, 2016!

So, why does this matter?! Because ...

1. You will no longer get technical support or security updates once the new policy goes live on January 12, 2016!
2. Your computer will be at risk and vulnerable to hacks, viruses, and other "malware".

Microsoft will only support the latest version that is available on each OS.

This means that only Internet Explorer 11 will be supported on all versions of Windows, other than on Vista where Internet Explorer 9 will still be supported.

Not sure what version of Internet Explorer you're using?

Here's a link: How do I determine the version of Internet Explorer I have?

NOT using Internet Explorer 11 (or IE 9 on Vista)?

You can get the most recent version via Windows Update
(see image below and be sure to select the correct Windows version - see red box)

Or, as a direct download on Microsoft's website on the Internet.

Here's another article we wrote about Why You Should Update Your Web Browser.

Please do read through that article because it highlights many other reasons your browsing experience will be better with a more modern web browser.

In short, by upgrading your browser and operating system, you will have a safer and better computing experience!

We simply want to make sure that your computer (and all your files) aren't at risk! ;-)

And, as always, if you have any questions, please feel free to ask us!

Instead of lots of text, I decided to use several visuals to help you understand whether you have the proper rights to use an image!
(And, please note that these rules apply to "Stock Photos", as well!)

To start off, here is an overview of the basic copyright categories:

Based on the above, here are a few resources for Public Domain content:

• Prelinger Archive
• PublicPhoto.org
• TotallyFreeImages.com
• US Government Images

And, here are some resources for Creative Commons images and media:

• Wikimedia Commons
• Flickr's Creative Commons Search
• Creative Commons Search
• Pixabay
• Google Images
  (click on the image below to see how you can restrict your search)

And since I'm often confused by the Creative Commons "icons", here's a nice chart that explains what each of them means & how you can use the content ;-)

Now, if you want more specifics, here's a very detailed workflow that should further help you understand your rights:

As you know, we're not lawyers! So, if you have specific questions, it may make sense to check with a lawyer! ;-)

That said, hopefully, this will help you better understand the basic categories and how you can share content legally!

In the past couple of weeks, Geoff and I have been asked a few times if we will host a website for an artist collective or group. The simple answer is YES!

And, since we only charge per website (not per artist ;-), there aren't any additional fees! ;-)

We find that this a great solution for groups with artists starting out who may not have a large portfolio.

Or, even for those who'd like to showcase their work as part of a larger group or art event / fair / studio tour, etc!

In any case, we simply wanted to let everyone know that we do offer this service and here are a few examples of groups:

• Gwen Fox Gallery
• Dimasalang III
• Brush and Palette Club
• Delta Potters Association
• Beach Guild of Fine Art
• The Gallery Painting Group of London Ontario
• Flying Colours Artists
• Organization of Kingston Women Artists
• The Art Group - Strathroy Caradoc
• Delta Stomp Studio
• Art in the Yard Concord

Now, it's entirely possible that I've forgotten some! :-( And, my sincere apologies in advance!

That said, please let me know if your group should be on this list as we're starting to compile a list of artist groups / collectives that we can use whenever we get asked this question! ;-)

Thanks to ALL the artists groups who do such AMAZING work! :-)

Have you ever gone into the TV section of a store and noticed that the colours on different monitors look different?

Well, the same is true for ALL other monitors and screens, e.g. computer monitors, laptop, phone, and even tablet screens.

This week, we received the following question from Nicole Wakeman:

I got a new monitor and my paintings are showing much more yellow green and over- saturated, than on other monitors. I have done what colour calibration/adjustment I can on it, but it's not making any noticeable difference. Any ideas on how I can fix this?

And, in a related exchange, I was working on a website makeover this week and realized that what I saw as a "deep reddish-brown" colour, the artist saw as "red"!

In both these cases, we were encountering one of the fundamental problems with colours online!

Simply stated, depending on your monitor or screen, the colours YOU see will most likely be different that those seen by others!

In short, here's a list of factors that typically cause colour display problems:

• Viewing environment
• Monitor settings & graphic card
• Browser & operating system
• Nonlinear human vision
• Gamma correction
• Color coding

If you want to read the details about these factors, here's a great article: Why Aren’t Different Display Colors the Same on Different Monitors?

While a monitor might be well rated, it may not represents colours accurately. Monitors have gotten better but they still vary widely in terms of how well they represent colours.

We have found that Apple screens tend to do a better job of representing colours, but you can't be sure your visitors are on an Apple device.

Unfortunately, there isn't anything we or you can do to rectify this issue. :-(

That said, we simply want to make sure that you're aware this issue exists!

Many of you spend hours trying to find the "perfect" shade or colour, but please know that online, your colour choices may not translate perfectly.

In essence, you should always keep in mind that even though you may find the colours represent your artwork, there's a fairly high chance that the colours your visitors see will be different!

This week, Geoff and I received a great question from an artist:

I was speaking with a client of yours and she mentioned concern that these days there might not be sufficient social media integration - that she has to re-post things, e.g. on Facebook. So, she is entering things twice. Is that the case or is she missing something? It would be important for me that it be included.

While the question is rather simple, unfortunately, the answer is much more complex and complicated. :-)

Within our service, we do have ways to add social media buttons to your website.

We have alsoformatted and optimized each page on your website so that if anyone pastes a link to any page on your website, e.g. within Facebook, the post will automatically pull the image, the appropriate title, and description / content from that page.

So, we do offer a certain level of social media integration.

That said, we do not offer an automated social media posting option for the following reasons:

• Most social media websites, e.g. Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc., actually penalize any automated posts that stem from outside, automated posting services. Here's a Facebook article where this is specifically mentioned.
  
  In other words, if we allowed you to automatically post to your social media accounts, your posts would be LESS likely to be seen by your followers.
  
  
• Also, many of the social media websites have changed their algorithms related to "organic discovery" and are primarily promoting "paid promotion" of posts to reach followers. In fact, Facebook recently announced that posts from Facebook Pages would carry less weight than posts from individuals.

While we do understand and appreciate your desire to simplify and automate your social media posting process, we also know that most social networks, in fact, penalize such practices.

Also, to provide the best exposure to you and your entire body of works, we strongly recommend that posts on social media have a link to your website. This is to encourage interested buyers / collectors to browse beyond your one post on social media. And, if this is the case, pasting a link to your webpage is a much better way to do this.

If you are simply reposting content to Facebook, anyone who stumbles across that post will only see what you have done on that social network and your efforts on your website are somewhat wasted.

As always, we simply want assure you that we are monitoring social media quite closely and how it works.

Unfortunately, what may appear to be a simple solution is not very effective or in your best interest if you want be discovered and increase your art sales.

We simply don't want to give you a false sense of "efficiency"! ;-)

We sincerely hope that this provides a little more context as to why we haven't made this option available to you.

That said, we are constantly thinking about new ways to save you time, provided they are effective and worth your while! ;-)