About This Art Showcase
Many, many Internet years ago, in 1999, we opened an
artist's showcase called Starving Artist Showcase on this
website. It was a not-for-profit venture, juried by my
husband and I, but open to all art forms, and open to all
artists, great and small...just as it is today.
Why did we open it? Because artists deserve to have
their art seen, and, at that time, there weren't many
alternatives available. Now there are a million-and-one
sites out there for artists to show on.
But.
...But I still don't see much:
- class in design,
- fairness in presentation, which results in artists lost in the sheer volume of work presented.
What I do see is:
- slow loads and confusing navigation,
- advertising plastering the pages for everything except the artists and their art
- too many distractions to the visitor, drawing attention away from the art presentations
These are things which I, as an artist and as a
web designer dislike. Give me instead a showcase designed to display to
advantage an artist's creative works.
So, after many years of hiatus, I'm reopening the art
showcase. And, yes, it is still juried, because this isn't
a site meant to let just anyone sign up for an account
who calls themself an artist. And there are still two and
sometimes three jurists, myself numbered among them.
I believe in art. I believe in imagination. I believe
that self-expression comes from the essence -- the core
-- of an individual, even the commercial artist. So you
aren't going to find "art entrepreneurs" on
here -- the guys and gals who repeatedly slap some paint
on a canvas the same way just to turn a buck. Good work
-- work from the heart -- stands out. One can feel it
even through the eyes. And one can hear it in the words
an artist uses when speaking of their work. So there is
an application process in order for an artist to show
their work here. We decide who gets in and who doesn't,
not based upon whether or not their work sells well or
doesn't, not based on whether or not that work would be something I
myself would buy. Rather, we judge on whether or not the work is a true artistic
expression, coming from the person in an act of
passion with meaning.
The money end.
Just so you know, we're not in this to make ourselves
into the next online corporate mega-gallery. Artists can
show here for free, no strings attached, and you, our
visitor, will never experience advertising blaring out at
you or interfering with your enjoyment and exploration of
the art and the artists presented on this showcase.
Likewise, we don't make money on the artist's sales to
you. We don't take a percentage of what
our artists sell. In fact, we don't even get involved in
sales, though the artists represented here are expected
to show work that is for sale, whether that means prints,
castings, or originals, through links they provide to reputable
escrow services or print shops, online and off.
If music, it means the artist should have a CD, preferably shipped by
them or something you can secure from CDBaby. If a
performing artist, you, our visitor, should be able to
book that act through an online booking form.
One thing we do accept are donations to help keep this
website running and help defray the time spent maintaining the site as well as the cost of
employing software we use, so, if you are of a mind, you can donate
to us here.
(Should you donate, you should know that our online business name through PayPal is The Deepening, which is the name printed on the receipts and statements you receive.)
D. L. Keur |
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