“There is no question that you have to bring your whole self to table as an original artist in order to produce quality commission work,” says Carl Kuerschner creator of the CAKUart website.
Purpose of the CAKUart Website
Carl has designed the CAKUart web site to
- showcase his own original art
- help the art collector make informed art buying decisions
- inform and inspire other artists looking to master their craft
- help other artists market their work
Carl models not only how to showcase artwork, but he has created an environment where buyers of art can use the website as a resource filled with current and relevant information. With integrity in mind, he plans to create a source of good advice gleaned from reliable sources. He hopes to reduce the stress and frustration for those starting an arts based practice. The space has been constructed so that he has the means to help other artists learn how to push their creative boundaries and market their work.
Creating an Art Based Community
Because artists spend a lot of time on their own, Carl set out to develop CAKUart as a community for
- art collectors
- admirers
- new and "established" artists
To ensure the dynamic interactivity of the site, Carl plans to continually add fresh content by inviting other artists and marketers to submit articles about arts marketing. He will send out a regular newsletter to alert community members to fresh content.
The list of topics that have already been explored on the website is wide and varied, Carl hopes of course that this broad spectrum will grow and develop as artists become involved.
Topics Covered on CAKU
Carl has developed pages for these kinds of topics
- artist marketing resources and how to build a website
- writing artist statements, how to sell by commission and how to approach an art gallery
- how to photograph art, how to go about selling it online, including how to go about pricing artwork
Techniques of Social Marketing
The site is also an exciting example of the latest techniques of social marketing and community building. Carl has set up a source of video clips called CAKUart TV, which is of course accompanied by
- a blog and an abstract art gallery, as well as galleries that are labelled contemporary, flower, seascape, and a more general category of paintings, which have been commissioned
- pages for connoisseurs that talk of art collecting tips, framing, as well as explaining the nature of abstract art
- an artists survey so that he can better serve the needs of those for whom he wished to create the community
- space to which artists can submit articles so that a wide variety of viewpoints are presented
Many of the tips and tricks presented on the website are about abstract art. Carl provides painting ideas and the like.
Carl works predominately with acrylics and oil mediums on canvas. His goal is to create “Inspirational Wall Art.” It seems to the viewer that these works reflect a passion for optimism, which has been created by the application of colour and texture through the use of brush and palette knife.
However as articles become available that have been submitted by other artists, this range of advice about art will broaden. There is a sample contract agreement as part of an intended cache of tools of the trade. This will help arts students and beginning contractors get a feel for how these kinds of legal requirements can be handled.
The CAKUart website is an excellent resource for art teachers and artists, and one that will continually grow especially if art teachers take the time to submit articles, ideas and take the surveys offered on the site.
Resource: CAKUart website
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