Web Presence

 As an artist, I was deluged with advice that I needed an Internet presence.  The result was that I spent months photographing my artwork, measuring it, titling it, writing about it, editing the images, loading them into my photo applications, and finally, publishing the images to my websites.  At first it was very satisfying to be able to see my images online and to know that I could answer the, "Do you have a website?" question with a positive, "I do."

I was an innocent in the web of online art.  I have since realized the truism that having a website, or two, on the internet, is like having a book on a library shelf.  Someone has to want to read my statements, look at the images, respond to the artwork, perhaps purchase a print.  As a result, I find myself drawn deeper and deeper into an area of art that I previously knew nothing about - the myriad of large group websites, both in the US and internationally, that cater to people who want to get their artwork seen on the World Wide Web.  Some are free, some charge a fee. Some are open to all, some require application and review.  Most are in English, however, I do occasionally find myself corresponding in Italian (which I don't speak or write).  I have been drawn into this secondary web and it is endless.  On the plus side, there is an international community of artists who I am in contact with, and who respond to my work with great enthusiasm.  On the downside, I have found that each website has different uploading requirements for resolution and size that require me to customize my images.  All of this web activity is somewhat addictive, tremendously time consuming, and makes me wonder if my hours would be better spent creating art.