Watercolorist's Website Features Extensive Portfolio

Maud Durland's website, maudart.com, includes biographical information about the artist, current shows, awards, and gallery representation.  But the primary feature of the site is the extensive portfolio section, with over a dozen pages divided by theme. 

The portfolio pages feature good size thumbnails... big enough to give a general idea of the overall work.  Clicking on a thumbnail displays a larger image, and for many of the works, an order form for purchasing Giclee prints, art prints, or even the original work if it is still available.

This is a well-designed and highly functional site for a successful professional artist.

High impact images create a dramatic website

Collin Bogle creates realistic nature art. He's chosen several dramatic samples of his work to use as page backgrounds on his site, collinbogle.com, creating an immediate impact on site visitors.

Collin's site has "all the basics" we expect from a good artist site: consistent, easy navigation, basic info on the home page, gallery and event pages, and info on purchasing his work.

The use of dramatic images sets the site apart and invites the visitor to explore further. Congratulations to Collin on an effective artist website.

An attractive portfolio page

Fantasy artist and illustrator Michelle Hoefener has a very basic website. In fact the site, raingate.net, is just a single page!

But on that single page, Michelle provides a bit of background about herself, a link to a downloadable resume, an e-mail contact link, and two portfolio sections that provide a good representation of her work. By using her own work as a page background, she's created an attractive site with a lot of impact.

There is also a link to the artist's page at deviantART, where she maintains a journal and posts new work.

Hoefener's site shows that a basic site need not be boring, and can be an effective showcase for the artist and her work.

Something a little different!

A good artist website needs to be simple to navigate, provide relevant information about the artist, and showcase the artists work. 

This can lead to a certain "sameness" among art sites.  That's not a bad thing...  remember, the goal of the site is to promote the artists and their work, not win awards for creative web design!

But still, it's refreshing to find sites that show off the artist's personal style while still not distracting the visitor from the artwork.

We think Joshua Hicks's website, spiritsofmirkwood.com, has just the right balance.   It's easy to get around the site.  The portfolio pages work well.  There's basic information about the artist.  But the site still manages to convey a sense of Joshua's style.

Professional Site from Accomplished Wildlife Artist

Mark S. Anderson's website, is clearly professionally designed. The home page animation, which cycles through several of Anderson's works, is very well done, and the small changing painting in the upper left corner of each page is a nice touch. I particularly like the design of the buttons in the Online Gallery section.

The site, markandersonwildlife.com, gives the impression of an established and successful artist... a big plus for someone selling work to collectors and conservation groups.

I'd like to see somewhat larger pictures in the Gallery to really appreciate the detail in Mark's paintings, but I understand the concern many artists have about unauthorized copies being downloaded. (I'll be talking about this issue in a future post.)

Congratulations to Mark on a very attractive and professional site.

Traditional Site Provides Extension Information for Artists and Collectors

The Oil Painters of America website has a traditional feel that complements the group's mission - the preserving and promotion of representational art. The site has over 100 pages of information about the organization, its programs and activities.

There is little art on the site, other than the montage of paintings on the home page. However, the site has powerful database search capabilities, allowing visitors to find members and the galleries that represent them.

The design is attractive and professional, but there are few frills:  the focus is clearly on content and services.

This is a great example of a site designed to provide extensive (and easily located) information and resources for a large community of artists and collectors. 

Visit the site at oilpaintersofamerica.com.

Back to Basics: a Clean Site makes Effective Use of Web Technologies

Derek Gores is a mixed-media collage artist. His cleanly-designed site, derekgores.com, is a great showcase for his work. It has all the features we expect from an effective artist website: clear navigation, info on the artist, upcoming shows, and commission & purchase information. There's a nice video - sort of a visual artist statement - showing Derek and his work.

There is a Flash animation on the home page of the site which gradually zooms out over a couple of Derek's work, showing how the detail coalesces into the finished piece. The Artwork gallery makes use of JavaScript and CSS to create a neat visual pop-up effect. Derek's site uses web technology (video, Flash, and JavaScript) to enhance the visitor's experience, without getting in the way.