If the 20th Century artist had lived to see the coming of the Internet Age he might have branded his website with this quote.
Peter Worsley, an 84-year-old painter from Santa Barbara, CA, has adopted a brand of his own – I paint ordinary people, doing everyday things, at interesting places.
After working 50 years in aerospace and computer marketing, Worsley retired in 1996. Now, a painter, he displays his fine art on a website he created by mastering Dreamweaver.
He advises 21st century professional artists to market their artwork by paying special attention to branding. “It’s the ideal way to rise above the thousands of other artists. A website is indispensable.”
Worsley has found his niche. He opposes traditional Madison Avenue mass marketing as a ‘push’ medium. “Today, inbound marketing is the key.”
He understands the process. His website captures visitor information; he follows up with e-mails in search of potential purchases for his paintings. “Successful artists need to spend a third of their time marketing to maintain their client base; two-thirds of their time spent creating” – the elder artist’s formula for success.
In 2011, the National Endowment for the Arts identified 2.1 million artists in the United States. With so many artists seeking work, these statistics are an incentive to promote online.
After retirement, Worsley wanted to pursue another profession. He discovered he had a talent for painting and meticulously studied under other artists.
He always has been entrepreneurial and has developed a popular newsletter that is automatically distributed to Twitter and on his Facebook newsfeed.
His affinity for social media is heighted by his use of Pinterest. Women are about five times as likely to be on the site as men, the largest difference in gender of any site featured in the PewInternet report The Demographics of Social Media Users – 2012.
“Females are not identified as collectors of art,” Worsley states, “but they are big influencers of art collectors.” He ensures his art work is well-represented on Pinterest and claims success at having his art re-pinned along with their descriptors and links.
The indefatigable artist/marketer knows that it’s never too late to set another goal. He intends to write an e-book on how artists can market themselves in the 21st century.
Paintings in this article are courtesy of Peter Worsley - Fine Art Painter.