Andy Mercer's Art Blog.. so there !

Corona Billboard Art Project Andy Mercer (4)

2012-01-08T12:04:00.001Z

Corona Billboard Art Project Andy Mercer (4), a photo by The Billboard Art Project on Flickr.

A sequence of my images as shown at San Bernadino as part of the US Billboard Art project 2011. I'd recommend viewing these as slideshow.

New Orleans Billboard Art Project 2011

2011-12-15T18:22:00.001Z

Following the link below for more of my images as shown at the New Orleans billboard art project 2011

Billboard Art Project 2011

Andy Mercer's website

Baton Rouge Billboard Art Project Andy Mercer (3)

2011-11-26T14:57:00.001Z

Baton Rouge Billboard Art Project Andy Mercer (3), a photo by The Billboard Art Project on Flickr.

Another shot from the US Billboard Art project

Baton Rouge Billboard Art Project Andy Mercer (2)

2011-11-26T12:42:00.001Z

Baton Rouge Billboard Art Project Andy Mercer (2), a photo by The Billboard Art Project on Flickr.

My work being exhibited in Baton Rouge as part of the Billboard Art project

Microlawns.. don't ya just love em ?

2011-10-22T12:07:00.001+01:00

http://microlawns.tumblr.com/

Wouldn't the world be a better place if we all had one of these !

Andy Mercer's website

US Billboard Art Project - New Orleans

2011-10-21T19:07:00.001+01:00

Map, showtimes, & artist biographies for the New Orleans Billboard Art Project. Four weeks of art interspersed with advertising.

My work is featured in week 4

http://www.billboardartproject.com/cities/new_orleans.html

Andy Mercer's website

LED Billboards in the US display my Art

2011-09-30T11:47:00.007+01:00

Anyone live in New Orleans, Baton Rouge, and San Bernardino who can keep an eye out for my work displayed on digital roadside Billboards !

I'm trying to organise a vid and/or photo's !

"You will be in the New Orleans, Baton Rouge, and San Bernardino shows. We do not have the schedules for the shows set yet. New Orleans will be a four week affair and your work will be featured in a group in one of the four weeks and on the weekends. That show will be interspersed with advertising. Baton Rouge and San Bernardino will 24 hour shows and your work will appear 6 different times over the course of the 24 hrs. You can check the schedule on the web site for the dates and the times will be posted a couple of weeks before the shows go live."

Getting the exact details of times and dates is proving tricky.. I'm thinking if I can get shots of each location (I quite like the idea of someone stuck in a traffic jam snapping it through their car window).. even if its not my art shown in the photograph I can photoshop my image onto the billboard in the photo !

New Orleans, LA
Saturday, October 22, 2011 at 12 a.m. to Friday, November 18th at 11:59 p.m.
Four weeks of art interspersed among advertising
at Pontchartrain Expressway, east bound, just after South Claiborne Avenue. See map

Baton Rouge, LA
Saturday, November 5, 2011 from 12 a.m. to 11:59 p.m.
24 hours of continuous art
at 8558 Goodwood Boulevard, at Tara Blvd, Baton Rouge, LA 70806. See map

San Bernardino, CA
Friday, December 2, 2011 from 12 a.m. to 11:59 p.m.
24 hours of continuous art

Anyone fancy a drive to these locations ?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=adaVTfAUvTY&feature=player_embedded
http://www.billboardartproject.com/

Andy Mercer's website

Don't throw away those old album covers

2011-09-24T11:37:00.003+01:00

or the formica work tops. Or the plastic chairs. Enjoying this blog..
http://www.midcenturia.com

Andy Mercer's website

Joke 74

2011-08-26T15:32:00.001+01:00

Crime in multi-storey car parks. It's just plain wrong on so many different levels." Andy Mercer's website

Joke No 73

2011-06-30T21:10:00.000+01:00

I've written a script for a film about an action hero who works in accounts.
The sequels going to be set in a different department.
This time it's personnel.

Andy Mercer's website

Welsh politico's rip off my art.

2011-06-20T22:08:00.018+01:00

I was recently made aware that my artwork was being used on a Welsh political commentary site called waleshome.org
with neither my consent or any accreditation.

The image was removed after I contacted Daran Hill, the writer of the article. But in recent emails to Daran Hill and copied to Duncan and Adam Higgitt. It was Duncan Higgitt who responded (even though in previous emails he has denied working for the site) he also refuses to accept that payment is due for the 15mths my image was used on the site prior to its removal. It says on the site that Daran Hill is the editor..

This I believe is the same Daran Hill who recently appeared on the main UK wide BBC evening news as a commentator on Welsh political affairs.
"..is a political commentator and also manages Wales’ fastest growing public affairs firm, Positif Politics, which he founded in 2006. After ten years in the profession, he is one of the most authoritative public affairs consultants in Wales, is well-connected across the political spectrum, and is a current Executive Member and former Chair of Public Affairs Cymru, a Trustee of the Bevan Foundation and a Fellow of Institute of Welsh Affairs. His experience and communications ability has been recognised in numerous media performances. In 1997 he was National Organiser of the successful “Yes for Wales” devolution campaign, which won the referendum that led to the establishment of the National Assembly."

"Duncan Higgitt is a former editor and journalist with, among others, the Western Mail. After serving with the British army, he worked his way up through local free sheets and weeklies before joining the Western Mail in 1997 as a district reporter covering Mid Wales. He went on to work as news editor and features editor for the paper. He is press and political officer for Bethan Jenkins AM."

I wonder what senior management at the BBC would think about their casual approach to intellectual property rights ? I've exchanged a few emails with several people associated with waleshome.org. You will notice if you have a look that quite a few prominent Welsh politicians and media types are regular contributors to the site. I've contacted several of these people over the last couple of weeks and they seem curiously reluctant to come out against the site. Does this indicate that the political establishment in Wales have a casual approach to intellectual property rights ?

The domain name is registered to Adam Higgitt who is identified as an editor of the site.
"..is the former Head of Policy for the Welsh Labour Party and author of the party’s 2003 manifesto. As a Special Adviser in the Northern Ireland Office, he was involved in negotiations to restore devolution and accelerate paramilitary decommissioning. He now works for Ofcom, and writes for WalesHome.org in a personal capacity. Adam is responsible for the Home Truths and Review columns."

I am amazed these people are happy to be contributors to a site that does not seem to think artists should be paid for the use of their work.

In his last email Duncan Hibbitt (the same Duncan Hibbitt who emailed claiming he didn't work for waleshome.org) told me it was their hobby site.

I think political commentary and punditary is their business and
waleshome is a vehicle for delivering this.
Looking at their CV's on the site they are hardly those of hobbists !

I requested the details of ownership, address etc to make my complaint official, they would not provide them. The information doesn't appear anywhere on the waleshome.org site, IMO this is a prerequisite for any legitimate organisation.

I really am quite appalled that people who place themselves in positions of authority seem to have such a cavalier attitude to intellectual property rights. Also politicians who associate themselves with an organization that believes they are immune to the law or that it does not apply to them must also become questionable as to how they will implement the law.

I'll leave you to be the judge as to whether I am ripping these "poor hobbists" off ? Am I demanding £2k.. or maybe £1k.. or even £500.. no I have sent them an invoice for £75.

The future of democracy, enterprise and the rule of law is clearly safe at waleshome.org !

Please feel free to pop over to waleshome.org and express your displeasure at their actions

Andy Mercer
Andy Mercer's website

To be continued and expanded..

Diana Ross's daughter selects my work for review at Zatista

2011-06-15T18:55:00.005+01:00

http://www.zatista.com/guest-curator/chudney-ross

I've never been one to miss a decent marketing opportunity so I was delighted to find out today that among the many thousands of works at Zatista Chudney Ross selected one of my works for review.

White City by Andy Mercer Digital on Paper, 13”h x 26”w, $288
A product of the big city, I am drawn to the urban landscape of this print. This is a city I want to jump into even with the chaos of the layering and busy texture of buildings. I love how the playfulness, the flower, and the sun lighten up the black and white scene to keep it whimsical and fun. - C.R.

Many thanks to Chudney for her excellent review..

Andy Mercer

Andy Mercer's website

Red Bubble

2011-06-15T10:50:00.008+01:00

Red Bubble's decision to remove contentious material from the site has come too late. RB is "damaged goods" now for me.. many seem happy to just carry on but I won't be going back.

The whole point of Red Bubble for me was the community aspect.. so when dissenting voices within that community were summarily suspended and even removed then for me that conclusively demonstrates the people who control RB have little regard for that community and it is time to move on. This was the clincher for why I left.

Red Bubbles print options were always poor you wouldn't go there for quality prints. It was the community of artists that made Red Bubble.. this episode proves to me that Red Bubble thinks it is bigger than its artists. It all reminds me a little too much of art.com and the way they treated their artists.

I do draw a very real positive from this episode and it is that artists acting together can make a difference... and that the vast online artist community has the power to change things for the better. Artists acting together are powerful they can make or break a site. So for me when the same artists find another site with similar interactive capabilities they will make that site successful.. and RB will be history. Of course there might just be root and branch change at RB but in my experience this rarely works.. and when it does what's left of the original ethos is usually lost. I don't invest in any one organisation the right to host the premier online artists community in my view websites must gain and hold onto that right. As I see it RB lost that right so for me it is time to move on.

Good luck to my friends who stay.. I don't have any problem with your decision.
Keep in touch.

I wish I had the cash and contacts to develop a rival site on similar lines.. any takers ?

Why I've left Red Bubble..

2011-05-24T12:56:00.009+01:00

I thought my friends deserved a bit more detail on why I have removed my work from Red Bubble.

I've not been involved in any discussion about this at RB before finding about this I had no prior grudge against the site. I hosted two groups and have been there since June 2008 without major problems. I like to think my input at RB has been 100% constructive. My political views are pretty much in the centre.

I've left RB because I am unhappy (and can't afford) to be associated even indirectly with the material in question and after discussing it with several artists I decided to remove my art. I have relatives who fought and suffered as POW's in WW2 and feel anything less would be disrespectful to their memory. I know several artists who have pulled out in the last few days and also prior to that... I wouldn't class any of them as trouble makers and don't even think they are active participants in the RB forum debate. They just saw what was happening and like me didn't agree with it.

Whatever the original context of these works for me this matter has moved beyond that. when I see a T shirt saying "Back to the Fuhrer" the joke if there ever was one is lost on me.
If its a joke then it's in very poor taste.. if its not a joke then the message is pretty clear. If this is a strictly commercial decision by RB i.e. because these shirts are selling well, then for me its the wrong decision. And there is worse than that..

I doubt very much that Neo Nazi's considering buying this material will be put off that it's supposed to be a parody. The wider impression being created because few will check the original context and why should they.. is that RB is protecting the producers of Neo Nazi imagery while suspending or canceling the accounts of those who object. At best it appears to trivialize the holocaust, and for that reason alone I am unhappy with it. The damage being caused to RB international reputation is increasing exponentially. I've picked up reports on this on several business news sites and it seems to me only a matter of time before the main stream media picks this up.

If these images are simply kids and a generational thing.. then its time to explain that they have created a monster with a life of its own. If as has been suggested the creators motives are not sinister I appeal to them to prove it by ending this now. I've not checked them out.. I'm not interested.

My original thinking was to sit tight and hope for a change in policy.. but I increasingly felt that lack of action on my part was interpreted as tacit support for RB's current policy on this. If my mail box is anything to go by then this issue is creating a lot of unease amongst RB's core supporters.

I'm not interested in discussing it further as I've made my decision but just felt I should explain my reasoning further. I am already missing all my friends and supporters at RB. I'm not at all certain where I will find another vibrant artist community like it. I do hope if you read this you will keep in touch.

I hate censorship and have always defended RB's open approach against criticism but I simply can't support them on this.

In the end I am interested in promoting my art to a wide audience in a professional way, and I want my work on sites with compatible professional and artistic aims. In the final analysis if a site allows dubious content I can't afford to be associated with that site, its as simple as that.

I take no pleasure in making this decision at all.
I'm not going to post endlessly about it, I've made my decision and now I'm moving on to try and find another vibrant online artist community. I do hope my RB friends if you read this that you will keep in touch.

For now I'm building up my presence at Blue Canvas.. the community is small but I am impressed by the professionalism of the BC organisation. I don't know whether it is the answer but I'm giving it a go. Facebook for all its issues is a vibrant meeting place for artists.. and many friends already have a presence there.

I think what RB have lost site of is that it was artists pointing their links at RB that made the site expand massively. At the moment these same artists are leaving in droves.. and taking their links down. RB was primarily a vibrant artist community and it would seem RB have forgotten that.

Andy Mercer
http://www.andy-mercer.co.uk

Stop me and buy one !

2011-05-03T17:26:00.004+01:00

http://dwell.co.uk/110917/Etched-cityscape-cushion-black-and-white/

I always wanted my work on a cushion..

My Red Bubble - Art Prints My Zazzle Shop- Cards, Mugs T Shirts etc

AV : Why every Brit should VOTE YES

2011-04-04T13:53:00.002+01:00

I hoping that enough folks who really feel strongly on this issue will get out and vote "Yes" and the rest just stay at home.

This is the first and maybe the only chance in my lifetime to change the voting system.. no its not perfect but its certainly for better.. get out and vote YES !

Why should anyone ever be elected to represent an area on 30% approx of the vote ?
AV guarantees the winner must reach 50% i.e. a majority of the votes in any constituency.

This is one of the few times you will hear me say this "I agree with Ed Milliband"

For the undecided "what's wrong with the current system ?"

a) Not much more than 30% vote for any government.. which means 70% didn't vote for them. We get a minority government every time making policies that suit their narrow minority whether they be socialists or Tories at the expense of the majority.

Effectively under our current system.. a few marginals constituencies decide the outcome and a few swing votes in each marginal constituency make the difference. You can effectively say if there are 100 marginals seats and 5k-10k voters voting one way or another decide who wins.. this means that 500k to 1 million votes decide the result of the election. Everyone else's votes mean diddly squat.. so the politicians know if they target these key constituencies with sweeteners they can win the election.

The NO campaign are fighting a dirty campaign which I think speaks volumes.. they want it to be a referendum on Nick Clegg. Clegg eats babies..

But this is not about about Nick Clegg or Cameron.. its about a once in a lifetime chance to change the voting system for the better. Don't be fooled.. vote NO and the system will still be crap when Clegg and Cameron are pushing up daisies.

VOTE YES ON MAY 5TH !

My Red Bubble - Art Prints My Zazzle Shop- Cards, Mugs T Shirts etc

Available in a store near you on Feb 11th !

2011-02-04T15:21:00.007Z

Yes.. my work will be available at Dwell.co.uk

Dwell is a bit like Habitat's competitive younger brother.. they sell online, through catalogues and have plenty of stores in the UK. So I hope all my Lancashire chums will be queuing through the night to be first to buy in Manchester on Feb 11th. Don't tell anyone but "signed" versions available from me.

The first person to post a photo of themselves in store standing next to this print, will get 10 points. And you know what points mean..

I know.. I know.. the "quality" of their photograph is absolutely terrible. I'm busting a gut to get it improved. My dear wife will not be parted from the sample provided now hanging in our Lounge... you just wouldn't believe how different from this it is.

P.S. My work will also be available in Habitat this spring..

Note : Sadly as yet my work is only available in store near you if you live in the DisUnited Kingdom.

My Red Bubble - Art Prints

Bloody Petrol Prices

2011-01-27T13:24:00.003Z

Got this as an email today.. I thought it makes sense to be honest to hit the biggest in the pockets where it hurts. If nothing else it will feel good just hitting back..

So if they reduce their prices should we all start buying again.. it seems a bit confused on this point, if not then what incentive is there to reduce their prices ?

But isn't it our government who makes most from the price of fuel anyway ?

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Please see what you think and pass it on if you agree with it.

We are hitting £1.30 a litre in some areas now and soon we will be faced with paying £1.50 per litre. So Philip Hollsworth offered this good idea:

This makes MUCH MORE SENSE than the 'don't buy petrol on a certain day campaign' that was going around last April or May! The oil companies just laughed at that because they knew we wouldn't continue to hurt ourselves by refusing to buy petrol. It was more of an inconvenience to us than it was a problem for them. BUT, whoever thought of this idea, has come up with a plan that can really work.

Please read it and join in!

Now that the oil companies and the OPEC nations have conditioned us to think that the cost of a litre is CHEAP, we need to take aggressive action to teach them that BUYERS - not sellers control the market place. With the price of petrol going up more each day, we consumers need to take action. The only way we are going to see the price of petrol come down is if we hit someone in the pocket by not purchasing their petrol! And we can do that WITHOUT hurting ourselves. Here's the idea:

For the rest of this year DON'T purchase ANY petrol from the two biggest oil companies (which now are one) i.e. ESSO and BP.

If they are not selling any petrol, they will be inclined to reduce their prices. If they reduce their prices, the other companies will have to follow suit. But to have an impact we need to reach literally millions of Esso and BP petrol buyers. It's really simple to do!!

Now, don't wimp out on me at this point... keep reading and I'll explain how simple it is to reach millions of people!!

I am sending this note to a lot of people. If all of you send it to at least ten more (30 x 10 = 300)....and those 300 send it to at least ten more (300 x 10 = 3,000) ... and so on. By the time the message reaches the sixth generation of people, we will have reached over THREE MILLION consumers! If those three million get excited and pass this on to ten friends each, then 30 million people will have been contacted! If it goes one level further, you guessed it.....

THREE HUNDRED MILLION PEOPLE!!!

Again, all YOU have to do is send this to 10 people. That's all (and not buy at ESSO/BP). How long would all that take? If each of us sends this email out to ten more people within one day of receipt, all 300 MILLION people could conceivably be contacted within the next 8 days!!! Acting together we can make a difference. If this makes sense to you, please pass this message on.

PLEASE HOLD OUT UNTIL THEY LOWER THEIR PRICES It's easy to make this happen. Just forward this email, and buy your petrol at Shell,Asda,Tesco, Sainsburys, Morrisons, Jet etc. i.e. Boycott BP and Esso

Facebook

2011-01-23T21:49:00.004Z

I quite often send invites to "Friends" from my personal FB page over to follow my ART FB PAGE.

Today I discovered that many people who previously have been following my PAGE have without warning been disconnected. I believe these people are those who originally became FANS of my PAGE before they switched to "LIKE". These people have been FANS since I started using Facebook i.e. a few years ago... and include family members. I noticed a while ago that visitors numbers and responses had dropped for no apparent reason, now I know why. So anyone who has a BUSINESS PAGE might want to check this.
I would suggest you invite FRIENDS from your BUSINESS PAGE and see if the same has happened to you.

It really seems with the ongoing changes to Facebook.. the horrible new personal profile page, LIKE instead of FAN (Whats that all about ?) and now disconnecting folks who have already opted to follow my ART PAGE that the current management of Facebook are doing a really excellent job off putting off their users.

I'd like to invite you to head over to LinkedIn and connect with me (Andy Mercer) because the way things are going I'm not sure I will be active on Facebook much longer.

Regards

Andy Mercer

My Red Bubble - Art Prints My Zazzle Shop- Cards, Mugs T Shirts etc

Habitat

2011-01-10T16:21:00.003Z

This work will be available in Habitat in Spring 2011 !

Designer Terence Conran founded his iconic Habitat store in London in 1964, to market his Summa range of furniture. The first Habitat store was opened in Fulham Road in Chelsea. This store became the Habitat template, with its quarry tiled floor, whitewashed brick walls, white-painted wooden-slatted ceilings and spotlights creating a feeling of space and focusing attention on the product.[3]

In October 2009, Habitat employed 1,574 people and operated in 71 stores: 35 in the UK, 26 in France, five in Spain and five in Germany.

In addition, the company operates stores or concessions in Belgium, Iceland, Indonesia, Luxembourg, Portugal, Thailand, Turkey and Scandinavia.

My Red Bubble - Art Prints My Zazzle Shop- Cards, Mugs T Shirts etc

QR Codes

2011-01-01T13:06:00.004Z

Testing.. testing..

As you probably already know I'm into random bits of printed material. I've been reading about these QR Codes. I've no idea if this will work but pointing your mobile phone camera at this image should direct you to my website ?

Not sure if you will need a app ?

Can you let me know if it works for you ?

Happy New Year..

My Red Bubble - Art Prints My Zazzle Shop- Cards, Mugs T Shirts etc

Facebook is sh*te !

2010-12-16T21:29:00.001Z

I spend quite a while getting things the way I want.. and then without notice along come this prat called Mark Whatever and changes it without notice.

Cos he knows best what I want.

Control freakery of the first order !

It seems to me this guy is intent on spoiling a good idea..

Not impressed

My Red Bubble - Art Prints My Zazzle Shop- Cards, Mugs T Shirts etc

Featured at Whopple

2010-11-15T21:44:00.006Z

Today I'm featured at a website called Whopple.

http://www.whopple.com/artist-interview-with-andrew-mercer.html

The site is run by Anne Marie a retired national media publicist that is currently donating her time to emerging and thriving artists.

"My goal is bring creative people into the limelight. This is the true meaning of Whopple where artists are highlighted through an interview." Art buyers and gallery owners love to see inside an artist’s life. So Whopple is the place to highlight artists, their art, their inspiration, and their lives."

Many thanks !

My Red Bubble - Art Prints My Zazzle Shop- Cards, Mugs T Shirts etc

2nd Place award

2010-10-28T21:45:00.007+01:00

I've received a few awards in my time but this one I think is worth noting..

The Solo group are a group of artists at Red Bubble who nomimate, exhibit and then make awards to art taken from the huge number of images on the Red Bubble site. I don't normally get that involved with competitions because art is a very subjective business and inevitably in most contests, politics are a major factor. So I was delighted to first be nominated without making a submission and then to recieve three awards from the Solo group of artists.

Intially I was very pleased when two of my works were selected for online exhibition from the many hundreds of thousands of art works on the Red Bubble site, but then to receive three awards including a second place in the Traditional Art category is very pleasing.

I think its worth recording that these awards are made by artists to their fellow artists.. so being acknowledged by your peers in this way is always special for me.

Many thanks to Fran and all those involved..

My Red Bubble - Art Prints My Zazzle Shop- Cards, Mugs T Shirts etc

Galleries and Internet based artists.

2010-10-16T14:56:00.007+01:00

To a large extent I'm an internet based artist. I create certain works with a view to selling them online.

I’ve come across a bias against artists/work on POD sites recently among galleries. It seems like many gallery owners have decided to take a common stance against anyone with a substantial presence on POD sites. I think this is short sighted. The whole online selling thing has developed so far and so fast.. my view is that in order to survive galleries really need to adapt to this changed world.

So here are some arguments I've developed to deal with this entrenched "head in the sand" position.

First if I sign works for a gallery.. then surely the work signed has a greater value than unsigned POD’s sold via Red Bubble ? It may not be the way many galleries have operated in the past but I would honestly expect a commercially savy organisation to grasp the basic idea... that signed works are more valuable.

I’m uncompromising when it comes to this argument.. I say “if a gallery can’t see the potential in selling signed works on the back of POD popularity then I don’t think they are the sort of organisation I will have confidence in”. My view is that many galleries still think they can turn their back on internet art sales.. and survive. They should be using internet popularity as a way of establishing which artists works are selling.. as part of their decision to sell an artists “signed” works.

I support this argument by pointing out, I have no control over the final quality on a POD site.. and this basically puts POD prints into the same bracket as unsigned “wholesale” prints sold through IKEA or any other national store. Would they reject signed prints of a work that became popular through high street sales.. no they wouldn’t. So why should it be any different with POD’s ?

I also argue strongly that sales of POD’s will ultimately increase the value of signed prints, and any gallery owner worth their salt should be able to grasp this. For example if a POD image sells tens of thousand (I wish).. and is found to be very popular online then surely a gallery is going to benefit from selling the same work signed on the back of this already established popularity ?

As an example I have a POD print based on Manchester that sells pretty well.. so I am actively seeking an outlet for signed prints in Manchester. Its not rocket science is it ?

I also tell them that my marketing efforts will continue (including online marketing) even if they agree to sell my signed works, and that I see my them benefiting from my marketing efforts. I will often include the following “this work consistently sells well online as a POD” in my communications with galleries.

I have and will agree deals to withdraw specific images from POD sites with galleries.. but will try and argue against it. (politely)

I’m genuinely surprised so many don’t get it.. I suspect there is “control freakery” in all this !

I have also made progress with galleries by offering to embellish prints that I sign for them.. this can often be an area of extra colour or a few more lines added to a work. I don’t find this very difficult because quite often I get further ideas after I have finished a work.

Part of the reason I’m posting this is in the hope that gallery owners monitor blogs like this, and it gives them something to think about. Gallery owners should be getting smart and cashing in on the success of artists selling via the Internet.

I want to build up trust with those galleries I sell to.. so its important artists maintain a consistent approach. I also think it sounds good to tell a prospective gallery.. “I’m sorry I can’t do as you ask because it would unfair to my buyers and other galleries to change my policy at this stage."

I had a heated discussion with a gallery owner about POD sales a month or so back.. I stuck to my guns and a couple of days later she rang back and said she’d thought abou it.. and we made a deal. My thinking is that many gallery owners want you all or largely to themselves.. which is fine and dandy if they can provide a good income but in these difficult times we all (galleries and artists) need to be adaptable and try different things.

Think of one or more USP’s (unique selling points) ! Things that make you and your work different from the rest.. and push that at them.

But if a gallery hasn’t got the basic confidence to point out to a potential buyer the differences between a POD and a signed, authenticated and numbered print. Then I really don’t think they know their business… and I’m not sure they are right for me.

As for internet based artists all we can do is keep chipping away at it. if gallery owners are going to make restrictive demands on artists, then artists really need to have a common response.

There really is no benefit at all to an artist in agreeing a bad deal… if you don’t like the deal move on.

My Red Bubble - Art Prints My Zazzle Shop- Cards, Mugs T Shirts etc

Pet Hates

2010-09-11T12:30:00.006+01:00

Nicolas Poussin.. what's all that about ?
Brian Sewell.. because he's a toff, and because he likes Poussin

Tony Blair
Margaret Thatcher
Almost all politicians to be honest. "Lie with a smile"

Buearocrats.. I hate em so much I can't bring myself to even press spell check.

Sunday Drivers. Please drive on Wednesdays

Cyclists.. we spend a fortune on cycle lanes and they ride on the pavements, ignore traffic lights. Introduce the death penalty for all law breaking cyclists

Caravans.. sheds on wheels.. enough said.

Greens. They maybe right but I wished they'd stop going on and on about it.

People who steal your ideas and claim they are their own. Get a life saddo's.

Facebook and Twitter. I don't care about the shrubs in your back garden. Never used either myself.

Talentless people who always manage to appear again and again on TV. I call them the Thames Valley mafia.

Alternative comedians.. they were never alternative and they generally weren't comedians. Thankfully they've almost become extinct.. but still manage to get on the TV almost every night.

Planning laws.. I'm convinced Britain would be better if we just scrapped all planning laws. You just know Venice couldn't happen now.. health and safety would take them to the cleaners.. building regs would fine them.. every tin pot official on the planet would be queueing up to issue a warrant against them and if by some miracle it got through the planning process some "quality assured" but basically dodgy builder would get the £3 billion contract and the city would have sunk into the mud within 3 years.

Suburbia..see above. (I think I might also have to include Suburbia in "MY INFLUENCES")

(to be continued)

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My influences

2010-09-11T12:06:00.012+01:00

Someone said to me the other day.."your work reminds me of.." its not something I have ever seriously considered so it got me thinking that I should make a little list.

I am happy to receive suggestions

So in no particular order

B Movie Aliens.. especially the Blob. I think my brain has been absorbed by the Blob !

Paul Klee

Kandinsky

Max Ernst

"Miro"

Jean Dubuffet : The best mess on the planet.

"Basquiat"

Velvet Underground & Nico. Musicians have been copying them for decades.. but they all miss the point. It was Andy Warhol that made the difference.

Marc Chagall

"Kids Art": They don't need to pontificate about art.. they just do it.

L.S.Lowry

Theo Major.. I met him. The guy was totally extraordinary.

Andy Warhol (obviously)

Leonardi Da Vinci.. any guy who invents helicopters before there were Business Execs deserves respect.

Random Urban Scrawlers.. I like the folks who scrawl something like "u are a nob"
rather than the glitterati of Street Art. Just don't do it on my wall.

Wallace and Gromit (I have an accent like Wallace and also like a nice piece of cheese)

Gaudi (not sure why or how though..but I feel the need to "respond":) You know the worlds gone backwards try building a Cathedral today !

Tom Finney

My wife..

Max Ernst (again)

Cheap adverts on the TV. We have a cracker at present by a bird who thinks she's a stunner but isn't telling us to visit Accrington market.

Marcel Duchamp (I don't understand why)

The Queen.. (because she has always been there for me)

Marcel Duchamp (because I still don't understand why).

JC..

Richard Ashcroft.. it is a bitter sweet symphony

Bill Gates.. some folks just want more and more of everything. But Bill decided he had enough and before he popped his clogs wanted to do some good in the world. But I could be wrong.

Simon Cowell.. somebody who is hated by so many must be doing something right.

Youtube... the source of all wisdom,old music vids and frivolity.

Urban decay.. nature is boring.

Suburbia.. probably our most significant contribution to the world. The Renaissance produced Da Vinci.. Venice.. etc. 20th C produced Suburbia, Hiroshima and Henry Ford.

Soxy Fleming.. she threatened never to speak to me again if I didn't include her.

"Shameless"

Anything Italian..
Venice for instance.. here's some mud why don't we build a beautiful city on it ?

(to be continued)
P.S. I'm actually quite surprised how few REAL artists I'm influenced by.
I find many "Artists" boring, self important and up their own backsides...

Thank you and goodnight !

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US Open Tennis

2010-09-08T17:56:00.002+01:00

I was contacted by a US artist saying he saw someone at the US Open Tennis wearing a T shirt with one of my designs on it. I've not really sold that many T shirts so I am curious about this.

If any of you folks regularly watch the tennis can you keep your eyes open.. apparently it was one of Stanislas Wawrinka's coaches.

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Too much information

2010-09-07T22:20:00.003+01:00

Everywhere we look we are surrounded by piles of useless information.. and small print.. should we read it all to make sure we don't leave ourselves ill informed or worse ? Ignorance is no excuse when it comes to the law.

You know if I don't fill in the paperwork and get my image copyrighted it might be stolen.. and if i don't get my vehicle licensed it might be towed away.

My meter is constantly turning.. how many units have been used today ? How many vitamins or calories do we need to be happy ? And the TV tells me everyday we need to know about events in Emerdale, Afghanistan, the Big Brother House, and Tibet ?

They released hostages in Columbia yesterday and it rained before the pound rose against the dollar. What's the score at the US Open ? In case I am asked ? I must recycle because the planet is dying. My interest rate has gone down ! The lovely female weather forecaster tells me I need to know there is high pressure over the Atlantic.. the traffic on the M25 is bad today and there are delays after an an accident involving a 71 yr old which is causing long delays for anyone waiting to use the bathroom.

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Just sold a 7ft x 4ft print..

2010-07-19T17:01:00.007+01:00

To Gainesville in Florida...which is now officially my favorite US place (today). Its the largest POD print I've ever sold.. FAA are going to need one of those big US trucks to deliver it.

http://fineartamerica.com/featured/white-city-andy-mercer.html

I reckon they've paid over $600 dollars for it.. amazing for an unsigned work. I figure it must be for restaurant.. or an office. I've sold quite a few of these to commercial clients. I think we can safely say its going to be a centre piece.. somewhere.

Thank you buyer from Gainesville.. for a similar amount I will fly over and sign it !
Sent a signed version of the same print to New York a couple of weeks back as well..

I can tell the kids they are eating tonight !

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Best of the Day at Zazzle

2010-07-11T21:13:00.003+01:00

This work is the Best of the Zazzle..
http://www.zazzle.com/city_sun_2_print-228393176674849214

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Sold 4 prints last night

2010-06-28T09:59:00.004+01:00

Last night I sold 4 prints to an Urban Planning Consultancy in Brisbane Downunder.

It would get a bit boring if I announced every sale but when a decent sale comes along I think it provides a decent opportunity to let folks know that I do sell works regularly around the world.

So if you live in Brisbane and you spot your local urban planning consultants office.. tell him you don't know anything about planning you've just come to admire his collection of "Andy's work" !

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Rogue image search engines bypassing watermarks..

2010-06-20T15:27:00.006+01:00

A few days ago I posted about a new type of image search engine effectively giving away artists images. There appear to be a number of sites involved... and the list is growing. These site appear to be deliberately avoiding the images that are watermarked on POD sites and picking up on thumbnails and sales pages where the images are not protected by watermarks. So this is not a case of a search engine accidentally finding our images.. it strikes me they are deliberately bypassing the copyrights and watermarks protecting our images.

It would seem they are basically using our images to generate Google advert income using a network of referring sites.. which don't make it all easy for anyone searching to get to the original site where your image was posted.

For more detailed information I've posted about this in some detail on the Red Bubble forum.

POD sites need to be reviewing their image security...

Please spread the word !

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Many thanks..

2010-06-16T23:01:00.002+01:00

Thank you very much for all the Birthday best wishes.. (there have been literally dozens and dozens on forums, via Facebook and email). I am genuinely surprised and touched. I don't think I've even had previous communication with the majority of the people who have sent "best wishes". No disrespect.. but folks I've had contact with you sort of anticipate.. but how amazingly generous of so many folks who really hardly know me to make a point of sending their "best wishes". I must admit I am quite a business like person.. I try to avoid much of the personal internet stuff.. so I am left wondering what I've done to deserve it ?

There are many examples you see everyday of how humans generally do wrong in the world.. but I must say I feel like the recipient of some
simply sincere and positive intentions today. How wonderful that even though we don't always see eye to eye artistically.. that you can set that aside without reservation.

I spent most of the day at an "arts" conference which was interesting and quite rewarding.. on my return my family whisked me off to a local restaurant and we were treated well. So all in all.. its been a good day and I would like to thank you all for contributing to an enjoyable and uplifting birthday.

I'm sure you don't need reminding how solitary an artists path can be.. how we often walk alone in perusing this vision we have.. we make our art works in isolation often with little certainty of how the world will respond. So it is very gratifying for me that aside from family and friends, so many fellow artists of so many different persuasions.. disciplines.. known and unknown have made the effort to pass on their best wishes.

Thank you very much.. I sincerely hope all your good intentions are returned to you ten fold..

Andy

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New marketing idea from Fine Art America

2010-06-12T11:41:00.012+01:00

Great new feature on Fine Art America !

Its a type of link exchange - pick a search term that you have used to tag your art. On the first page of results, above the 3rd row of images, there is a link you can click to promote your work. Copy & paste the code somewhere else on the internet (like here). Type in the url where you placed the link & click Submit. In a matter of seconds, it verifies the link and your art appears on the 3rd row on the 1st page!

Here are a few examples..

urban prints
urban drawings
cityscape prints
city prints
graffiti prints
graffiti canvas prints
urban art prints
urban art digital art

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Picsdigger.com

2010-06-10T08:25:00.004+01:00

Found my images being displayed on this site without any watermarks and without my permission. The thumbnails are irritating but when you click on the thumbnail a nice "grabable" image presents itself to anyone who wants it. They claim in their terms and conditions that all the images displayed are in the public domain. They certainly are not.

http://picsdigger.com

I checked out the GOOGLE forums about this site..

Apparently its a Russian site and they use your images to generate income via the Google adverts on their site. They have a "handy" linking code that encourages visitors to post your images on forums and blogs.. but then sends the resulting traffic back to them rather your personal site... which raises their Google ranking and in turn attracts more traffic to their sites.

No point in complaining to the site because they will ignore you.. but it is worth reporting it to Google and raising their awareness that they are actually paying for this. Spread the word..

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A double feature..

2010-06-02T19:07:00.004+01:00

This week my work has been featured on the home page of two excellent art sites..

1. Artplanet is run by respected artist and writer on art; Jan Weiss. She creates and sell her own art as fine art prints and originals and also works with other artists to promote them through exposure on Art Planet.

2. Talent Network Alateia is a French website (I think ?) that features emerging and established artists from around the world.

Many thanks to Jan and the folks at TNA !

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Homage to Warhol

2010-05-31T11:02:00.009+01:00

I'm currently participating in a extended conceptual work as my "Homage to Andy Warhol" for a show title Homage in San Diego organized by the Digital Art Guild.

http://fineartamerica.com/featured/art-in-a-box-andy-mercer.html

The Director has agreed to print off this work at their end and to try and assemble the box for display in the exhibition.

I'm not overly concerned if the image distorts and pixelates its meant to look unpolished and grungy. Digital images often appear very precise, ultra controlled and dare I say "predictable" and so this is my response to these aspects of digital art. We Anglo Saxons do seem to have an obsession with precision, order and neatness. Personally I enjoy a bit of disorder. This ability to be precise provided by visual manipulation software my opinion is often equated with quality in art. More precision and control seems to mean higher quality of art for some. I want to challenge this perception.

But at the same time many people who don't know much about digital art think it "is" mechanistic and impersonal, so I also want to demonstrate that this does not need to be the case.

Industrial produced packaging is rarely 100% accurate.. registrations often slip, colors go unmonitored. I'm not 100% certain how it will work out and I like this uncertainty, it is the antithesis of industrial planning, but even with planning the outcomes are not completely predictable. I personally envisage something not much larger than a cigarette pack. So this work is a personal response to the systematization and standardization of every aspect of society. These days you can't place one brick on top of another without a whole raft of paperwork, plans and permissions to support it. Modern planning and industrial processes are hardly spontaneous.

In addition to this these industrial processes have become extended and this inevitably leads to a certain dislocation between the planning and the outcome. A coffee maker might be designed in Italy and the designs shipped to China, and several months later a container arrives full of "tea" makers. So Wendy (the Director) is my "out sourced industrial worker" struggling to interpret my design through her particular San Diegan goggles. I see her as very much a part of the process. If the finished BOX does not sit 100% flat on the plinth I will NOT be surprised or disappointed. I'm looking for one off unrepeatable impossible packaging.. a "parody of" and "and personal response to" those impersonal industrial processes that have created and maintain the modern world. I will be delighted if the end product is quirky.

I'm hoping Wendy will enjoy her participation and will feedback on the whole process... with pictures etc.

More to follow..

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US Exhibition Dates for your diary

2010-05-10T18:06:00.005+01:00

I'm participating in a double exhibition in San Diego starting July 9th..

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Common People

2010-04-24T15:54:00.000+01:00

Sorry couldn't resist..

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BBC Radio Lancs Exhibition

2010-04-14T11:41:00.003+01:00

BBC Radio Lancashire Exhibition running from 13th April to 11th May
Please note the Studios are not open to the public at weekends

Photos available on Facebook

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Painting is dead..

2010-04-10T11:09:00.012+01:00

I've been reading on a number of artist forums how digital art "isn't real art".. painters especially seem threatened..

Do musicians don't get "their knickers in a twist" over music produced or enhanced digitally. So why all the fuss about digital fine art ?

Anyway I've decided to counter this by making an official declaration that "painting is dead".

Just think about all those nasty chemicals.. stop painting and save the planet !

(This declaration excludes "painting and decorating" of course.)

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FAA - the complete online service for artists ?

2010-04-09T11:05:00.002+01:00

You'll notice the question mark in the title.. it does appear to be the direction Fine Art America is heading.

You've got to hand it to Brian at FAA the grass doesn't grow under his feet.. and he certainly seems to know his stuff.. he seems to be moving towards offering "the complete online professional service for artists". He is constantly looking for ways to improve the site.. and as a "techy" improvements get done fast and to a high standard.

http://fineartamerica.com/showmessages.php?messageid=202233

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Busy..busy.. busy.. I like busy.

2010-04-02T09:19:00.003+01:00

I'm in danger of meeting myself coming back at present..

BBC exhibition dates and times including live interview for your
diary..

Licensed 2 pictures to a Croatian Environmental Agency yesterday..

Solo Exhibition planned for May June in south Manchester... further details to follow.

A London based Licensing Agent has taken examples of my work to show to potential clients..

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Fine Art America Developments

2010-03-18T17:54:00.003Z

http://andy-mercer.artistwebsites.com/

Brian McDunn at FAA has started offering independent artist websites as part of his POD operation. As someone who currently pays for a gallery template service I'm very interested to see how far he takes this.

The link is to a completely separate website developed and operated by FAA. Apparently anyone searching via this page.. will only search your works.. not the thousands on FAA. At present only limited customization is available but Brian says he is looking at developing this further.
http://fineartamerica.com/showmessages.php?messageid=190808

I've wondered for awhile if the next stage for POD operations could well be to offer artists fully functioning websites with domain name integration as part of a complete online package for artists. I've never really understood the current division between gallery templates sites and POD operations. It always struck me that there was potential for POD expansion here.

I could never work out why Red Bubble have never developed their "bubblesite" concept further. Although I do understand that RB is "developing exciting new developments" to bring in this year.

There does seem to be some healthy competition developing to provide artists with the most complete service.

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BBC Lancashire Exhibition Dates

2010-02-09T16:48:00.003Z

My proposed solo exhibition at BBC Lancashire's Gallery which had to be postponed last autumn due to a gallery refurbishment. has now been rearranged and the dates are Tuesday 13th April until Tuesday 11th May.

On Tues 13th PM on the John Gillmore show (this may be amended) they plan to do an on air interview. You should be able to listen to this anywhere in the world as it is also broadcast on the Internet.

Will post further info as I receive it..

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Ever tried..

2010-02-04T20:19:00.002Z

"Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try Again. Fail again. Fail better."

Samuel Beckett

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The pro's of art discussion on the Internet

2010-01-30T21:40:00.004Z

I don't think we learn much by surrounding ourselves with sympathetic folks. I prefer to be surrounded by a spectrum art and artists than by people who all feel art is about the same things.

I think there is an artistic apartheid in the UK.. if you're not left of centre and based in some academic institution you really don't get into the art debate in the UK. In my view because artists pursue independently their vision of the world..this makes artists more likely to be independent thinkers.. because by the nature of our practice we have (or should have) the will to be independent of the political mainstream.. more so than any conviction that one grouping, establishment or a single philosophical position is correct. I have strong and probably quite unpopular views on the type of art receiving State subsidises in the UK and there really is no general platform for open discussion of this... rather like global warming (sorry I mean climate change). In my experience where the debate ends the creativity quickly dries up as well... that's probably why I find much contemporary art in the UK insular,self absorbed and frankly dull.

In my opinion Artists generally deal with the ideas.. and because we deal with visual ideas we are quite capable of bringing a "different perspective" to an established debate, not seen in the wider social context. We are less interested in the actual political application of these ideas and political loyalties but artists generally explore ideas. Free debate is the anvil on which new ideas are hammered into some form of coherent shape. In a healthy society artists should generally be challenging accepted ideas of political correctness and truisms than the general population.. we explore visual ideas and therefore the idea of any rigid "truth" should be met with suspicion by artists. We are less likely to follow the debate we are generally more likely to create, renew or stimulate debate. I think its healthy that when the "truth is declared".. artists eye this declaration with suspicion.

In European history over the last couple of centuries "creatives" have always been close to the heart of the evolving debate. It seems only right that the internet should create and sustain forums for the exchange of international ideas and art sites are probably the intellectual equivalent of the Parisian cafes in Picasso's day.

At this time I see society as in urgent need of fresh thinking and new vision.. the right/left thing is largely dead.. society needs its creative thinkers now to find a way through the mess.

Andy Mercer

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In defense of Abstraction

2010-01-13T15:40:00.003Z

I equate abstraction in art with rhythm and harmony in music.. words in music are much like realism in art for me. Words in music can convey human emotions and create pictures in the mind etc.. but the "words" depend absolutely on an underpinning of rhythm and harmony. Likewise realism in art can convey direct human emotion.. but this emotive quality in realism is dependant on an abstract visual composition of basic shapes and colour.

Is instrumental music somehow less than music with words ? I doubt many orchestral conductors would agree with you on that.
Is abstract art somehow less than realistic art.. not at all.

They are simply different.

The relationship between realism and abstraction is a fascinating historical one.. "realism" as we know it is a relatively recent phenomenon and arose in public consciousness after the Renaissance... with the emergence of engineering and the material sciences. IMO certain aspects of visual art practice somehow got mixed up with scientific thinking and practice..(probably due to the Royal Academy's) in the sense that accurate observation and description in art i.e. "Realism" became the artist equivalent of accuracy and precision of scientific experimentation. Its is not in my opinion co-incidence that the rise of realism has occurred at the same time as the rise of scientific thought and practice. Precision and accuracy of observation and delivers good science so the argument goes this must also be basically true in other areas of human activity... including art. This idea has certainly stuck in the public's mind in western cultures.. how many times have we heard someone equate accurate depiction with the quality of the art ?

But "abstraction" is not really concerned with accuracy or precision of depiction so abstraction in some quarters is somehow devalued in the same way that religion/spirituality has become devalued by the prevalence of our scientific based philosophy. As Darkest said at the start of this thread.. why do people "switch off to abstraction" ? I believe they "switch off" because of this basic taboo towards anything not quantifiable in culturally established scientific terms.

But artists have been using pattern, texture, colour, shapes and rhythm since time began.. every mark made by an artist is basically abstract.. a line or a splotch, a block of colour is basically abstract.. all art starts as abstraction.. abstraction is at the core of visual art. I think artists who are musical are more inclined to understand the true nature of abstraction as the building blocks of art... as rhythm, tempo and harmony are the building blocks of music. Here the comparison between music and art breaks down in a revealing way for me.. because there is (as far as I am aware) no similar comparison to the scientific method influencing music in recent centuries.. music in all its forms is still just music.. as art in all its forms should simply be the many varied and wonderful forms of visual art.

I have no problems with experimentation in art and visual perception.. I don't really like any artificial boundaries or restrictions.. that we ALL just do art will do for me.

But I do have more of a problem in this respect with contemporary conceptual art.. when Art deals less and less with the timeless basic constituents of visual art i.e. colour, shape, rhythm, pattern, texture.. and even accuracy.. for me it becomes less and less art. Its no surprise to me then that it has to rely more on context to be accepted as art at all.. place a bucket of rice with a light bulb in a field and its a bucket of rice with a light bulb in a field.. place a bucket of rice with a light bulb in a gallery and it becomes art. But I'm not sure that a devalued art.. is not ultimately devaluing the context.

I would never agree with the idea that art only exists in the gallery.

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The Future for POD sites ? (Part 2)

2009-12-12T12:17:00.007Z

As a lot of my recent work has been digital, I've been including a message in the image description about the availability of limited edition prints direct from me.

I've kept my POD prices low.. simply because I think they are unsigned reproductions. I would hate one of my unsigned POD buyers to contact me in the future and ask me to explain what the difference is between their unsigned POD they paid $100 for and the unsigned print they have just seen in Walmart for $15. (Ok I don't sell through Walmart but stranger things have happened)

I get a steady stream of Limited Edition sales from several POD sites.. and have made more money from selling LE prints online than POD's in the last 12 months.

I get quite a lot of contact from people thinking of buying POD's who maybe want to know which paper I recommend.. in my experience these people can often be persuaded to buy LE prints.

But I know other artists have different pricing strategies.. and I really don't think there is just one route.

I think traditional artists really do have to get over their reservations about online and computer generated art sold as prints. In my opinion it can only a good thing that new buyers are buying POD prints and IMO this expansion of interest can only add value to traditional forms of prints.. like lithographs etc. With print sales it is very obvious that there is a correlation between rarity, artists approval and the amount a buyer will pay.. at the moment there is no limit on the number of POD's a site could sell of any artists work and this makes them more like Walmart and less like a way of buying genuine ART print with a long term value. If an artist sells a million POD's and makes $100 per print essentially these POD's will be worthless to collectors... you may be happy artist.. but your likely to have a lot of not very happy buyers.

I think that many buyers on POD sites are not "savy" art buyers.. just people who like a work and want to buy it. Crazy as it seems I don't think that many YET understand that the authetication and a signature adds hugely to the value. But I do think they will learn, so for me its important they don't feel in the future they have paid too much for what are basically unsigned prints.

I think the question is "how can POD sites effectively add value for the buyer.. and provide extra income for both artists and POD sites ?"

I think POD sites are missing a trick in simply selling basic POD's.. they have generally settled for a relatively low cost low margin product. I do believe if a POD sites became a supplier of "authenticated, numbered and approved reproductions of an artist" it would have some extra value for the buyer in the long term. This authentication and numbering could all be done in house. I currently provide authentication written on a small b&w art print.. and many buyers say they are delighted to get two art works for the price of one and all this could be set up via POD sites. The signature is the only problem. I wonder if artist signing tours might be possible in the future.. in the same way that authors have book signing tours.

I think the following would be worth trying for both POD sites and artists..

The POD site becomes "an approved print reproduction supplying site for artists" and in addition to normal POD's offers.. a numbered and authenticated POD which are essentially the same but with a certification of authenticity. The artist could then decide how many of these "authenticated prints" to offer for sale. None of this prevents artists from offering signed limited edition prints as well. I just see it as a way of adding value for buyers.. and extra income for artists and POD sites. I think the POD site would have to make it very clear they are supplying "artist approved prints"

Online art sales are here to stay.. and we want POD's to be collected.. and traded. I think the next stage for sites like this will be need to start adding value for buyers.. and making more money per print for artists and POD sites in the process. I'm less interested in making $10-500 dollars on a single POD than building a relationship with a potential collector who I want to help build up a valuable collection, I want to profit from this long term relationship but I also want the buyer to profit from this relationship both in terms of accrued value and enjoyment. At the moment POD sites simply don't provide anyway of acheiving this.. POD's need to become approved online print sellers providing a complete service.

Anyway that will give everyone something to think about over Christmas..

Seasons Greetings to all creatives everywhere.

Andy Mercer

http://www.andy-mercer.co.uk

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Collaborative series of works

2009-12-05T10:02:00.005Z

I've recently been involved in an extended collaborative series of works.
I spotted this image by Denis Dalby
And who takes notice on Red Bubble. I'd wanted to create an image based on torn posters for awhile... so Denis's photo fitted the bill. Denis kindly agreed to send me a copy.

I've also had a few textile artists tell me some aspects of my work are close to textile art.. I like texture and repetitive lines and shapes. The link below details how Canadian textile artist Lorraine Roy picked up on my image (based on Denis's image) and in turn created an entirely new work based on my image. The image Lorraine has posted at the very top left via the link below is Stop 3 which is my image inspired by Denis Dalbys photo.

http://fineartamerica.com/showmessages.php?messageid=131956

Juding by some of the comments on the message boards other artists are interested in developing this colloborative series further. One of thing I really enjoy about all of this is that there is no plagerism going on.. we all see potential for new entirely images in other artists works !

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Frontiers Magazine

2009-11-25T11:46:00.004Z

About two months ago, Andy Mercer and myself were contacted by a representative of the scientific journal 'Frontiers in Neuroscience'. Yesterday, we were each notified that our work will be featured in their upcoming, quarterly edition. This edition is primarily devoted to all aspects of Sleep: latest research, and the impact of sleep, and sleep disorders, on society, funding, and industries.

Here are some excerpts from the Frontiers website:

The Frontiers Journal Series are open-access journals supported by the Frontiers Research Foundation, an international not-for-profit foundation based in Switzerland in the spirit of neutrality and guided by core principles.

The Frontiers Journal Series is not just another journal. It is a new approach to scientific publishing. As service to scientists, it is driven by researchers for researchers but it also serves the interests of the general public.

Vision -- The prosperity of society requires all people - without borders or discrimination - to have free and easy access to knowledge. The grand vision of Frontiers is a world where all people have equal opportunity to seek, share and create knowledge.

I'm presumptuous enough to speak for both of us and say that, though there is no fee involved, this is a great opportunity for any artist and we're honored to participate. The Frontiers journals are distributed worldwide, with a print run of 8,000 copies going to subscribing scientists, surgeons and other medical professionals as well as libraries, universities and various scientific facilities.

Here's a link to Andy's accepted, sleep-titled image -

The City that never sleeps
http://www.redbubble.com/people/merca/art/1602779-2-the-city-that-never-sleeps

Frontiers has chosen to use six of my sleep/dream-related images -

The Flock

Sealy's Window 1, 2, & 3
http://art166.redbubble.com/sets/87817/works/3242627-2-sealys-window-1
http://art166.redbubble.com/sets/87817/works/3242613-2-sealys-window-2
http://art166.redbubble.com/sets/87817/works/3242573-2-sealys-window-3

REM Dreams
http://art166.redbubble.com/works/3234139-2-rem-dreams

And, a final image, Dreamstorm, which is not posted online, but will be . . . very soon.

It also pays to update your online sites, even when sales slack off. Did I mention they found us on RedBubble?

I'm told we should have hard copies in our hands before Christmas. I hope that's true, as it would be nice to pass around to the family before Christmas dinner!

Thanks for your support in this, Andy. It's been fun!

~ EyeSpy aka W. J. aka Wendy J. St. Christopher
W. J.'s Blog - http://art166.info
W. J. @ Zazzle - http://www.zazzle.com/eyespy*
W. J. @ Zazzle 2 - http://www.zazzle.com/art166
W. J. @ Redbubble - http://art166.com
W. J.'s Video Exhibits - http://www.youtube.com/user/art166wj

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A short conversation before the end of the world

2009-11-14T16:11:00.006Z

Eschatologist : See.. I told you the end of the world w...

Me : Oh shiiiiiiii...

The End

Click on the image below to visit my website..

The future for POD's ?

2009-11-13T12:51:00.005Z

Zazzle has been my best selling POD site for a couple of years now.. as far as I know I haven't referred one buyer there.. for starters they get a lot.. lot more visitors than any of the dedicated Fine Art POD sites.. because they sell a wide range of personalised products... in addition to everything a Fine Art POD offers.

They don't charge to open a shop.. and so actively attracting buyers is the ONLY way they make a profit.. and it shows ! I get the impression there is a lot going on behind the scenes at Zazzle.. to drive in buyers.

To this end they have an affiliate program that resells products via non art specialist sites.. for example "Christian sites" These sites earn income when someone buys your product via their site.. and so the targeting is very specific to buyers with a particular interest. But Zazzle also attracts art buyers.. I regularly sell prints there. So they have developed niche market buying.. as a way of bringing in buyers for whom price is not the most important thing. Zazzlers themselves can also earn by reselling other peoples products.. if they have an audience. Lets say I recommend someone else's "unique" Christmas cards on my website.. I can earn from any sales I generate.

A Fine Art POD site is largely a "one trick pony" just selling "Fine Art".. sites like Zazzle sell all sorts.. from "T shirts with famous sayings" to products made by the visitors themselves. I get the feeling with many FA POD sites they are more interested in making income from artists.. rather than working to attract buyers. For me Fine Art POD sites have not really moved forward.. I think they really should be acting like global galleries..representing artists as an online version of the real world gallery.

I also believe Zazzle is a company benefiting from the fall in the dollar.. as all their products are much less expensive to foreign buyers than they were two years ago. Its been noticeable to me how one comparable non US based site's sales have tailed off.. while Zazzle's have grown and grown.

I believe you rise up the searches as you make sales at Zazzle.. I ordered some of my own Christmas cards from them a couple of years ago.. and it may be co-incidence but sales kicked started shortly after. I would describe my income there as "useful additional income" I maybe spend a two or three hours week uploading and creating products.

Unlike one or two sites out there.. I get the feeling their sales reporting is much more accurate.. for instance you see folks debit debit/credit cards not being accepted and then they come back and use another. That never happens on any other site I'm listed with. So my level of trust in Zazzle is much higher than other sites.

I do have serious reservations about the reporting of some FA POD sites out there. At Zazzle I get reasonable numbers of visitors.. but the ratio between visitors and buyers is much lower.. at one FA POD I have one image with 3500 visitors in the last 9 months but not one sale.. (that really does strike me as "sus".. why would so many people look at the image but then not one follow that interest up and buy ?) At Zazzle I have no product with more than a thousand hits in 3 years but the sales keep coming. I find that a very interesting and curious comparison !

The forum at Zazzle has almost no small talk.. everyone post seems focused on business and making money, I think that says something in itself. There are certainly folks making decent income at Zazzle. Some folks have literally tens of thousands of products at Zazzle... they produce simple designs and plaster them over loads of products like mugs.. skateboards,, shoes.. so Zazzle is as much about designers as it is about artists.

http://www.zazzle.com/apmercer*

If you follow my link and buy, I get paid via that "star" at the end of the URL as someone who refers you to Zazzle (I think) for a period of a month.. so even at this basic level Zazzle is encouraging buyers and sellers. I know plenty of artists who happily point links at Zazzle simply because there is always the possibility of a sale

If you think about it the Fine Art market is quite specialist and restricted.. and visitor interest is limited.. "design" on the other hand is a huge industry with almost everyone on the planet wanting designed goods. Zazzle is a design and art site. Folks interested in design are just as likely to be interested in Fine Art.. so the audience is right.

There is much less commenting and rating by fellow artists at Zazzle in my experience.. for me that indicates that most folks don't want to be distracted by this.

I see FA Pod's as being squeezed.. by ever more competition.. in this scenario the biggest sites offering the biggest range of products will survive.

The future for FA POD's in my opinion is to specialise and to replicate the real world gallery model. They should be competing with real world galleries.. I might be persuaded to look at a site specialising in say "urban art" or "American landscape photography" or whatever but on a general POD art site its often really hard work to find what you are looking for ?

I think FA POD's will have to specialise or die ! I've been quite uneasy for awhile about the emphasis certain sites put on Fine Art when they actually sell unsigned reproductions.. the serious art buyer is not going to be taken in for long.

I think this site is an example of the way Fine Art POD's will have to go to.. selling LE prints etc. I believe its a real world gallery but it seems clear they are replicating their specialisms and skills online and restricting the number of their artists based on quality. It's online gallery representation !

http://www.silverburngallery.co.uk/

My Zazzle Shop- Cards, Mugs T Shirts etc metropolis prints urban art drawings

POD site comparisons

2009-10-30T09:49:00.004Z

Basically this is just my opinion of some of the POD sites out there.. its certainly not a comprehensive list. I've left question marks where I don't know the answer

Imagekind a complete independent store for Premium members £100 per annum. 100 images uploaded and available for POD at no additional charge ? Multiple image uploads. Print Quality high.. not many sales unless you drive them there.
Basic POD cost for A4 print ?
Image Security ?
Responsiveness ?
Artist rating 8

Zenfolio $100 per annum similar to Imagekind but primarily geared towards photographers. Hosting and gallery template service. Few POD sales unless you drive them there.
Basic POD cost for A4 print ?
Image Security ?
Responsiveness ?
Artist rating 7

The Untappedsource 100 images uploaded and available for no additional charge ? Selective about works stops the site from being overloaded.. as yet ! New kid on the block.. work in progress. One to watch. Print quality high. Multiple image uploads.
Basic POD cost for A4 print ?
Responsiveness : Good
Artist rating 6

Zazzle.. no additional charges and they work to bring in sales as a result and it shows. Best POD site out there in my opinion. Print Quality.. good if not exceptional. Multiple image uploads.
Basic POD cost for A4 print ?
Responsiveness ? Don't know never had any real problem
Artist rating 9

FineArtAmerica... $30 per annum to allow POD sales at higher/similar/lower cost than rival sites ? Print Quality ? Single image uploads only. Jpegs only.
Basic POD cost for A4 print ?
Responsiveness ? Average
Artist rating 7

Red Bubble.. unlimited images.. no additional set up or POD charges. Site is rammed full of artists and images but still manages to deliver some sales. Limited Print options. Great community aspects.
Basic POD cost for A4 print ?
Responsiveness ? Generally Good
Artist rating 8 mainly due to lack of print options

Artist Rising/Art.com/allposters.. simply not worth the bother unless you are already established and selling on the site.
Basic POD cost for A4 print ?
Responsiveness ? Sporadic and problems left unresolved
Artist rating 3
Comment : Poor reporting of sales,

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city drawings abstract drawings abstract digital art architecture digital art architecture drawings graffiti drawings

Au Revoir Damien

2009-10-15T13:14:00.006+01:00

The art of excess for an age of an excess..
A superficial art that shocks for a superficially shocking age.
I think it captured the spirit of that age perfectly.. but now the world has come down to earth with a bump... Tracey is leaving the country to avoid paying 50% tax and Damien now wants to be a painter. I think we can safely say its the end of an era.

Duchamp declared "ideas" art.. and this became "art is anything I/we decide it to be.. and if you aren't one of us and we don't like your art then it isn't art"
I suspect even Duchamp would have grown weary of his joke by now..

I've got in mind a new piece of conceptual art.. its called "Damien's New Paint Shirt". Its got to be great art.. because its about Hirst. I wonder if the era of oiled filled rooms.. soiled bedsheets and half pickled cows as art will be remembered ?

My feeling is it will be the embarrassing art of an embarrassing era.
I think the death knell sounded for Hirst as stock markets crumbled and the world as we knew it fell apart.. while his bejewelled skull became the most expensive art work in the world.

Banksy has stolen Damien's shirt.. the art dealing elite have donned their designer skater outfits and gone all "street".. man !

"Behind this wheely bin is Banksy's tour de force..not since Da Vinci has an artist captured the true essence of.. "

Oh dear "Damien the unconvincing Classicist" is born... I think the Independent article gets the tone just about right.

Its a bit like the Queen piercing her navel and posing with belly exposed.. not what you'd expect.. somewhat disconcerting..(I will resist saying "shocking"). and not likely to be overly appreciated by either admirers and detractors.

I predict Damien will become a recluse and retire to the Bahama's with his millions.. and mumble to anyone willing to listen for the next 30 years about his ignored genius. The cow and the shark will secretly be buried.. or quietly replaced with plastic replica's.

Au Revoir Damien

http://www.andy-mercer.co.uk

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Digital Art ?

2009-10-03T17:41:00.010+01:00

I hear a lot of argument about digital art. Personally I think most artists are working digitally to a greater extent these days. If they photograph their conventional artwork it becomes a digital copy of the original work, and if they then start modifying the digital photograph, the image becomes progessively more digital and distinct from the original. So whats the problem ?

Personally I enjoy the process of taking a conventional work and then producing digital works based on the original. I can't really see any problem artistically with that. I define myself as an artist who incorporates digital methods.. I make this distinction because some artists are 100% digital.. i.e. the work is never anything other than 100% digital content. This content can be generated entirely from within a computer as is the case with fractals and mathematically based digital art. Some artists create digital art using digital photographs or imagery created via a tablet. In my case my art is produced using a mix of conventional and digital methods.

(Hope your still with me ?)

The digital revolution is here.. in fact it really is the mainstream now. Like music art is being digitized in a big way. Artists can either embrace these new processes or not.. but they are here to stay.

How many of us only know an artists work because of digital versions shown on websites and reproduced in magazines, even artists who never saw a computer in their lifes have had their work digitized ?

(This is all very interesting but is it fun.. but dear reader you must keep going ?)

The only thing the buyer of digital art needs to think about is that it is simply art produced digitally.. which can be good or bad like every other form of art.

But there certainly are distinct characteristic's of digitally produced art.

One of the characteristics I like about using digital methods to create art is that you can easily start using a dark colour or even "black", most conventional art works start with a white page or canvas and the artist builds tonality and shade from this white base. Its not all that common or easy to go the other way and start with a very dark canvas and then lighten it. So this is just one of the attributes that makes digital art different.

I don't think any art buyer should worry that digital art is somehow of less value than conventionally produced art, for me thats only a matter of time. Eventually collectors will fully understand that early and good digital works also have value.. what do they say about any investment buy while the value is low because as "sure as eggs is eggs" values will go up.

(Look you've come this far so don't stop now.. you're getting close to the fun part

BBC Radio Lancs

2009-09-27T21:34:00.002+01:00

I will be exhibiting some of my pictures at BBC Radio Lancashires gallery from Oct 27th to 20th Nov.

More info to follow..

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Inside Solo Feature

2009-09-18T11:32:00.002+01:00

Solo is a group at Red Bubble that gives online solo exhibition's to selected artists and Inside Solo is the magazine this highly professional group produce as part of their group activities. They have some very well informed feature writers and I am delighted to have been featured in the latest edition of Inside Solo online magazine.

My best wishes and sincere thanks to the excellent folks at Inside Solo.

Andy Mercer

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Art.com costs artists money.

2009-09-01T14:18:00.006+01:00

Call me old fashioned but I sort of think that when an artist sells their art they should make money.. well apparently NOT at art.com. I've had an account there for quite a few years.. to be honest I never got round to deleting it and pop in from time to time to check if they have sold any prints of my works.

Art.com's reporting of sales has always been a bug bear of mine... it just doesn't seem right. Too many unexplained glitches for my liking.

I used to sell regularly on the site but this year there has been almost nothing in the way of sales. I've queried this a couple of times and when I managed to get a response was basically told that art.com's "sales reporting is fine but sales are just slow."

I've been toying with deleting my account but there are always 100 other things to do.

The other day I logged in to find that I had sold a work.. "yippee" you may think.. well no.. I got a minus commission. Now a minus figure usually happens when a work has been returned by the customer. Of course you have to take their word that the art work has been returned by the customer because they don't provide proof. But as the work has been returned it would seem to suggest it had sold in the first place.. and therefore you would expect it to appear in my sales reports. Needless to say it doesn't.

So as art.com's reports are "working fine".. I can only assume that art.com has now reversed the norm and started charging their artists when they make a sale.

Staying tuned to this channel..

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The United States of Art

2009-07-21T16:33:00.001+01:00

Pledge allegiance here

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Thoughts on realism and photography

2009-07-21T15:59:00.003+01:00

I like to have a little dig at photographers.. this is largely because it is perceived by some that photography stole Fine Arts trousers. And if someone left you bare arsed you wouldn't be best happy.

But seriously the relationship between photography and painting is interesting and complex and has always interested me. So for that reason this work interests me.

More here

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Visitor stats for art sites

2009-07-18T11:23:00.005+01:00

An interesting comparison between three of the more well known art sites.

http://siteanalytics.compete.com/fineartamerica.com+redbubble.com+artistrising.com/

You can enter any three sites and make a comparison. I like to check these figures when deciding on which art sites are worth putting in the effort.

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I done something naughty

2009-07-10T12:37:00.006+01:00

Not me of course.. I'm far too respectable.

But an online friend Soxy Fleming from Melbourne produced this recently and I got to say I'm real impressed.. I think it deserves a wider audience. Admittedly I'm no expert but this seems a really professional piece of work to me.

Vid, images and music all by Soxy and her daughter Fleur in collaboration with friend Stephen.

Enjoy

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2009-06-17T19:28:00.002+01:00

Follow me on Facebook !

I'm posting news and information on a regular basis over there.. please become a fan.

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2009-06-07T11:39:00.000+01:00

My most visited image by some distance at Fine Art America.. much to my surprise

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2009-06-04T09:22:00.005+01:00

I came across this the other day.. thought it might be of general interest to anyone trying to find a gallery to show their work.

Tony Moffits Independence Showcase bringing artists and gallery owners together.
http://tonymoffitt7.blogspot.com

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Spirituality Show - San Diego

2009-05-29T09:30:00.001+01:00

This work has been selected for the juried Spirituality exhibition in San Diego

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Grassington Festival

2009-04-15T11:42:00.001+01:00

Grassington-Festival

A brief post !

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Influences

2009-03-15T10:30:00.002Z

Someone said to me the other day.."your work reminds me of.." its not something I have given much thought to really and it got me thinking that I should make a little list. I am happy to receive suggestions

So in no particular order

Paul Klee
Kandinsky
"Max Ernst":http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/5/5a/Europe_After_the_Rain.jpg
"Joan":http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/9/9d/The_Tilled_Field.jpg "Miro":http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/a/ab/Miro2.jpg
"Jean Debuffet":http://www.artrepublic.com/prints/9165-theatre-de-memoire-1977-rare-poster.html
"Basquiat":http://www.artnet.com/artwork/425943064/424280618/jean-michel-basquiat-jawbone-of-an-ass.html
Velvet Underground & Nico
Marc Chagall
L.S.Lowry
Theo Major
Wallace and Gromit (I have an accent like Wallace and also like a nice piece of cheese)
Gaudi (not sure why or how though)
Tom Finney
Marcel Duchamp (I don't understand why)
The Queen

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Sensible reasons to buy art

2009-03-15T10:05:00.001Z

Of course its always a good idea to buy art because you like it but art can also be a sound investment.

In these uncertain times where stock markets have nosedived what sort of investment gives you a safe haven for your money ? Will a classic Monet or a Picasso suddenly be worth nothing ? I very much doubt it.
The value of a work of art may go up or down but artworks generally don't go bust !
In the unlikely event that an artwork gets destroyed you can still claim on your insurance.

Who in their right mind would put their money into in a business these days.. with all those overheads and the lovely banks and government as demanding silent partners ?

(to be continued)

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Red Bubble v Zazzle

2009-02-22T11:16:00.005Z

I'm a Red Bubble fan. I love its youthful unfussy non elitist approach. It feels to me like some skateboarder's got together to create a "cool dude art site". Its still feels a bit like some "coding freaks" are running it from a basement with every art work on the planet rammed into a couple of red hot servers which double up as coffee warmers and are held together by smelly socks.. and bits a string. And you don't get customer service in the evening because they've all gone to the beach for a party. And they think its "koowl" that they've conquered the internet art world...
I know it can't possibly be.

The downside is that I think RB's print options are way too limited.. for anyone wanting to sell a quality product.

Red Bubble hasn't cottoned on to the norm in business of treating your customers like idiots.. and avoiding blame at all costs. They have even shared their RB's sales statistics broken down into "pie" charts. Their prints and canvas prints are surprisingly low when compared to T shirts etc.. which just goes to show that buyers (including artists buying their own work for exhibition) are not using RB. So for me they are missing a huge chunk of potential business.

At Zazzle (which I don't really take that seriously as an "art" site) they have a range of quality papers and sizes.. up to "pretty darned massive". If you could combine Zazzle's print options with RB's youthful irreverence I think BubZaz would clean up.

Andy Mercer's Art

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Stop

2009-02-09T19:45:00.005Z

A new image..

Available from the sites listed below.. and I can also arrange for this worked to printed on Fine Art paper or canvas and signed.

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Digital Arts Exhibition at Grassington Arts Festival

2009-02-07T13:15:00.005Z

Feb 2009

I have been invited to exhibit my digital work in a Digital Arts Exhibition at Grassington Arts Festival at the end of June.

Andy Mercer

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2009-01-13T15:24:00.000Z

I also post here

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Metropolis IX

2009-01-01T17:00:00.003Z

My last work of 2008..

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Randomism

2008-12-14T13:08:00.002Z

“Not much going on today.. I know I’ll start a new art movement”

“The rules are.. there are no rules”
Paul Newman as Butch Cassidy

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The Artist’s Manifesto

2008-10-14T22:11:00.002+01:00

The idea behind this manifesto is that artists should be employed far more widely than they currently are in many areas of society, and that incorporating art into every level of society has many benefits. Too often art is either forgotten or an afterthought. In my opinion art should an integral part of our social fabric and whenever a new development is proposed art and artist’s should be involved. I know many enlightened urban authorities and property developers already recognize and act on these principles but I feel there is still plenty of scope for improvement.

I know many of the ideas in this are not new but I feel it is worthwhile artists collaborating in producing and supporting some basics idea that purchasing bodies authorities, investment fund managers and entrepreneurs can consider.

I believe art almost uniquely can transform and add value to the most unpromising locations at a relatively low cost. In this context an artist is anyone who has the vision to see hidden potential and can achieve this almost magical transformation of a specific location.

If you look at the examples of Barcelona, Paris or Florence, here are cities whose fortunes have been enhanced by the works of individual artists. These artists works have become a major draw to the city. I recently visited Barcelona, the city is buzzing with creativity and excitement and visitors are pouring in from all around the world, to see the works of Gaudi, Miro and Picasso. In Barcelona artists and designers are at the core of an urban renaissance. The city is almost synonymous with these artists.

Antony Gormleys Angel of the North has become an important landmark for the north east of England and features in almost every article on the area. Has the region benefited from its association with Gormleys sculpture ? The answer must surely be “yes”, perceptions have altered dramatically the area as a whole is seen as interesting and worth a visit these days, when 15 yrs ago it was perceived as an area of industrial and social decline.

It is now widely accepted that art is an important ingredient in urban regeneration. But enlightened authorities are still the exception, many of our provincial towns and cities in the UK have not seen the urban renaissance of the last 10-15 yrs and can still very often be soulless artless inhuman ugly places. All too often our modern provincial town centres look and feel inhuman and mechanistic, art can bring a human touch to these places.

City and town authorities can play an important part in this, and the wider financial benefits of becoming a known art location should not be underestimated. Many cities and towns plough huge sums into promoting their locations to visitors but have little to set them apart from many similar towns and cities around the world.

Its not just the larger cities that stand to gain from promoting specific artist’s as synonymous with their town. What has Monet achieved for the little known town of Giverny? I wonder if the residents of the small hamlet of Perry Green in Hertfordshire regret there long standing association with the sculptor Henry Moore ?

Wherever art is taken seriously and championed within a community and allowed to flourish it tends to add value to the location.

I feel investment funds can also be important to this, they should play a larger role in enabling large scale art projects, possibly with a view to gaining some of the additional rewards art can bring to a location. Artists and the entrepreneurs are allies in risk taking, creating art and investing in art is a risky business, but the potential financial benefits of one successful outcome are almost incalculable. What has been the economic return to Barcelona of enabling Gaudi to produce his extraordinary works ?

Recently Becks have produced their beer’s with artist designed labels, its clear that this corporation recognizes that art adds value to its product.

I suspect in the past artists have been there own worst enemies in terms of anarchic attitudes and their isolationist, elitist and esoteric tendencies but in this day and age, many artists are realizing they need to be both creative and business-like.

So where can we continue to improve our environment and make our towns and cities unique. Here is a list of some areas of society artists could be used more widely.

The rise of conceptual art has brought about a new awareness of physical space and its potential and qualities. I feel there is scope for these conceptual ideas about the qualities and potential of physical space to be incorporated into architectural practice to a greater extent than it is.

I would like to see artist’s brought into all new construction projects, at the planning stages and seen as a vital part of the planning and development process all too often a sculpture is simply plonked into a foyer or a garden as an after thought. In my view an artist is anyone who can transform a space and make it of interest to the rest of us. Artists can be brought into to help create interiors that are stimulating and will impress visitors. I’m thinking far beyond hanging pictures of reproductions on walls here.

I would include road building schemes in this. In France and many parts of mainland Europe art is incorporated into road construction and at roadside locations, enhancing a long journey. Many towns place art works on roundabouts, which might emphasise a locations past or industrial specialities. There is a sense in France that new road projects can be things of beauty and add to a local environment. In England a road building scheme is seen as the destruction of a local environment, a road scheme is never seen as a creative act. Would art be one aspect of a new strategy to make new road schemes more palatable to local communities ? Although there is an obvious need for care about the location of work to avoid driver distraction on our congested roads I still think there are thousands of locations were art could be incorporated into road schemes without creating a hazard. In mainland Europe tiling is often used to add design to what would otherwise be a bland concrete surface. I think ceramicist’s could be used far more widely in the UK than they are at present to create one of designs in tiles for otherwise bland and inhuman urban locations.

Art Hotels
I think Hotels should be using artists to create unique artistic experiences for their visitors. Personally when I visit hotels I want to experience something more than just an overnight stay in another corporate hotel, I want high quality food, high quality architecture and I believe this should include high quality art, to make my visit to hotel a new and unexpected experience. Art adds value. I would make a special journey to visit a hotel with its design obviously influenced by an artist I am interested in. Locally we have the Midland Hotel, Morecambe which is almost unique in that artists and artist craftsmen were involved in its design and construction. After years of being neglected and undervalued it is now seen as a high vale location and this is certainly because artists work was incorporated into its fabric.

The old BBC broadcasting house in London is a similar example of a building that integrated art into its fabric. Unfortunately today many new developments are built with little or no artistic input, or a token involvement of artists.

Housing projects and apartment blocks. How often do you see yet another housing scheme which incorporates the same tired old housing designs. As a developer how do you convince buyers that your development is more prestigious than a rival location and is worth buying into.. location itself is important obviously, but art can also add value to a location.

In general larger one off construction projects have improved massively over the last couple of decades. Architects are looking at locations creatively and producing artistic and innovative designs but even then I feel artists could still have a bigger role in this process.

The small things in life are important.
Signage
I think we all understand that major road signs need to be clear and have standardized and recognizable visual appearance but how often do you see boring mass produced information signs in non-essential locations and wondered why an artist can’t be employed to create something more interesting, stimulating and memorable? I would like to see local, regional and national authorities saying as part of their purchasing process that they will employ artists to create a greater percentage of signage.

Street signs are a good example of this.. beyond a simple requirement that they be understandable there is plenty of scope for artistic license in designing street signs.

Town and City gateways
“Welcome to Holby” signs create an impression for visitors and really should be used as a way of demonstrating that a city, town or village values creativity and artistic endeavour.

These are just my own ideas on possible uses for artists and artisans, I’m sure you know of other ideas and possibilities.

I am sure fellow artists will agree that these ideas are not new, but I still think we need to keep drawing these The idea behind this manifesto is simply to draw attention in the wider community to the value added impact of quality artistic endeavour.

I hope this article will stimulate other artists to come forward with their own ideas. Please feel free to respond to this article and leave your own ideas and suggestions.

I would also be happy to link to examples of projects and developments where artists have transformed or enhanced a location.

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Flying Lines

2008-10-12T18:02:00.006+01:00

I'm enjoying this latest series of works.. check out my bubble site for further examples. The idea behind it is that abstract drawn elements can exist beyond the page in a realistic space.. in this case flying through the air at a couple of thousand feet.

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This work shown on ABC TV website

2008-09-15T10:55:00.007+01:00

Not quite as exciting as it sounds.. you just send them an image and they decide if they will display it in their "public art" online gallery.. in this case they did.

Wastwater voted by fellow artists into 2nd place in "Abstract" Competition Sept 08 at Online Visual Artists

Colorscope voted by fellow artists into 3rd place in Abstract Competition Sept 08 at Online Visual Artists

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Where exactly is San Diego ?

2008-09-02T11:06:00.004+01:00

I thought I'd better ask because one of my works (Twin Towers) has been selected for exhibition by the Digital Art Guild over there.

Read more on the DAG website

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The Artists Manifesto

2008-09-01T19:26:00.003+01:00

My nose explodes

2008-08-28T20:30:00.005+01:00

August has been an eventful month.

My daughter got married,. the whole day went well, even if it did rain all day. And although I might be in danger of blowing my own trumpet, my speech was described as brilliant by a leading international TV producer in attendance.

We then went away to Spain for a rest and holiday, and visited Barcelona were they kindly agreed to display one of my works at Sagreda Famillia (True-ish). We also visited Sitges and my nose exploded on the beach (True).

I also had a work accepted for a juried exhibition in California ! (True)

The Tuna Tin arrived and has now been photographed.. see Collaborative International projects and will shortly be winging its way towards California. So far its been to France arriving from Australia.

I also sold pictures which is always nice !

Andy

My Art Prints at Red Bubble
My Imagekind Gallery
Budget Posters of my work at art.com
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Collaborative International Projects

2008-08-03T10:28:00.007+01:00

I am delighted to be currently engaged in a couple of interesting international collaborative projects.

The "Tuna Tin Project" is an idea developed by Soxy Fleming and based on the work of French artist Pascale Baude. For more info on this click here. The Tuna Tin was posted from Australia to France.. and I believe is now winging its way to me. I have my suspicions it will never get past the UK customs but you never know.
More info on the Tuna Tin

I've been told on several occasions that a number of my works look like quilts, so
I am also delighted to be working collaboratively with Cathy Stewart an American quilt artist who is creating a quilt based on my Metropolis work.

I am looking forward to some interesting outcomes from these projects..
Stay tuned to this "channel" for further developments..

My Red Bubble - Art Prints
My Gallery at Imagekind
My Zazzle Shop- Cards, Mugs T Shirts etc

Buy one get one free

2008-06-27T11:50:00.004+01:00

SPECIAL OFFER
I know you art lovers like a bargain !
So I am offering a sensational BOGOF deal on my ART ! Buy an original picture from me (for the knock down price of $100,000 and get another of your choice free ! Thats right.. “BUY ONE GET ONE FREE.”

Okay.. while your thinking about my amazing two for one deal, I feel I must explain what its going on because I am sensing some of my vast “watchlist” are getting bewildered and confused by the seemingly random nature of my artwork.. but I can now reveal that it is in fact not random at all. I am a man with a plan… to reinvent consumerism and the world of business ! And just for good measure I have invented a whole new art movement.. The New Consumerist’s !!

Of course every great sociological movement in society has to be called “new”.. New Labour.. New York.. Cromwell’s New Model Army.. Newton’s law of gravity So welcome to “Andy’s New World of Consumerism”

Please form an orderly queue.. you will be served at the next available desk.

(Wait 10 minutes)

Now that you have reached the front of the queue.. please follow this link for more details.

Thank you and have a nice day !

http://www.redbubble.com/people/merca
http://AMercer.imagekind.com/UrbanIcons
http://www.artistrising.com/galleries/apmercer
http://www.zazzle.com/apmercer*

2008-06-14T13:19:00.006+01:00

I got this email from a superb French artist Pascale Baude the other day.. I like what she says, even in broken English makes a great deal more sense than many to me.

I like your way in the photo… the serie of Anglezarke, Blue bay too. very “clean, abstract & “presque” conceptual… = This sensation of lake of silence… lake of vacuum…
To do a “frame” which “frames” nothing… nothing in particular… simply bits of colors, shapes… without “subject” ! What you tell me = exactly, it’s “sensible in your compositions.

For Skidda I’ve used “troubling”, not exactly for the rock but for this great great similarity between these lichens on the rock – your photographic glance – and your graphic works… similarity, so large osmosis… with the first vision – the very first second when the eye is in contact with an image, before even to have started to analyze =I saw not a worked over again photograph but l’ve seing one of your drawings, or another manner of drawing… // with the series of the turns and the black flowers ” naissant” with the feet of the destroyed towers…
I was “troubling” with my perception…

http://www.redbubble.com/people/merca
http://www.zazzle.com/apmercer*

Skiddaw

2008-06-01T12:46:00.010+01:00

We recently spent a couple of days up at Bassenthwaite.. as usual I had the trusty Canon with me. I freely admit I know very little about photography but I still enjoy snapping away.. all those settings go in one ear and out the other.

This is the beautiful ancient Chapel of St Begas on the shore of Lake Bassenthwaite...reputedly founded by an Irish saint who converted this part of Cumbria.

I will be uploading uploading a few of these pictures to Flickr
Click Here

You can also find em here at Red Bubble.. I've then go on and created some digital pictures using the same Lakeland photographs as a starting point and scanning in bits of drawings...and generally messing about with them.

Hope you like em..

And now for something completely different...

2008-03-22T20:12:00.004Z

A great win for the whites today against the Dingles!

PNE New build

I've always been careful not to mix the various parts of my life but they seem to be merging together.. I expect the folks who think they know me will be raising an eyebrow at finding these out these things. I am what I am..

2008-03-08T22:55:00.001Z

These are all links for my works on the Net
Art prints,posters,cards at Red Bubble
T Shirts Cards Posters at Zazzle
Art prints at Imagekind,
Budget Posters at Art.com,

2008-03-08T22:27:00.006Z

Last summer we visited Venice and I produced a couple of digital montages of photographs and sketches from the trip. In Renaissance time painters would often include the likeness of their patrons in their works. If anyone is interested I will include their likeness amongst the figures at the bottom of this picture. I think it will make an interesting "dinner table conversation peice". If you have any photographs of you preferably while in Venice I can easily include you. Incidentally this picture was selected "best of the day" at Zazzle.com from the thousands of images they receive every day.

These are all links for my works on the Net
Zazzle
Imagekind,
Art.com,
Red Bubble

Artworks based in Morecambe Bay

2008-03-02T12:19:00.010Z

These are a couple basic ideas for a sculpture in Morecambe Bay. I've been playing around with some ideas like this and thought I would throw them out there to see if I get any interest.

I see the bottom one as a combination of metal and glass or maybe even plastic.. it would have to be real tough to stand everything nature would throw at it. Would glass erode in such conditions ? Would shiny glass become roughened like worn glass you find amongst the pebbles on the beach ?

Is it possible to re-enforce glass ? Any glass makers out there fancy having a go ?
Could it even be made ?

I have no idea..

Glorious February sunset at Morecambe Bay

2008-02-24T21:57:00.007Z

A couple of weeks ago the weather settled down for a few days and allowed me to get out with my camera. We went for a walk along Morecambe promenade late one afternoon with the light fading, the tide was close to shore and the water was as calm as a mill pond. The sun dipped over the horizon and the light was fading creating some gloriously subtle colours. If your interested there are plenty more pictures like this one at artistrising.com. The top picture has not been altered in anyway, the colours are as the camera recorded them..

Hmmm.. 10 yrs behind the rest !

2008-02-22T21:06:00.002Z

The above icture was featured on the Home Page of Red Bubble.

So 10yrs behind the rest of the world I have joined the blogging game. I have to be honest the word "blogging" put me off for a start. What kind of a word is that ?

I'm not the sort of person who rushes to engage in public activity that sounds more like some sort of group sexual perversion than simply keeping a diary. "Blagging" I could deal with.. thats just "exaggerating your own importance" and blagging is quite apt considering some of the blog entries I have read.

Anyway, somewhat reluctantly and still fearing some sort of secretive society, I'm here. I am now officially a "blogger"

And here are some links for what I get up to for the most part. I've read the blogs on blogging.. I'm not blagging about this. I am led to believe that when you write a blog hordes of new friends instantly descend to read your every word.. and visit your links. So I am waiting with baited breath for you all.

Andy

http://AMercer.imagekind.com/UrbanIcons
http://www.artistrising.com/galleries/apmercer
http://www.zazzle.com/apmercer*
http://www.redbubble.com/people/merca