Many thanks..

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

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

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..

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

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

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



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Common People

Sorry couldn't resist..



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