In our ongoing quest to merge the best of both the physical and the online art worlds, we’ve just launched a feature that aims to recreate this environment, a kind of virtual crowd showcasing the artwork that gets a little more attention on the website. We call it ArtQuiver RightNOW, a steady parade of images of the most recently viewed and most often viewed paintings on the site. It’s our way of highlighting where some of those virtual crowds are developing, and give visitors a sense of where others are gravitating.

So, while we haven’t figured out yet how to recreate the traditional wine and cheese experience online (we’re hard at work at it), enjoy a virtual walk through our gallery in this new way. And feel free to let us know if you find ArtQuiver RightNOW as addictive to watch as we do!

We’re always looking for ways to reward both our faithful art enthusiasts, as well as our amazing group of artists. We think we’ve found a creative way to do both, while helping us broaden our exposure to both art buyers and artists everywhere. Just follow the steps below to enter. The more friends you encourage to join in, the higher your odds of winning (yes, really!), and the greater the amount of your winning gift certificate. There are 2 different ways to enter (feel free to enter both ways):

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ENTER ON TWITTER

Follow us on Twitter and tweet about our amazing giveaway, encouraging your followers to participate. Tweet anything you like, but remember to type #ArtQuiver somewhere so we can track your entry. If someone referred you, mention them in the tweet too and their odds of winning increase with each mention.

OR

ENTER ON FACEBOOK

Become a fan of ArtQuiver on Facebook and comment on our wall so we know you’re entering the giveaway. If someone referred you, mention them in the post too, and their odds of winning increase with each mention.

(Increase your chances by posting on your own wall linking to this blog post and using the invite feature to encourage your friends to become ArtQuiver fans. Why? Because the more friends you can refer, the higher (!) your chances of winning AND the higher the amount of the gift certificate!)

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The lucky winner will get a gift certificate to purchase any single painting on ArtQuiver.com. The value depends on the number of Facebook fans we attract by August 31, 2009. With 500 fans, we’ll award a $250 gift certificate. With 1000 fans, a $500 gift certificate. With 2000 fans, a $1000 gift certificate. With 5000 fans, a $2500 gift certificate. With 10,000 fans, a $5000 gift certificate.

Thank you sincerely for participating, encouraging others to participate, and helping our artists and our business generate buzz! Good luck!

ArtQuiver artists are not eligible to win, nor are any ArtQuiver staff. The winning painting must be shipped to an address in the continental United States. Each referring mention results in an additional entry into the contest, so please refer to as many people as you can!

Our feeling is that there is a genuine place for social networking in the world of original art. But it’s not about broadcasting a message to prospective customers. And it’s definitely not about worrying what others are doing online. There is something special about the subjective nature of original art and the allure of expressing opinions and posting images on a site like facebook. And in a broader sense, these networks connect people to people, not people to products, and that lends itself to our mission of promoting the connection of artist to art enthusiast.

Frankly we’re not sure how to best engage with social media either – we’re learning with the rest of the business world. But in the meantime, we hope you’ll follow us, become a fan, and check out the new feature on ArtQuiver.com that allows you to share any artwork on the site with your friends and followers. Just click the new share link on any painting page on the site, and let the opinions fly!

So, we’ve come up with two ways to successfully represent the scale of the original, one online and one offline. We blogged about our free ArtQuiver proofs, where you receive a black and white life-size print of the painting to “hang” on your actual wall at home or work. Delivered in a tube free of charge, proofs  help you visualize the painting in your desired space, and allow you to judge the balance with the other components of your room.

Online, we have incorporated a 3-D flash gallery setting that effectively renders the scale of the painting on a virtual wall. You can see the full portfolio of any given artist’s work, or create your own gallery with your favorites throughout the site. For a quick test drive, take a look at Gary Fisher’s playful landscapes in his virtual gallery.

So keep your monitor firmly affixed to the desk, and use our online and offline scale features to help you decide on your next ArtQuiver painting!

We’ve tried to build the ArtQuiver experience around removing all obstacles to buying original art. Selection? Dozens of artists with a wide range of styles and media. Price? Price history charts of artists to validate prices. Shipping? Free and Insured. Change of heart? Free shipping on returns too. (not to mention the lifetime return policy)

Our latest feature knocks out another obstacle. How will the scale and proportion REALLY be in my living room?

Most of our paintings are now available as ArtQuiver proofs, shipped free to your door. ArtQuiver proofs are actual size, black & white prints shipped in a tube straight to your home or office. You get the sense of the true scale of the original, without commitment or cost.

We’re looking to overcome any obstacle that might give would-be buyers pause. And get people back to prioritizing their walls with inspiring, one-of-a-kind works of original art. Let’s hope the introduction of ArtQuiver proofs helps them get there!

Sometimes, you just can’t use an Art History 101 approved term to describe what you like. And now, you don’t have to.

With the launch of ArtQuiver.com, we are proud to announce a groundbreaking search technology we simply call “ArtQuiver Search“. Learning from your pattern of likes and dislikes in a series of art rating games, we can actually predict which paintings from our gallery you’ll find most appealing. We take the endless scrolling through images out of the picture. And zero in on the set of paintings you would actually consider hanging on your wall.

So forget the limitations of the physical art gallery. Forget the old way of browsing online. And try our interactive ArtQuiver Search. We think you’ll be amazed at the results, and find that truly inspiring one-of-a-kind “painting-you-could-never-describe-with-a-single-word”.

Well, it will take a little innovation for buying art online to hit the mainstream too. And at ArtQuiver, we think we’re up to the task. For us, it’s not all about the bells and whistles of zoom, 3-D virtual galleries, and price history charts (though they help). Sometimes it takes a little basic e-commerce motivation.

Today, we are announcing something unprecedented in the art world, and almost unheard of anywhere else. We call it the Lifetime Return Guarantee. In short, we’ll ship your painting of choice to you for free, fully insured to your door. We’ll pay for the return shipping should you change your mind. And you can change your mind anytime during your lifetime. It literally costs you nothing.

Shipping valuable art safely around the country is not inexpensive. But it’s our goal to remove any obstacle you could possibly have in buying art from ArtQuiver. And it’s our way of helping the e-commerce revolution take hold in the art world, just as it did with clothing. But in case you are curious, there is a business logic behind a return policy like this. You see, original art is different from pretty much anything else you might buy online. It has the potential to increase in value over time. Because we are selective in choosing artists to promote, we have confidence that their work will be in increasing demand over time, and rise in value accordingly. There is no guarantee, but we are willing to take this risk. And by doing so, we can allow buyers a no cost way to try out ArtQuiver, and beautify their homes and offices with original art.

Viva la revolution!

New abstract work on ArtQuiver.com

We’re excited to welcome several new artists to the site! Lisa Mishler and Kathy Kimball are two  accomplished abstract artists. Ron Himler paints in 2 distinct styles: impressionistic Native American scenes and in somewhat stark contrast, ethereal figure paintings.

All have terrific high-resolution details visible from the Zoom feature on the site. Please welcome them by checking out their work at ArtQuiver.com!

We’ll use the blog to announce new artists, introduce new features, and reflect on the art world as we see it, and our ongoing plans for creating a more transparent, interactive and trusted venue for connecting artists and buyers.

Thanks for stopping by!