EDITOR’S NOTE: Prices and information below may be out of date. Since launching our own art website service for artists at Foliotwist.com, we no longer feel unbiased enough to continue updating or reviewing other art website services. Visit the website below for their most recent information.
It seems like almost every week I hear about new websites for artists, and some of them definitely deserve notice.
The website I’ll be talking about today isn’t necessarily the flashiest (in fact, it’s actually kind of boring) and I doubt you’d sell much art through them (they don’t get much traffic) but there IS one key element that I found very intriguing.
Flatgreywall.com is a website that doesn’t claim to be anything more than its name suggests – just a place on the internet where you can “hang” your art.
It’s a pay-per-month site ($10 each month) so it’s not free, but there’s no commission for selling your work. Some artists like that, and some don’t.
The thing that interested me the most about Flatgreywall.com is the way they present each artist. When you first click the link “Art on the Wall,” you’re taken to a gray screen with the artist’s names scattered randomly around the space.
The key word here is “random.” If you reload the page, the names will change positions. As different people look at the wall, each of those artists has an equal chance at having their name clicked on and their art looked at.
In a unique way, Flatgreywall.com is making an interesting choice for at least SOME equality of presentation.
Of course, I’d prefer that instead of the artist’s name (or in addition to it) there was a thumbnail image of their art. That way it’s not a complete gamble for viewers, and yet the artists still get equal treatment.
And, the reason why I emphasized the word “SOME” earlier, is because if you look closely, you’ll see that it’s not quite equal after all.
Each artist’s name is a different level of brightness. The brighter the name, the higher the “quality” of that artist’s work.
“Quality” is determined partly by presentation (correctly cropped images, color correctness, etc) and also the amount of “Underlying Truth” in the art, all of which is determined by the owners of Flatgreywall.com.
Personally, it sounds like a recipe for controversy. But in a way it also feels kind of like an experiment – pre-judged art, but with no bias over how it’s presented. Definitely an interesting site to watch in this increasingly diverse online art market.
And if the cost is a deterrent, you’re in luck. Right now they‘re offering a free trial, which means at least for a month it won’t cost you anything to hang your art on the wall.
If you do, make sure to let me know what you think about it at my contact page. You’ll also want to check back next Tuesday for a review of another website for artists – one that’s based in the UK.
This post may contain affiliate links.