Here's to the future!

Ok. Here I go - my first ever 'Blog'.
After several months of preparation, confusion, frustration, self-doubt, humble prayers and umpteen headaches, I finally became a website owner and business woman on 2nd December '08.
Being a teacher by profession, I have found the whole process of setting up in business a huge learning curve. It feels like I've gone back to Uni and done a crash MA in all things internet/business!
My ever patient web designers/builders certainly had their work cut out when they took me on!
Since I got the go ahead regarding funding, way back in August '08, I have advertised in the programme for the hugely successful Newcastle/Gateshead Art Fair in September and carried out some research there for the site, regarding the sale of Art on-line. That threw up some interesting findings, for example, the younger the person interviewed, the more confident they were with on-line selling, however, 70% of artists interviewed said they would sell their work on- line. I learned that the commission charged by galleries is massive, (upto 50%+vat!), and that 50% of Art Lovers would buy Art on-line, the other 50% saying they would rather view the work 'in the flesh'. It is a feature of this site that because it is highlighting this region's art, then artists are geographically within visiting distance. So prospective buyers can arrange to view before buying. I certainly do feel that it is the future, with more and more artists self-publishing, and galleries and curator's feeling the squeeze.
In November, there was the hugely popular Open Studios Event in Newcastle, around the Ouseburn area. I haven't been down there for years and was pleasanlty surprised that it is now very much an Artists' Quarter. I visited most of the Studios on the Saturday, and returned to the Biscuit factory to video Roy Kirton giving a watercolour demo. That was another first for me - film producer! We're putting it onto the site, in chunks, (I got a bit carried away with my new found talent behind the camera!), and also onto U-Tube. One of the on-lookers asked all the pertinent questions - I couldn't have scripted it better!
My favourite of the Studios has to be The Mushroom Works because of it's intimacy and the artists themselves - all up-and-coming in their various fields, and quite unassuming in their approach.
One query, though, why did Lime Street Studios levy a charge when it was an OPEN Studios event? They lost my custom, how many more were put off?
Last comment on this event - at The Artworks Studio, there were some very enterprising young ladies selling little cakes. These cakes were no ordinary cakes, they were quirky and humorous to boot. The girls had decorated them with different toppings and given them names: one had MandM's on top and was called Tracy Emminem!, another was a FlapJacksonPollock with squiggles of multi-coloured icing! Brilliant! (Girls, if you read this, get in touch, I want some photos!).
I have discovered that there are literally hundreds of artists out there, producing fabulous, good quality and yet affordable art. I am humbled by the standard of the work I'm seeing.
I am looking forward to meeting some of our better known NE Artists, and certainly hoping to persuade them to let me interview them and put these interviews onto the site for members to access. I am thrilled by the positive comments I am receiving both from artists and art lovers alike, which seem to arrive just when I'm having some of those self doubts I mentioned earlier!
Ok. I think that will do for today and my first ever 'Blog'. I hope my kids are proud of me, and certainly this dog is not too old to learn new tricks!
Let me know what YOU think, and please, spread the word.
Till the next time,
Poll