As the virtual world gains in importance, websites have become essential platforms for presenting and marketing fine art. It is not only galleries and museums that use the Internet to promote art and artists. Individual artists are also discovering that a well-designed website can complement a gallery presentation and introduce an artist to a global audience.
Saudi artist Nawal Al-Ajmi began her career as an artist in 1997. After completing her fine arts degree she participated in dozens of cooperative art exhibitions before holding her first solo show in 2004. Tomorrow night, June 3, Abdulrahman Al-Suliman, head of the Saudi Fine Arts Association will open Al-Ajmi’s second solo show, “Naharat” at seven o’clock in the Desert Designs Gallery on Dhahran Road in Alkhobar. The show will run for eight days and is open to the public.
“Naharat is inspired by a course I took on the use of color in art,” said Al-Ajmi. “The color combinations and my methods for utilizing color in the oil paintings in my show are something of a departure for me. It’s a progression in my style and I am very curious to see how viewers will receive these paintings.”
It took Al-Ajmi a year to create the art for Naharat. The paintings use color in unusual ways to give a glimpse of women and traditional Saudi village life.
“The paintings try to convey the happiness, sorrows and daily living of village women,” said Al-Ajmi. “Their reality is far different than what we experience now in major Saudi cities.”
Al-Ajmi plans to use her website, www.nalajmi.com, to support Naharat, displaying her latest work online after the show opens at Desert Designs. She originally set up the website in order to allow her students to share their work with others in the local community and receive feedback at the early stages of their art education, even before they might be considering participating in a cooperative show. With time though, the site developed into a means for Al-Ajmi to extend her horizons, as well.
“The website became a way for me to demonstrate how my work has evolved over the years. Paintings from every stage of my career are at www.nalajmi.com,” explained Al-Ajmi. “Some of those paintings are now physically cherished by others, but at the website they can still be seen by the public. So in a way, they never disappear completely from view. The website has also allowed people from all over the world to experience my art. If I am participating in a cooperative exhibition, attendees might see only one or two of my paintings there. The website can give a much broader perspective on my art and my career.”
Creating and maintaining a personal website might seem to be too much hassle for a young artist to consider. However, there are some online communities that help artists promote their talents to the wider world and Arab artists are beginning to join in these cooperative efforts. Created by artists for artists, www.ArtistSites.org provides a free, customizable and professional online gallery solution. Artists can personalize an ArtistSites website, upload images, write personal art blogs and network with other artists and photographers. Culturehall (http://culturehall.com) focuses on contemporary artwork, offering a way for artists to share their work with other artists, curators and collectors. Culturehall is curated with a specific interest in early to mid-career artists. Lastly, if you are an artist searching for a means to grow your talent, consider joining WetCanvas (www.wetcanvas.com). This site specializes in art instruction and constructive feedback, plus advice from artists — all for free.