Online Evolution (June 2007)
Dan Sheridan of North East Times talks to Victoria Anderson, Managing Director of online gallery Art Evolution to find out how they are taking the North East art market by storm.
It seems mainstream art has slipped into overdrive of late, with every other restaurant displaying yet another Jack Vettriano and houses across the land adorned with whatever Ikea throws at them. But, as Dan Sheridan finds out, North East online company Art Evolution is hellbent on bursting wholesale art’s clichéd bubble.
It’s been almost three years since it launched, but in a short stretch of time, Art Evolution has carved out a unique role in the ever-expanding North East art scene - spotting a gap in a market which still retains a reputation for being dauntingly convoluted, not to mention expensive.
In 2004, however, a new online company set out to side-step the endless searching and head scratching while simultaneously taking the sting out of buying quality local art - a virtual gallery aiming to bring the North East’s most talented artists direct to your desktop.
Art Evolution is the brainchild of managing director Victoria Anderson, a graduate of Leeds University who, despite being a trained biologist with a background in sales, marketing and recruitment, has retained an interest in various art mediums since an early age. And in true opportunistic fashion, it was a mixture of good business sense and an artistic eye that gave her the idea.
“I was working in business development at Sunderland University, helping rural artists to get their work on to the internet,” explains Victoria. “In doing so I found all these wonderful artists hidden away in Northumberland, all producing high quality, affordable work and I quickly realised that there was a niche market there.
“A lot of people weren’t aware of the small galleries that exist in Northumberland and really didn’t have time to drive around places like Wooler looking. So when I found all these artists hiding away, I thought a website would be the perfect solution for people looking for original or limited edition art work.”
Originally working from home in Gosforth, Victoria, 31, who lives in Felton, Northumberland with her husband Richard, set about putting the word out among the artists themselves, and found the offer of an online portfolio was an opportunity many found difficult to turn down.
She says: “After we’d done some thorough research and a business plan, we went out and sold it to the artists. At first, we were an unknown entity because we were new to the market place, but they quickly saw the benefits of us marketing their work, giving them an online presence and, ultimately, selling it for them.
“Many artists didn’t have their own websites and once we explained ourselves, they were very keen. Work goes on the site free of charge and a commission only comes into play once a piece is sold or rented, so it’s a great service because artists can now point people in the direction of an online presence that they perhaps didn’t have before. It’s a great way for them to get their work seen and we’ve got about 2000 pieces online at the moment.”
Alongside marketing director, Craig Millar, and secretary, Andrew Scaife, Victoria has turned Art Evolution into a global outfit, with buyers cropping up across Britain, mainland Europe, and even as far away as Israel.
So for a site which sells, amongst other things, sculptures and paintings as well as commissioning work out, which section gets the most hits?
“We sell a lot of photography,” says Victoria, “mainly because of the cost and it’s a very popular choice for gifts. It also looks exactly as it does on the website, so people are very at ease buying it online.
“We offer a personal shopper-type service, where we visit people’s homes or offices, then shortlist pieces of artwork we think would be suitable. We also work with property developers and can offer them all kinds of art, to rent or buy, based purely on their needs and designs. It’s a really important decision if something is going to be a permanent fixture and is costing a few hundred pounds. It has to be right.
“There are people who assume that there is no such thing as affordable art - we’re trying to change that viewpoint. Companies are happy to spend £2000 on a nice leather sofa for their reception area, but they’ll still cover their walls with mass-produced art. Often, for a bit more money, they could buy something distinctive and different.”
For more information, and to view the online galleries, visit www.artevolution.co.uk
June 14, 2007 12:13pm
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