In yesterday’s article we promised you the big-5 list of art website bloopers to avoid at all cost with your artist website. Today we are counting down starting with Mistake #5 – Missing or Poor Quality Bio.

Let me tell you what happens when most interested visitors or arts professionals visit your website. There’s a very fast and almost-subconscious judgement of the art and the artist that takes place in the first 30-60 seconds that goes like this:

Does the art on the home page get my attention?

• If no, leave immediately
• If yes, look at gallery section.

Does a quick look at the art in the gallery show consistency and talent?

• If no, leave immediately
• If yes, find out more about the artist = go to “about artist” section

Is there an interesting artist bio and can I see what they look like?

• If no, leave immediately
• If yes, continue to further review of work in galleries and resume

You might have romantic notions that the art should speak for itself – but it probably won’t! Be real – you’re an emerging artist and you need all your marketing guns blazing to get the kind of attention you will need to be successful. If a gallery or collector – or even a print buyer gets interested in your art, they are buying into the art and into you and your story. So make it a good story.

And just to be crystal clear – we’re talking about your bio here, not your artist statement. That’s also very important but is a topic for another day.

Your good story needs to be engaging. Everyone has a great story inside – so bring it out and write it down so we can all understand more about you. If you find this challenging, try working with friend or family member to loosen things up. Often it helps if they interview you and ask you questions about your life – then you can build your story from the answers.

The important question your bio needs to answer is simply, “What was the journey that led this person to create this amazing art – and where are they heading now?” That’s it! We don’t need to hear every detail of your life – just the answer to that question.

Please include a photo of yourself – one that shows the artist. It should look professional but still retain the individuality and creativity that says, “This is an artist”. When I review an artist’s website the photo of the artist is one of the things I most look forward to. Why – because when I see them and read their story I start to understand their journey – and that helps me to appreciate their art.

Examples of Good Art Bios

We recently asked Rick Clarence to update his bio for our Featured Artist article as his earlier version was just a couple of sentences and really didn’t do justice to his talent. Rick doesn’t like to make a lot of noise about his talents so his wife and daughters interviewed him and wrote the bio. We think the result is very effective:

Rick is a very private, family oriented man. He lives in South Central Austin, Texas where every day thinking out of the box is the norm. Using Texas as home-base, he has traveled much of the USA, Western Europe, the Caribean, Mexico and Central America. On each trip he has made new friends, enjoyed the art, fishing, and cuisine, and the sharing of the experience with family and extended family.

On these adventures Rick’s dreams are stimulated and a creative recharge takes place – and this is usually followed by prolific painting.

Rick has an American bulldog named Lulu Belle who accompanies him to the Pedernales River to run, kayak, fish, swim, hike, and to reflect on the life and death that surrounds the canyon lands. This is his refuge and main creative source.

Rich is also a master gardener, gourmet chef, and has a sense of humor much enjoyed by his family and friends.

Don’t you get a flavor of the artist from that bio?

Artist Kazuki Takizawa has a different style to his bio – one which suits his age and the stage he is at in his art career:

Born and raised in the urban setting of Hong Kong and attending high school in Bangkok, Thailand gave Kazuki Takizawa an appreciation for nature from an early age. His work and process reflects the concept of order from chaos, and is influenced by the aesthetics of the natural world.

Kazuki graduated from the University of Hawaii at Manoa with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in glass art. His work has been exhibited in numerous exhibitions locally and nationally. He was the teacher’s assistant for Shunji Omura’s glass workshop held at the University of Hawaii at Manoa in 2007. He received scholarships to attend Pilchuck Glass School and Glass Art Society Conference in 2008. He is currently working as a glassblowing assistant for a local artist.

Kazuki’s bio is simple, clean, and very much in harmony with the style of his work.

We hope that you enjoyed this article and welcome your comments! You can now read the next installment in this series: “Big Artist Website Mistake #4”.