- A PORTRAIT SKETCH, USING A NEW TOOL -

I tried a quick sketch of a good friend and artist Richard LaForti using a new tool: the Micron Pigma Brush Pen. It was challenging and a little harder than using the standard Micron 005 pen that I'm used to. The ink is archival and waterproof when it's completely dry. I did the drawing on a sheet of Strathmore Smooth Bristol paper. (100 lb.) It's a nice smooth surface to work on.


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- A SURREAL IMPROVISATION WITH PEN AND INK -

Some call this doodling, but I take it pretty seriously and have done scores of these little pen and ink drawings. I like to put a small drawing in the middle of a large piece of paper to give it a little more drama, I guess :). This one is available on eBay right now at a very affordable price. If you want to take a look click here.


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- Finally, a New Website -

I've been working on putting up a new art website, something that is simple, easy to navigate and viewer friendly. I decided to go with a service called FASO (Fine Art Studios Online). They handle some of the best artists around and have a wonderful reputation. Click here to check them out.
I can't say enough about their service as I've used it three times already (twice online and once on the phone). I talked to a live technical person within seconds of dialing and they were quick and courteous. Also the head of FASO, Clint Watson, is a charming man whose welcome letter really makes you happy that you joined their family. Here's a jpeg of my site and if you want to see it up close Click Here.

....(please click on the image to see a larger version)

- DEALING WITH ART SCAMMERS -

When somebody approaches you to buy your art on line, do you cringe? I'm starting to. I got approached this week by a man named "Harry Westhood" who was interested in a watercolor abstract that I had on my art website. We had a series of email exchanges and after the third one I was sure that it was a scam. He wanted to know the price of the work, and if he could pay by check (I told him that I preferred PayPal) and that he had a shipping agent that would contact me (a tip off). I told him that it would take 2 to 3 weeks to clear the check before I would ship the painting. Then I asked him for his complete contact info in order to proceed. He ignored my request and answered with a long list of information that he wanted from me: address, phone, cel phone, etc.

I decided to google "Harry Westhood" and the first thing that came up was "Harry Westhood, Art Scam", a posting by another artist who had been scammed by him. That was lucky and my gut level was right. I emailed him back and told him what I saw on Google and that I could not proceed with the transaction. What a waste of time - this has happened three times in the last year. Things to look for: (1) A sense of urgency. (2) Poor grammatical use in the email. (3) Wanting to pay by Cashiers check (sometimes a greater amount than you are asking) (4) They want to use their own shipping agent.


A couple of hours after I sent him the final email, he approached me on my alternate email with the same pitch all over again....only this time his name was "Harry Westwood".