for publication - for publication - for publication absolutearts.com - Web 2.0 for Artists and Collectors Grows with Leaps and Bounds GRANVILLE, OH. June 2007 - Perrin, Texas artist and art collector Brad Michael Moore - http://www.absolutearts.com/bradmichaelmoore - has been a Portfolio Artist since 2004 at absolutearts.com, the most popular visual arts site on the web. Over the years, he has purchased several pieces of art via absolutearts.com, supporting the broader artistic community. "I was a collector long before I was an artist, and I've been an artist for nearly 40 years. The process, and connection, between collecting and producing art quickened, in my life, as digital processes integrated into my milieu through photography instruments and printing processes, both creators of the digital file that can be transformed through software and finally exhibited via Internet innovators such as absolutearts.com," comments Brad about his artistic experiences. He continues, "Within a moment of finishing a new artistic rendering - I can post it in my absolutearts.com Premiere Portfolio, and Web users from Antarctica to China, Alaska to Hungary - or over to good old Plano, Texas, USA, can all see what Brad is up to today! By the same token, I can find new art of other artists around the world to add into my own collection. I couldn't do it without absolutearts.com!" Brad is a regular contributor in the blog forum at http://blog.absolutearts.com, where his intellectual comments spark interesting, and international, arts related conversations. In 1995, during the birthing of the World Wide Web, then Arts Administration/Education graduate student, Markus Kruse, originally from Berlin, Germany, began a website for art related resources on the Web. World Wide Arts Resources was born. "It now seems so primitive. We had about 50 resources. There were so few. The Brooklyn Museum of Art even had us create their website," Markus states. Over the years absolutearts.com grew to the largest search engine for the visual arts. Markus began to sculpt this pioneering idea into absolutearts.com - a website where artists from around the world easily showcase their artworks for free. Mind you, this all started before everyone had digital cameras. Soon international arts news was added as an attraction not only for artists, but also for art collectors, galleries and museums. The goal is and was to make a site for the visual arts, where collectors 'meet' artists and where artists exchange ideas. You could call absolutearts.com the precursor to any of the MY and YOU websites - a Web 2.0 site just for artists. Obviously, having lived through the dotcom bubble bursts, this business takes dedication. They aren't riding on the name of some big collector, it's not about a flash-in-the-pan, trendy newbie. It's about staying power - continually evolving to be the best tool for artists, no matter what their age, interest or location. For example last month artists asked to be able to organize their work into special online exhibitions - in two weeks that service was ready to use through the portfolios. absolutearts.com is honestly the best all around visual arts site and has been for 12 years. "It's about flexibility," says Markus. "We deal with a range of artists." Different levels of membership meet different artists' needs. This is a site for established, professional artists to the weekend dabbler to art student. Kruse explains, "Some artists use their Portfolio at absolutearts.com as their main website, while others prefer to have a Portfolio to compliment their existing online marketing which boosts their 'traffic'." Each month thousands of artists upload work at absolutearts.com, making the site the largest selection of quality artworks online. Every day, the absolutearts.com office, run out of a 1840's barn in rural Ohio, fields emails and calls from around the world. Collector Tyler Kuelbs of Southlake, Texas, recently purchased a sculpture through absolutearts.com because she felt secure with the sites coordination of the sale. The work, "Balance" by Phillip Parkes, member since 2002 http://www.absolutearts.com/philparkes, was an anniversary gift for Kuelbs' husband. A traveler who draws inspiration from his international experiences, Phillip Parkes was born and raised in New Zealand, and currently works from his studios there and in the US Northeast. Parkes comments, "Working with absolutearts.com has boosted my artistic career to higher levels. They regularly feature my work and the exhibitions that I'm in, on the homepage and in their emailed newsletter." Parkes found that absolutearts.com linked him better in the big search engines and did a universal job of promoting his work across the site. Although Parkes shows regularly in local Connecticut exhibitions, he has also worked under master artisans in Pietrasanta Italy. Having a Portfolio at absolutearts.com gives artists' work global exposure to potential collectors. The company's success has a lot to do with their ability to balance knowledge of the art world with knowledge of online commerce. The site is the best linked on Google. Just do a search and test it by typing in "contemporary art for sale", "art news" or "art blogs". The whole idea was pre Mytype websites. absolutearts.com has transformed with the web and with the artists that use the web. The company's motivation is to provide a valuable service and place where artists cannot only sell their work, but exchange ideas, get advice, keep current and keep in touch. When considering options for a web presence, Margaret Stone of Tucson, AZ chose absolutearts.com as her primary website - http://www.absolutearts.com/margaretstone. In addition to the team at absolutearts.com being art marketing professionals, the site has a comprehensive format with a lot of flexibility and options for the artist that they just do not have on an independent website. "The site is loaded with art news and research information. I p articularly enjoy the forums where I can exchange ideas with other portfolio artists from around the world. Recently, after questions from visitors to my site about the process in creating my glass sculpture, I used images and text to document that process and uploaded it to the newly developed View Art Event Photos option," explains Stone. "My work gets featured regularly on the homepage and in newsletters and sales are always handled in a professional manner. Later this summer, I after I move into new and larger studio space in New Mexico, I am considering uploading some process/studio videos to my Portfolio. I'm excited about that new feature, too." Having a presence on absolutearts.com not only has brought Stone sales, but has also led to several opportunities for Margaret Stone's work to be included in published journals and books. Not only is the absolutearts.com team tech savvy, they are art marketing specialists. What it boils down to is absolutearts.com offers a successful grassroots theory in a professional package. Markus Kruse concludes, "We've got so many new things planned for the upcoming months. I am continually energized by the challenge to keep growing, keep doing what's right to bring artists closer to collectors." ------------------END------------END------------END---------------------- Image credits from top: - Brad Michael Moore, Feathered Flower, 2005, Other Photograph Media, 24" x 24" - Dr. Markus Kruse, World Wide Arts Resources, Corp. photo by Janet Thomas - Phillip Parkes, Sailing Away, 2007, Stone Sculpture, 12"w x 30"h x 12"d - Margaret Stone, Face To Face, 2005, 8" x 8" x 1"d World Wide Arts Resources, Corp. is a small, privately held company based in Granville, Ohio, in the heart of the US. Since 1995, wwar.com and absolutearts.com have provided information to millions of art enthusiasts. wwar.com / absolutearts.com have become the largest arts sites on the World Wide Web. Constant evolution plays a critical role in enhancing the client's experience and meeting their ever-increasing needs. In 1999, wwar.com expanded to include absolutearts.com, which began as a daily arts news outlet and has adapted to include the Internet's most comprehensive contemporary art online Portfolio programs. More information about the people at absolutearts.com can be found at: http://wwar.com/about/ Issued by: Jodi Melfi VP Marketing absolutearts.com 3678 Loudon Street Granville OH USA 43023 740-587-3326 jodi@absolutearts.com