It may seem like a strange time to set up a new business, but Christine Mercer, has risen to the challenge and is positive the future for her new company 1 For Art.
Chris, a passionate artist and photographer by trade, who has travelled and lived around the world has turned her passion for art into a business that helps connect artists with art buyers from across the globe.
Award winning artist Chris (aka Kris) has featured and won many awards in both the UK and overseas for her art and sold online for many years.
1 For Art’s goal is to attract art lovers to find their perfect pieces online whilst at the same time supporting talented artists.
“The reason I set up 1 For Art, is that I saw other online galleries doing it wrong and focusing on profit rather than the art itself. Many seem to exploit artists by charging membership fees and large commissions, and then discounting the artwork when selling through these websites. It has meant that many struggling artists are simply that, struggling”. Chris went on to say “I wanted to make a website that offered a great experience for an art buyer where they really could have a massive choice regardless of their budget, whilst helping artists at the same time. Some of these other online galleries, promote certain artists and artworks over others, artist will pay to be featured on the front page of a site. Regardless of the quality of work produced, buyers will tend to see more art that is based on how much the artist is willing to pay on advertising themselves. This really is a bad thing, the artist pays more to be heavily advertised, whilst the smaller, less cash rich artist suffers.”
Over the last twelve months Chris has worked tirelessly to understand what both buyers and artists need from a website.
She has used this insight and invested her own capital into building a website that will address these common issues. After months of hard work of building the website, 1 For Art is now online.
In the few short weeks that it has been live the website has been enthusiastically accepted by the artist community and is inundated with applications to submit artwork. The website does not charge any membership, listing or promotional fees, it is a win-win for artists and buyers alike.
“I’m over the moon how things are going. Even with COVID19 being with us and the impact that it is having on business, I have managed to create an independent art gallery that is showing signs of real growth whilst being fair and responsible to all”.
Please visit www.1forart.com to find out more.
