US Pictures @ USPictures.com

Bill Swartwout Photography and USPictures are one in the same.

Bill at US Pictures

So why the different domain names you ask? One is so much easier to say, to spell and to incorporate into a logo for advertising. US Pictures is also appropriate because Bill has traveled through most of the states in the United States – 48 of the 50, to be exact – and has photographs available from many of those travels. The only caveat is that he has also traveled to 20+ different countries in Central America, Europe, North America and South America. Photographs from those areas are included in his “wanderlust” mix.

Over the years, Bill Swartwout Photography has worked with many (too many) of the art/product fulfillment companies out there – and has eliminated most of them. Some are fast, some are high quality and some are cheap. Just remember that you cannot have all three of those qualities from the same source. Our main focus is having high quality products delivered to your door that you will be pleased to hang on your walls. Here is the rundown of product fulfillment companies with which we are associated. These companies handle the sales, production and delivery process and, in reality, license Bill Swartwout’s work to use on their products.

Bill has worked to hard over the years to trust his work to just any production company but he is also one who believes it is not safe to keep all of your eggs in the same basket, so to speak. The best situation is to work with only the “best baskets” out there. Here is the rundown of product fulfillment companies with which we are associated. These companies handle the sales, production and delivery process and, in reality, license Bill Swartwout’s work to use on their products.

Fine Art America / Pixels – The Fine Art America “family” is the largest single Print On Demand (POD) art company in the world. They produce great quality art – we have seen only four returns out of the last 500 products delivered. They currently host Bill’s photographs in three configurations.
– Link: Fine Art America – Wall art and home decor items.
– Link: Pixels – Wall art, home decor and ancillary products, such as puzzles and face masks
– Private Label Link: Bill Swartwout Photography – Offers all of the products on a stand-alone website.

Pictorem – Pictorem is a Montreal, Canada based company that is smaller in scope than many others but produces a boutique level of high quality wall art on a variety of substrates. Because Pictorem has shipping centers in both the the United States and Canada they currently offer FREE SHIPPING throughout North America with no “duty” charges and a favorable dollar exchange rate. Pictorem currently hosts a very popular gallery for Bill Swartwout Photography.
– Link: Bill Swartwout Photography

Zazzle – Zazzle is a multi-faceted POD company that produces a wide variety of products, many of which are based on art by Independent Artists but also working with customer-submitted photos and designs. Bill likes Zazzle for high quality calendars and jigsaw puzzles that incorporate his photographs.
– Link: Bill Swartwout Photography – Bill is a “Pro Bronze” Seller with Zazzle.

Imagekind – Imagekind is an older, traditional company producing fine quality wall art by Independent Artists – but only as prints, framed prints and canvas. Bill has been with this company for a decade and a half. They also sponsor some of his popular pieces on Amazon.
– Link: Travel at Imagekind

Photograph entitled ” Assawoman Reflections” of a tree at 80th Street in Ocean City, MD on the shore of the Assawoman Bay.

Free Shipping Is Now Available for Bill Swartwout Photography Wall Art

Free Standard Shipping is offered by a new gallery partner.

Pictorem.com, a premium quality art printing company based in Montreal, Canada offers free standard shipping throughout North America. Bill Swartwout Photography has added Pictorem as a fulfillment source because many customers have asked for help with the high cost of packaging and shipping wall art. Pictorem delivers with high quality products and delivers them to your door, safely and at no charge. They also offer a 30-day Satisfaction Guarantee.

Pictorem offers a superb variety of quality wall art, including, Prints, Metal, Acrylic, Canvas, Matted and Framed, Wood, Murals and even Triptych split canvas displays.

The Ocean City Art Gallery also has Triptych wall art. Here is a view of the popular Sunrise at 142nd Street photograph. And, yes, these breathtaking displays have free standard shipping.

Art Sales as a Hobby or a Business

Selling art online can and should be a business.

There is a lot of belly-aching and complaining among artists at just about any online art sales site. Usually the gripes are about something the “site” is not doing that hurts the artists’ chances of sales success – or – something the site should be doing to help the artists achieve sales success.

There was recently a long thread about how poorly the site’s internal search is set up. The is always (these threads crop up periodically) griping and finger-pointing and very little in the way of constructive ideas. There was a detailed response by a moderator and this is likely the most salient sentence in the entire thread over at the Fine Art America forum/discussion group. (Originally stated by Abbie…)

If you’re in the business of selling art, then you have to treat it like a business…”

A breakfast of blueberries and shredded wheat in whole milk can provide energy to give you a great start to your day.

To that I am adding important concepts to help achieve that goal. Like having a good breakfast is the foundation of a healthy lifestyle, having a foundation in “the basics” provides a healthy start to your online art business.

Do these. Seriously!

  • Read the Terms of Service (TOS).
  • Become familiar with everything in the admin interface (at Fine Art America the admin area is called Behind the Scenes). If you do not understand something there, THEN ask questions, usually in the forum.
  • Accept responsibility for your own actions.
  • Act and present yourself and your work professionally. (Grammar, spelling, punctuation are important.*) To do less hurts your credibility.
  • etc…etc…etc…

Let me repeat: Accept responsibility for your own actions.

If language skills are not your forte, do not be afraid to ask for help. A friend, neighbor, and even online sources can be of assistance.