An analysis of Anne Marie James’ website and how they use it.
Ann Marie James – https://www.annmariejames.co.uk/about
This website is clear to understand and navigate, with tabs at the top and Instagram and email links at the bottom of each page. Some of the pages, such as paintings, exhibition and curating are a bit similar, and you click on an image to learn about it. I think having a caption of the title below the work or exhibition might be more effective.
Anne Marie’s site is clearly used to showcase her work, past and current. It is also used to showcase her achievements and contains a comprehensive CV and Bibliography in her ‘about’ tab.
It does not have a portfolio section, but you can click tabs named ‘drawing’, ‘painting’, ‘collage’ and ‘prints’ so that you can look at the type of work you are interested in, which is one way of showing your work.
There is not a news or current undertaking section and knowing what Ann Marie is currently up to, the website has not been made up to date with those things.
When clicking on the ‘shop’ tab is shows you work that is not on her website, but it details her current work for the Artists Support Pledge.
I feel that Anne Marie James uses her websites to showcase a slimmed down versions of her works, which is essentially a portfolio broken up into individual tabs. It is also a way of showcasing her previous undertakings, achievements and the type of work she undertakes, including curatorial work.
An analysis of artists blogs and how they use them.
Tom Hunter – http://www.tomhunter.org/blog/
This artist uses his own website as a way of blogging. This is effective as it can be easily personalised to how one would want it to be laid out. The site looks very simple and clear but it is repetitive. There is a large block of writing on some of the blog posts which doesn’t make me want to read it.
It has been kept up to date but looks outdated and each page has very similar content. Each blog posts has differing use of both first and third person which does not show continuity, which I think is important. The News page and the blog page both have the same content so I think that one of these tabs could be removed so the site is more concise. I like that each page has a link to their socials, such as Instagram which is important to view images of work. The site works on both the computer and on mobile which is important as many people are viewing things in their phones these days. This blog is used to keep people up to date on the work and exhibitions that the artist is doing.
Dan Durkhoop – https://emptyeasel.com/2007/06/21/firefighting-art-straight-from-the-fire-station-buy-firefighter-posters-prints-and-paintings/
This was a very frustrating site to use. Initially it is not clear that its his homepage, and it is not clear its his page when you search his name in the search bar on the site as it doesn’t come up when you type his first name only his last. However, i like that it has social media links, even if it is only linked to Pinterest, this is better than nothing. The page has a boring layout but does include images and broken up writing which is better to read than a large chunk. This is written in first person which is like listening to him speak, i like this as a blog is somewhat more informal, where people can get their own ideas and thoughts across. This site would work on mobile or computer but the adverts detract from it on the mobile site as they are quite large. I would not use the Empty Easel site for my own blogs as it is clunky and the links are often broken. This blog seems to only have one post which is specific to one series of work.
Steve Macleod – https://www.instagram.com/stevemac65/tagged/
This is an example of how an artist uses Instagram as a blog. The posts are interesting and eye catching on both mobile and computer. They have white space between this images which is nice on the eye.
Each posts has one short sentence describing the image, followed by information on who they are collaborating with, and hashtags at the end. I like Instagram for this type of blog as it allows us to grab attention with an image and the short attention-keeping caption allows the viewer to stay interested and move onto the next image without being overloaded with information. I personally think this is an effective platform and that this artist uses it well to showcase those work and personal art-related habits.
I am going to be discussing the use of hashtags on Instagram and on other social media websites. I will be researching their use and effectiveness on these different platforms, where to place them and the number of hashtags to use. I got most of my information from https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/hashtags-twitter-facebook-instagram but also from @Brock11Johnson on Instagram and from the visiting artist lecture from Steve McLeod.
Twitter
Hashtags are used primarily on twitter for users to see trends and gain an insight into what people are mostly talking about. Users on twitter are not private so any post can be seen and read by all users.
Instagram
Hashtags are used by almost every user on almost every post on the site. Using hashtags on Instagram is an effective way to gain more interaction and views on your posts and videos. I personally like to post my image with a caption, then add the hashtags to a comment below the post so it does not detract from the caption and make it look too busy. If the comment is added below the post within 30 minutes, they apply to the post in the same way as if added to the caption. THis is according to @Brock11Johnson who is an instagram marketing entrepreneur. They also suggest adding 30 hashtags to your posts for maximum reach and engagement, and those hashtags should be related to what it is the post is focused on. The more specific they are, the more likely the engagement that you will have will be based in your sector or interest, which is more valuable than using a hashtag such as L4L (Like for like) as the person is more likely to follow you and be more engaged in the future, according to Steve McLeod.
Facebook
Hashtags are used in a similar way to Twitter however because some users have a private profile, the trends that are shown cannot be traced as the original post cannot be viewed. I don’t think that using hashtags on Facebook is particularly effective for this reason.
This year I have been shortlisted for the Freelands Foundation Painting Prize which was a surprise but I am very proud. I entered my work Trancsend the Cube (2021) which is an immersive painting in my stairwell at home. I was entered into this by my University.
Photographs of Transcend the Cube (2021) Elgin Thwaites
I submitted my film Altering Lines (2021) to the open call for work from the Young Artists in Suffolk which I found on their Instagram page. I am waiting to hear if my work has been successful, but i have received confirmation of it being entered.
Still from Altering Lines (2021) Elgin Thwaites
I have my work which is currently untitled (2021) in the Waiting Place Exhibition in the Artstation in Sandmuxham. This opens May 1-June 12 2021 and I have booked a ticket to view the work in situ in the next weeks. I am looking forward to being in a physical gallery again! I was invited by Ann Marie James to enter work into this exhibition.
Photograph of Untitled (2021) Elgin Thwaites
Image of stationary received from the Waiting Place curator Ann Marie James
My work Transcend the Cube (2021) was also shown on the Artstation website during our virtual exhibition Congruous in February this year.
I have been commissioned for two paintings by members of the public that have approached me in person and through Instagram. I am yet to sort out the finite details of these works but I am looking forward to selling my first painting.
I was approached by Stephen Palmer, the head of online content for A-N regarding being in the degree show online guide for 2021. I submitted my work Transcend the Cube (2021).
Furthering development and career progression
I am looking into submitting my work for the Jerwood Arts open call for photographs. I am submitting my work to the Artmazemag submission. I am always looking for opportunities that may arise on sites such as ArtRabbit, ArtOpps and the A-N site as well as through my Instagram page.
I will endeavour to answer questions that i have about instagram in this blog. I will cover analytical questions such as when is the best time to post on instagram, where should hashtags be in a post and how many times a day should I post on Instagram. In answering these question i will gain insights into how i can grow my Instagram following and use the platform to the best of my ability.
My first question is ‘When is the best time to post on Instagram?’
A simple search on Google showed me some images of times and dates and their effectiveness when posting on Instagram at certain times of day and days of the week.
Using the site https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/instagram-best-time-post I was able to decipher that the best time to post on Instagram is on a Wednesday at around 1100.
If i were to have a look at what time each day is best, this image from the same site has the answers I was looking for.
This is the reason I chose Wednesday as the day for my Instagram posts on the Artstation Instagram site for the Congruous Exhibition back in March.
