Help for artists at online gallery

May 5 2008 by Katie Campling, Huddersfield Daily Examiner

YOU might think being an artist is an easy life – no boss, no 9 to 5 grind and you can work at something you actually enjoy.

But turning your passion into a profession is no mean feat, as many artists who are trying to make a living from their talents know.

Most artists cannot afford a gallery to display their wares and have to rely on exhibitions or word of mouth to raise their profile and bring in commissions.

However, two Huddersfield artists have launched a project that they hope may change all that.

Fiona Campbell and Nicola Sykes have formed FiNikitty, a website dedicated to promoting local artists.

It works like an online gallery. Artists can display their work for free and, if a sale is made, they receive the full price for their piece and FiNikitty charge a small commission to the buyer.

Fiona said: “It’s web based because it is the easiest and cheapest way of promotion. But eventually, we would like to have a venue for exhibitions and workshops.”

FiNikitty will be launched on May 26 at Sugar Browns cafe at the Huddersfield University Students Union, on the Queensgate campus.

Members of the public are welcome and the event will be attended by the Mayor of Kirklees, Clr Jean Calvert, and local business people.

Fiona said: “We just want to get our name out there to as many people as possible and to encourage people to appreciate local art a bit more. Anyone who has an interest in art, whether it is to buy or to get involved in the workshops, are more than welcome.”

FiNikitty also want more artists to get on board with the website. They have had a huge amount of initial interest, but want to promote as many local talents as possible.

Fiona and Nicola both know well the struggle faced by artists.

Fiona graduated five years ago with a textile crafts degree from Huddersfield University. Since then, she has found out just how hard it is to secure a full-time job focusing on art.

Nicola has not had formal art education, but is an artist and has created commission pieces, with a view to making a living from her talent.

Fiona said: “We were thinking about how to help ourselves and other artists. This project has been in development for the past year or so.

“Initially, we thought we would focus on helping students because there are 130 art courses at the university alone. But we have discovered a large amount of local artists who are also interested. I am surprised how much interest there has been and how many artists there are out there. We are open to anyone, we just ask that they do original pieces of work.”

As well as helping artists to sell their work, FiNikitty want to give them the chance to gain skills which can assist in building up a successful art business.

To this end, they plan to organise workshops at different community venues, where local artists can interact with the public.

Fiona said: “It will give artists a chance to show their skills but also gain experience.”

You can find out more about FiNikitty at their website, www.finikitty.co.uk. The site is up and running but is still being developed – so keep checking for new updates.