In days gone by artists had patrons, wealthy people who supported the artists and got art in return. Art for their walls and ceilings, music for their ears, statues for their gardens and great halls. The arts were supported but the artist’s market was pretty strictly the well-heeled. And most of the art created was at the patron’s discretion. There’s a reason so much of our old world art is religious in nature. Church leaders were flush with cash, and they wanted art that depicted religious themes.

Today art is accessible to a much wider audience and the art provided is more diverse as a result. While that means today things aren’t as “simple” as finding a wealthy benefactor, I think I’ll take the less clear-cut world with the ability to create work that can cover a wide variety of subjects.

You Can Be An Art Patron

Today’s wealthy art patrons are more likely to support institutions like museums and galleries rather than individual artists. But for me, each person who hangs one of my pictures on their walls, mails one of my greeting cards, or otherwise buys an object with one of my works on it is a patron. These folks are keeping the lights on in Mark’s world and paying all the very real world bills that we all have. I’d love to say I struck it rich in oil or won the lottery, but neither is the case nor very likely.

These are the primary print on demand sites where I show my art that’s available for purchase as art prints for wall display, greeting cards, etc.  If you’ve been there in the past or shop there in the future, you’re supporting me and by proxy the visual art that I create.

And please keep in mind that no one site has quite the same mix of my artwork available. Contact me if you have trouble finding something you’ve seen me share elsewhere or want assistance with a customized card, print, etc. Even if it’s a tiny request or question, I love the chance to interact with each of you.

Purchases like these support a working artist!
Being An Art Patron is Beautiful!

Other Ways to Be An Art Patron

What if your walls are filled to over-flowing but you follow me online and love seeing each new piece I share? That’s an entirely understandable situation! Well, first off, please share with your friends! They might have bare walls at home or at work. They may know someone looking to decorate a large office space. Your word of mouth could easily help make those types of connections. Often, that word could spread to someone you don’t even know directly.

And keep in mind when sharing that valuable word of mouth that I am open to other uses of my work. Although I very rarely license it for online use, it has appeared in a variety of media. I have licensed my work for use in ad campaigns, mass-produced posters, for one-off printing projects where the customer had their own preferences in printers, and recently have begun to dabble in usage as book covers. So many possibilities!

What Next?

Okay, you’ve spread the word, and maybe you’re even gazing at a piece of my work on your crowded walls, I have one last way you can help put gas in the tank, the next time you want to shop on Amazon, please come here first! Bookmark this page and come here to shop using my Amazon Affiliate link:

The banner above will take you directly to the Amazon home page. And Amazon doesn’t charge you anything extra but will give me a small percentage of the purchase you make after visiting their site from here! If you’re an Amazon shopper, it’s an easy way to help me a little each time you shop there.

Don’t see a banner? Your ad-blocker may be hiding it, if so you can follow this link instead:

Shop On Amazon

Your purchases are entirely anonymous. I can’t see what you bought or where you shipped it or anything like that. So let me say a hearty thank you now for being a patron by using my link to shop since I can’t thank you individually after the fact!

However you support me in my endeavors, I greatly appreciate your help and regard you as one of my patrons! Thank you!