New local website for artists features one original piece a day

by Laura Seewoester

Justin Hampton of Plano is the person behind a new web site that takes a different twist on art dealing. Dailyoriginal.com, which launched November 1st, has taken the “one deal day” strategy and applied it to selling art work. Hampton, the son of an artist, came up with the idea after watching his mother (very much an artist and not so much into marketing) struggle over the years with selling her work. He suggested she sell her work on line, but most web sites charge monthly fees in addition to large commissions once a piece is sold. Throw that in the mix with the other artists represented by a web site (or traditional gallery) and suddenly selling one piece becomes very competitive.

“All the websites I've seen, there's maybe a thousand artists. You're never gonna find anything unless you actually send people to your page on that site,” Hampton says.

The way the site works is pretty cut and dry. One piece is featured each day, giving the artist prime real estate on the site. The artist retains all copyrights and even hangs on to the piece until it is sold. In addition, there is no monthly fee to be represented on the site, however Hampton does take a 25% commission off any work that is sold (which is about the minimum a gallery will take, but it's often more). In other words, it's free until it's sold.

“I don't try to get in the artist's way, I just try to make it an extra way for them to sell something.”

While some sites may have a lower commission like Etsy.com (which is only about 3-4%), anyone perusing the site will be bombarded with thousands of sellers making it difficult both for the buyer to find anything and the seller to sell a piece.

“Etsy is not so great for the artist. I've had over 1000 hits for one artist and we just launched last week.”

With only one work featured each day, there is no tug of war between different artists and potential buyers. (We still love us some Etsy.com though.)

The only stipulation for the artist is they cannot sell a piece the day it is featured on the site.

One impressive thing about Hampton is that, despite his endless flow of ideas and enthusiasm, he isn't unrealistic in his expectations for the business. Hampton's intentions are in the interest of the artist. While he hopes to make a little money in the process, he is well aware that running Dailyoriginal.com, will never be a full time venture for him.

“Selling one thing a day, I'm not making a living off it.”

Hampton also won't sell just any art. Another thing he noticed from researching art sites with his mother was that often selling artwork online can mean sacrificing reputability. To keep his reputation (and that of the artists') in good standing Hampton hand picks the artists on his site.

While the site may look a little bare minimum at the moment, Hampton has more ideas than he knows what to do with. Daily Original will likely roll out with new features in the near future, so keep an eye out. In the meantime, enjoy your daily dose of a “daily original.”