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I've been using FASO (Fine Art Studio Online) as my website since the early 2000s (maybe before).   I had created my original website as a fun challenge to learn HTML.  It served me for a few years and I was perfectly happy with it, but when I stumbled upon FASO, I decided to try it out because it had a "free" for a certain number of months "come-on". 

 

Honestly, I wasn't willing to give up my original web domain name (FortunatiFineArt) because I'd been using it as my email address since I switched away from [email protected].  (Does anybody use AOL anymore???). The people at FASO were always extremely helpful and always answered questions or suggested solutions to issues I'd come up with.  The website looked VERY professional and was easy to use.  They also helped me keep my old domain name as well as my new FASO generated domain name.  I was sold.  I have NEVER been sorry.

 

The gurus at FASO are constantly making improvements and allowing the artists who use them as their web hosts to choose from a large variety of templates and to easily alter them to make them uniquely their own.  They added a newsletter feature.  They added the ability to continue writing blog posts (which I used to do all of the time.... not so much any more).  They have a section to highlight upcoming events and one to features the artists' galleries.  Sometime in the last 20 years or so they launched what was called the DAILY ART STREAM.

 

Each time a FASO artist uploads a new artwork it appears in the Daily Art Stream the next day.  The Daily Art Stream is sent by email to thousands of other artists and collectors.  Interested people can click on the small image to find out more information.  If they want, they can continue on to the artist's website to get additional details or to purchase the artwork.  All of this is an important perk and is part of the FASO service.

 

 

The intent of the Daily Art Stream is to introduce the newest work of FASO artists to collectors with the hope that they might visit artists' websites and decide to purchase a special piece of interest.  It is always a thrill when I receive a notice that someone has visited my website and has found just the perfect piece of art.  

 

In the past the Daily Art Stream (DAS) was sluggish ... sometimes discouragingly slow.  On weekends the images were blurred until the curious viewer clicked on it and waited until it very slowly cleared up.  I usually didn't even bother to look on weekends.  

 

Sometime in the last few month the fabulous people at FASO made a major improvement to the Daily Art Stream.  It now loads very  quickly which makes it much more pleasant to browse.  There is even a feature where if you click on an image you get the same information as before but then you can either move to the right or left of the image with the > and < arrows.  Additionally, the entire DAS is still visible below the enlarged image so it's easier to find paintings of interest and study them.  On weekends the thumbnails are still blurred, but with a click they are quickly resolved.... sooo much better!

 

If a collector is really interested in following up with the latest artwork produced by an artist, they can sign up for the "Art Alerts" right there on the DAS.

 

Sometimes I play a guessing game and I try to guess the artist by looking at the small thumbnail image.   Then I click on the thumbnail and all of the details let me know if I'm right or wrong.  I guess we artists really do have a signature style which is easily identifiable because I am often right.  I wonder how many other people do that?

 

If you are not already receiving the Daily Art Stream in your mailbox, feel free to sign up to receive a huge variety of interesting art in your mailbox each day.  It's inspiring and interesting.

 

Thank you, FASO, for making those great improvements which benefit artists AND collectors.