Why is it called Pleinairly?
Our domain name is adapted from the French phrase “En plein air” which means “in open air.” Plein air painting can be described as painting what an artists sees outside, in the open air. We had a little fun and added a lilting “ly” to the end of it (it’s an internet thing). We think it sounds rather charming — hope you do, too!
Why collect from Pleinairly?
Pleinairly is designed to be a platform to help plein air artists showcase and market their art. Artwork on Pleinairly may be created with most any medium and many types of support.
Whether you’ve collected art in the past or are just beginning – Pleinairly is the platform for you. By purchasing a piece through Pleinairly, you’re investing in the career of the artist and opened a window for daily inspiration and wonder to enter your life.
Pleinairly gives every artist featured on the site their own Artist Profile page complete with links back to their own website and social media, and allows them to feature as many work for sale as they like. Unlike other sites like Etsy and eBay, there is zero cost to the artist to be featured on the site and post their art for sale. The only payment we ask is a sales commission on any art sold through the website. An artist only pays after a sales is made. There is no one-time or recurring fee for the artist’s profile page or a per-piece listing charge to post a painting for sale.
After a painting is purchased on Pleinairly, we encourage the artist to fulfill the order for their work themselves. Putting them in direct contact with their art buyers and fans so that they can build a one-to-one relationship and enhance the customer experience.
Another aspect of being featured on Pleinairly is the perception of authority and credibility that comes with being featuring by a third-party website. You may not yet be affiliated with a gallery and Pleinairly is a nice additional to an artist’s resume.
As Pleinairly grows, we have plans to expand the opportunities for artists and their work to be highlighted and promoted on this website, in our social accounts, and in the media. We invite you to subscribe to our Artist mailing list for those upcoming announcements.
Are there other advantages (as an artist) to being on Pleinairly?
Of course! Each Pleinairly artist receives their own Artist Profile page which includes your bio and artist statement, links to your own website and social media accounts, and thumbnail images of your featured artwork with links to their respective gallery sales page on Pleinairly.
Each individual art listing also features promotional tabs to add a Description of that specific piece of art, an About Artist tab displaying a brief bio about you, and a Review tab where your fans and buyers can leave comments about your work.
Every artist invited to feature their work on Pleinairly.com receives these benefits before any money exchanges hands or a single painting is sold. The SEO benefits of these images and back links alone make a presence on Pleinairly desirable for any artist.
Every artist also has an opportunity to feature their artwork on the front page of the website (we’ll even send you a screenshot!), and gets featured in Pleinairly’s Art Collector email newsletter.
Don’t just think of Pleinairly as a place to sell your plein air art, it’s also a place to build your brand, authority, and influence as an artist. By selling an affordable, original piece of plein air art, you are also inviting new people to learn about all of your other art, openings, events, and more.
What is the sales commission Pleinairly earns from each sale?
The terms of any art sold on Pleinairly favor the artist. Our goal is to help support their work and make each artist more successful. For every painting sold on our site, the artist earns 75% of the sale. As a reminder, there is no upfront cost to the artist to sell their works on our website, and each artist receives their Profile and external links prior to selling any painting.
How are Artists paid?
Artists receive their full commission upon receipt of the artwork to the buyer. No minimum payout is required. Pleinairly pays artists instantly via Paypal – a secure, easy way to make purchases and get paid. If an artist does not have a PayPal account they can sign-up for free at Paypal.com.
How do artists apply to be featured in the Pleinairly gallery?
We’re happy to hear you are interested! It’s simple… just send an email to artists@pleinairly.com and let us know you’d like to be featured on Pleinairly.com along with links to 3-5 online sample images of the kind of work you’d hang in our online gallery. One of our associates will review your work and contact you via email to follow-up and discuss next steps.
Please send links to samples of which you are most proud and best represents you and your body of work. Keep in mind, Pleinairly is not able to accept all artists who apply at this time. Don’t take a potential pass on featuring your work this time as a rejection of your work in total. We may opt to pass on your work for a variety of reasons totally unrelated to you or your talent — but we’re happy to review your work again after 3 months.
What types of mediums do you accept?
Works featured on Pleinairly can be produced from oil paint, acrylic paint, watercolor, pastel, ink, colored pencil, graphite and charcoal. Substrate materials may include paper, watercolor paper, canvas, linen, wood, metal and others. If you have a question regarding the use of non-traditional materials please contact us.
What if the work was not done onsite and not “en plein air”?
This is where we can get into some tricky territory…
- What if you started the work outdoors but completed it in the studio?
- What if you were inspired by a photo you took “en plein air”?
We’ll say this, we prefer the art to be done on-site, in the open air, but we are NOT the Pleinair police. If you believe it to be done in the spirit of Pleinair, then that’s fine with us. We ask that you share any details you feel would be important and of interest to a buyer in this regard within the work’s individual Description tab.
Does the artwork come framed or unframed?
Artwork purchased on Pleinairly.com does not come with a matte or frame unless specifically noted in the Description area by the artist.
We do not currently offer matting or framing services on Pleinairly.com, but we may choose to share special offer links for these services with our site visitors from advertising partners. Any commissions earned from the sale of these third-party services will be put toward the support, maintenance, and improvement of Pleinairly.com.
Do you also sell art prints?
Pleinairly is dedicated to the promotion and sale of original plein air artwork and artists. We do not offer art prints for sale on our site at this time — only original art.
What is an original piece of art?
An original work is a completely unique piece of artwork produce by the hand of the featured artist. The art medium and substrate materials may vary, but these one-of-a-kind pieces of art are not mass produced by machines or “art factory” sweatshop labor.
If there is an original work that you’ve seen on our site and would love to own, but is no longer available because it is in a private collection or already sold, email info@pleinairly and we can help negotiate a potential commission for a new original work with the artist on your behalf.
Who ships the artwork?
All artwork purchased from our featured artists is packaged and shipped by the artist directly. We advise and recommend best shipping practices for our artists, but we can make no representations or warranties as to the individual packaging as executed by the artist themselves.
The safe receipt of your art is of paramount importance to our artists, and Pleinairly acts as a sort of ad hoc escrow service — releasing the artist’s commission only once the Delivery Service confirms delivery of the purchased artwork to the buyer’s address.
How much does shipping cost?
Shipping rates vary (depending on the delivery service) with delivery confirmation tracking to any domestic address within the United States. If you’d like your purchase delivered outside the United States, please contact us for a custom shipping quote.
When will my new artwork arrive?
Although we cannot guarantee specific delivery dates due to our artists’ varying point of origin, our buyers’ individual addresses, and the delivery practices of the Service itself — but typically we are talking 7 days or less.
As soon your piece has been shipped, Pleinairly will alert you to the Delivery Confirmation tracking number as provided by the artist whose work you purchased. If you have requested a custom international delivery, alternative information will be provided to you at that time.
What if my work is lost or damaged?
If your package is lost (or damaged) in transit, please email us immediately at info@pleinairly.com and we will try our best to resolve the issue.
If there is visible damage to the delivery, please raise the issue with the carrier a the time of delivery if possible.
If there is noticeable damage to the outside packaging, please document the damage by taking photos of the package prior to opening with a camera or mobile phone. Sometimes the outside packaging may be damaged, but the contents inside emain intact and unharmed.
Please document with photos to provide as much detail as possible before opening the package. This record of proof will aid in any damage claims with the carrier.
Please note that Pleinairly cannot be responsible for lost or stolen items once declared ‘Delivered’ by the USPS.
What types of payment do you accept?
All prices are listed in United States Dollars.
Pleinairly.com accepts payment with all major credit and bank debit cards. Since we use PayPal to securely process our website transactions, you may also use your PayPal account balance to make purchases on our site (though PayPal account is not required to use our checkout).
