“Art,” said Gerhard Richter, “is the highest form of hope.”

There is a legitimate reason I’ve been remiss about posting lately. Since May, 2014, I have been working on an online market place for you.

888MarketStreet.com will sell fine art & specialty items and, serve as the gallery/market site for Denver Art Matters.

The idea was not original. My email is packed every day with notices from online stores and sites touting everything from pickles to pet portraits. I visit sites selling jewelry for thousands of dollars. It’s evident people are shopping for fine art online. With 2015, only hours away, I think it’s going to be the year for e-commerce. It’s hot regardless of the product.

Flitting around on weekly art ventures, especially in the last couple of years, I noticed an abundance of art studios/galleries and local artisan shops cropping up on streets (in neighborhoods, downtown, art districts) over night.

I thought to myself I’ve never seen more entrepreneurs creating more unique sauces, breads, gluten-free brownies, bread, pasta, candied bacon, craft beer, whiskey, gourmet chocolate, edible sculptures, jewelry, clothes and relishes.  Definitely. I saw something happening with local creatives.

The idea of an online market/gallery simmered as I browsed the internet. I knew it wasn’t just Colorado getting creative. On the sites I was invited to visit, I noticed most every state had a new abundance of creative people and products. This was confirmed on a trip across the Southeast in 2013. I was impressed at the vast and varied amount of quality art and products I saw in every city, town, beach stop and gas station.

Back in Denver a fellow art acquaintance and I were having coffee when he asked kindly what I planned to do with Denver Art Matters (meaning, are you ever going to try to make any money). I answered with little pause, “I think I’ll start a website to sell the art and products I love.” 

888MarketStreet.com launched on December 5, 2014.

If you haven’t visited, please take a look.  888MarketStreet.com

It is a work in progress. I am still tweaking the site and continue to add more art daily. I realize with a site such as this, I’ll be tweaking and adding art regardless of where I sit with my laptop – Denver or Paris (planning ahead). 

The artists on 888 Market Street are my friends. They include sculptor, Jay Eighmy; photographer, John Ambrosino; painter, Jacquetta Green; ceramist, Michaele Green; silk screen artist, Hannah Schechter; fashion designer, Mona Lucero; photographer, Wilson Goodrich; jeweler, William Gray; jewelry designer, Maria Pelissier; glass artist, Steve Fisher; sculptor & jewelry designer, Charles Sherman; entrepreneur Bill Abernathy; art consultant Candice Pulliam; author, Rob Foster. Several artists are in my mailbox waiting to join the gallery and I’ll introduce them as their art is posted. I’m grateful to my artist friends who agreed to be a part of this site. They helped me tremendously as I pulled this together over the past eight months.

888 Market Street has a secondary art market category, titled d’Art Market. I think will interest you. It is a unique way for collectors to shop for art not necessarily on gallery walls anymore. Similar to a museum’s deaccessioning process, all collectors eventually must make room for new pieces, while simultaneously allowing for a change in taste. d’Art Market gives all collectors an avenue to buy & sell art on 888 Market Street.

The Vintage category is a source for oddities and hundreds of cowboy boots in every color and size. We plan to include additional categories such as food and custom-made jewelry and fashions as we learn more about our customers.

Potpourri is just that, a little bit of this and that. All you pot heads will love Bill Abernathy’s carrying case, the Big Kahuna, for keeping your ‘meds’ fresh and safe. It even comes with a lock & key.

I want to thank everyone who helped me with the beginnings of 888 Market Street. Your encouragement and suggestions were greatly appreciated. With your patience and good taste, I finally settled on the name, the logo, the font, the template. I know you’re all happy I no longer email frantic requests asking your opinion on names and fonts. You’re the best. I never would have gotten to 888 Market Street without you. 

With love and hugs to Candice, Celeste, Jennifer, Jacquetta, Kay, Julie, Alice, Katherine, Tina, Carol, Helen, Mona, Chip, John, Wilson, Bill. And sweet gratitude to Matthew of Blue13Creative.com, who put it all together for 888MarketStreet.com.