About Contemporary Fine Art International
Art tells the whole story. For as long as mankind has played a role in this world, artists have recorded that role. Historians and archaeologists study art to learn about past civilizations and the individuals within them. Every era in our history has been recorded, defined, refined, and enhanced by its artists… and today is no exception. Not a moment slips by that isn’t being translated, somewhere, by someone, into a work of art. Every second holds a lifetime of inspiration, and in our fast-paced world this means that capturing the essence of the era requires a veritable army, millions strong and wielding their chosen implements of creation. Right now there are untold numbers of artists channeling their situations, their conflicts, their passions, their grievances—their lives and the lives of those around them—into their work. Transforming their energy into what matters. Using their art to tell the whole story.
A portion of CFAI funding goes into our support of these world charities. We highly recommend that artist give generously to the world.
Artists Gifting the World now a part of Contemporary Fine Art International wants to make sure that story is heard, and will work tirelessly to benefit the world these artists portray. It’s all there in the name: This is a group of international artists, a deep and varied pool of unique and extraordinary talents, who seek real and valuable change in the world around them. CFAI/AGTW is not a typical artist listing Web site; a portion of the funds raised through membership fees and events will directly benefit a rotating list of global charities, and through the energy and creativity of our membership, we will work toward making a visible and lasting difference.
CFAI/AGTW will do heavy brand marketing and advertising of member artists. We intend to benefit our member community—through promotion, mentoring, and exposure to a much larger audience—so that we can benefit our global community. Through a future (hopeful in 2011) new gallery sales sight, members will have an online venue for selling practice pieces and non-gallery work. Artists will learn valuable branding techniques for appealing to today’s marketplace and make new connections for work and referrals. Our annual gatherings will feature classes taught not only by world-renowned artists, but also by marketing strategists and attending gallery owners, offering opportunities to network and to learn from those in the know—lighting the steps along the path from the blank canvas all the way to the gallery wall.
The Five Graces came together with Kimberly Conrad to unite these international goals in pursuit of giving back to both the world and to artists in their struggle to create and sell to live. Over the last decade, we have experienced the pitfalls and difficulties of the art market, but have learned and grown to become working artists whose sales and marketing abilities have gained the respect of our peers. We now feel drawn to put that knowledge to use, not only in counseling artists in need of direction, but in focusing the efforts of a tremendously creative group into global relief efforts and important charitable work. We believe strongly in the potential of CFAI/AGTW, and our constant marketing is carefully designed to drive international traffic to the site, always bringing new eyes to our mission and, specifically, to those artists who believe in it like we do. We want to open those eyes to the beauty inherent in art, and to the potential for that art to beautify the world that inspires it.
Art tells the whole story. And as part of CFAI/Artists Gifting the World, that story will be yours.
Four women (Mary Jo Zorad, Conni Tögel, Laurie Pace and Diane Whitehead) met over the internet in the process of marketing and selling their artwork in 2003. As they formed a painting group in 2005, they added the fifth member (Debbie Lincoln) and The Five Graces officially began their journey in 2005. With all the combined years of professional experience in producing and selling their art, they found a unique camaraderie. From the Pacific Northwest, through Texas and across to the Atlantic Coast, these five women are bound by their intense love of painting.
Over the most recent years they have navigated a changing challenging market place in the art world as each of them has watched their careers successfully expand and grow despite a fluctuating economy. They bring to the world a new group of artists that want to give back through the gift of painting to the global needs facing our world today. Micah Condon of Daily Painters, Erie Colorado, has been a tremendous support as Artists Gifting the World was born.
It was a dream of the Five Graces to have an international artist site called “Artists Gifting the World.” With all the new blogs and websites sprouting up daily, the need was there to bring together international artists for a common goal of marketing and mentoring while providing support to world wide charities.
Just a few years later in 2009, Kimberly Conrad founded DailyPaintersAbstract.blogspot.com and later branched out to a small website International Abstract Art Gallery. Kimberly had shared with Laurie her goals of seeking out abstract artists from around the world. Laurie shared the current project of the Five Graces with Kimberly. As Kimberly began to work on her abstract gallery, she began to slowly change her direction and sought a new name for her abstract site. In 2009 she chose Contemporary Fine Art International. The close similarity of her new plan to the three year old plan of the Five Graces was obvious. The decision came to merge the expertise of The Five Graces with the new fledgling site. The vast experience of these five international artists brought to the project years of successful marketing and sales of their own personal artwork.
In April 2009, Kimberly Conrad began the Colorado state blog for artists. In May 2009, Laurie Pace and Debbie Lincoln created the state blog for Artists of Texas and Daily Painters of Texas and the full website www.ArtistsofTexas.org. A few months later, Kimberly created her state website, Daily Painters of Colorado. By fall of 2009 Diane Whitehead, Laurie Pace, Mary Jo Zorad and Kimberly Conrad had begun blogs for Daily Painters in the fifty United States of America as well as in countries through out the world. The new site was an obvious place to bring together the state and international blogs under one banner. Artists Gifting the World (2007) combined with Contemporary Fine Art International in the summer of 2010.
The first mission is to give back to the world. The second mission is to give back to the artists.
Learn more about the Five Graces
Art tells the whole story. And as part of CFAI/Artists Gifting the World, that story will be yours.
Thanks to our affiliates, Canvas by Canvas, Artspan and ACTWD Web Hosting.
If you are interested in offering something special for our memberships, please contact us through email.
THE MANY ‘FACE-TS’ OF CONTEMPORARY FINE ART INTERNATIONAL
Kimberly Conrad Conni Tögel* Diane Whitehead* Laurie Justus Pace* Mary Jo Zorad* Debbie Grayson Lincoln*
Membership Customer Service: MSC
