We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Eva Volf. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Eva below.

Alright, Eva thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Has Covid resulted in any major changes to your business model?

Before Covid I primarily relied on my local galleries to sell paintings for me. When several venues had to temporarily close down I focused more on my online presence than ever before: studied SEO and built my own website evavolf.com , increased my social media presence by consistently creating video content and engaging with my followers on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube and Twitter. I also started working with several new online galleries. As a result 2020 was my best year in art sales, at some point I had barely any originals left and I’m a very prolific artist. Since then I realized that I get significantly more exposure, reach and sales by focusing on selling my art online. I still occasionally enter juried shows to stay in touch with my local art community and have recently signed with Signet Contemporary Art Gallery in London. But what I like most about online marketing is that I am establishing personal relationships with my followers, inviting them to learn more about my inspiration, process and everyday life. They also see how my paintings look in my customers’ homes, they can read reviews and ask me any questions. This way I can connect and keep in touch with significantly larger amount of people than physical art venues would allow me. And I don’t have to persuade anyone to buy my art. For me selling is simply letting others know about how I can help them, how my paintings can help them relieve stress, elevate spirit, find peace of mind and inspiration.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I am a fine artist based in Cleveland, Ohio, who is best known for peaceful atmospheric seascapes. My love of the Ocean flows deeply from childhood memories, renewed with every breaking wave and cleansing salty splash. Inspired by the majesty of the seas and beaches of the world, I channel my emotions of tranquility and fulfillment to the viewer through oil on canvas. Conceptualized at the source, each seascape is sketched at the beach to capture the vision before completion in the studio. This year marks 11 years since I took a leap of faith, quit my teaching career, and started painting full time. Over these 11 years I have created more than 700 paintings bringing joy, inspiration and peace to people in many different countries around the world, participated in numerous shows, won awards and got published in major art magazines, such as American Art Collector, Plein Air Magazine and Vogue (Vogue Gallery). What’s even more important is that each day I spend painting at the beach or in my studio gives me so much fulfillment and joy. Happiness and peace are the source of my creativity, this is how I feel by the ocean and this is what I channel into my art.
Driven by my mission to create art that nurtures the soul, I paint serene ocean views that offer solace and tranquility. With each brushstroke, I aim to evoke a sense of serenity, inviting viewers to immerse themselves in the calming embrace of the ocean. My heartfelt intention is to inspire and provide respite from the pressures of life in my seascapes, offering a sanctuary of peace and harmony.
My work is now held in numerous private, corporate and several public collections in the U.S., Canada, Australia, Europe and Asia.

With hundreds of 5 star reviews from my happy customers, I am deeply grateful to be an internationally recognized full time artist painting peaceful oceanscapes elevating people’s space and mood.

How did you build your audience on social media?

I have been very intuitive in my social media marketing, joining Instagram more than 10 years ago when it wasn’t a thing yet. Currently I have 163 k followers and great engagement there and this number keeps growing every week. I built my audience by posting consistently, being authentic – showing my followers my home, my everyday life, my inspiration, process, challenges and success stories, engaging with my followers by asking them to help me name the painting, asking their opinion about a piece in progress, asking them help me choose a painting to enter in a juried show, choose a frame etc. I also support other artists by liking their posts, commenting and sharing. I love my online community on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter and treasure every comment and personal message. It might be time consuming but I believe that only you can tell your own story right and true, so I’m never going to outsource my social networks. I think that creating interesting video content increases reach and engagement a lot. In Reels I show my inspiration from travels: a beautiful sunset on the coast, then how I made a sketch, color mixing, a little bit of my painting process and the final painting on my easel and on the wall, a full circle of how the artwork is conceived and created. My advice is to post consistently and interact with your followers, don’t “post and gost.” Reply to most comments and support your most loyal followers in return, they are your support group, no matter what the Algorithm is currently up to.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

I think that authenticity is the key: art market is currently a highly competitive one, so I show the journey of each painting from inspiration (for example a beautiful morning at the beach, when I made the sketch or took the reference picture), then process with valuable tips on how to create certain effects and onto the finished artwork, I love showing painting reveals and how it might look in different rooms. Reviews are a very important component in building trust and reputation in my business of selling art online. I keep in touch with my customers to make sure they’re completely happy with their purchase. I send my first email congratulating them on their purchase and providing the tracking information. I track every painting online and when I see it’ delivered I contact the buyer again to make sure everything looks fine and they love the artwork. Happy customers give great reviews and come back for more paintings.

Contact Info:

• Website: http://evavolf.com/
• Instagram: @Eva.volf
• Facebook: Eva.volf.artist
• Linkedin: Eva Volf
• Twitter: @Volf_eva
• Youtube: @evavolf