The Demise of Ebay Live - We Knew It Was Coming

White Daisies & Butterfly
9 X 12" acrylic

Its been announced that Ebay will forego the Ebay Live it had scheduled for next year. It is killing the program in favor of small, intimate gatherings probably complete with non-disclosure statements to sign. With that announcement, I reflected back on my own experience. It sheds a powerful adverse light on what's happening today.

The only Ebay Live I attended was New Orleans in 2004 - had a ball. In fact the event was so much fun that we actually did very little sightseeing outside of the convention center. We felt like welcome guests - a far cry from being treated like crooks and called "noise" today. I remember the last night - went to the big dinner that closed the event and walked thru the hall of applause made by the 750 Ebay employees who also attended. Imagine, Ebay applauding its sellers - who would think it would come down to the treatment sellers receive today. I wish I could only remember Ebay that way but the events of the last 1 1/2 years leaves a very bitter taste in one's mouth. Ebay seems to have bungled its business so much it will never turn around and its sellers, both past and present, will never let Ebay forget what its done.

My painting for today is perhaps a ray of hope...a miracle of some kind that will save the Ebay we all knew and loved...

Support American Artists!

"Sunburst Daisies"
5 X 11" Watercolor

I know the economy is bad but yesterday I was shopping in Walmart and saw a bin of large prints with several people picking thru them. One fellow pulled one out and smiled at it...as though he found the prize in a box of Cracker Jack! I looked over and noted the price....not much less than some small original works one can find on artists' internet websites or on sites such as Ebay, Bonanzle and Etsy. I wonder what makes a person bypass real art in favor of a sheet of paper some machine stamped out? I look at original paintings and am sometimes in awe at the skill and imagination of the artist. I respect the person behind an original piece of art and the work he/she put into it. There is NOTHING like original art. No mass produced print - no matter the name compares to a piece of art where you can look deeply and see the brush strokes that artist placed on the canvas.

So, I'm asking any who might stop by to read this to check out the sites I've mentioned here and look at some original art. If you buy a piece I'm pretty sure you won't be sorry. Look beyond just the topic or color of the piece - look deeply to see the part of the artist's life and heart that he or she put into it.....just for you!

My painting today is a sunny watercolor.