CHICAGO, IL  A growing trend among independent artists is evident in the number of artists who are selling paintings, sculpture and fine art photos on the internet. Chicago based DiscoveredArtists. com, an internet marketplace for buying and selling art, reports that more than four-hundred artists have joined their online art gallery in the past sixty days. These international, independent artists are following a growing trend among artists who are searching for a better way to sell their art.   They’re looking for an alternative to selling at art shows and to relying on art galleries to represent them. The cost to exhibit work at art shows, according to many artists has skyrocketed over the recent summer season.   And, traditionally, artists have relied on art galleries to represent them.   But, few artists are able to get galleries to sell their work and, even those who can, are often frustrated by the high commissions that galleries attach to each sale where an artist receives only half of the selling price. So, many artists are looking for a better way to show and to sell their art, and they’re looking to the internet as the next, big thing.  Established artists as well as emerging artists are flocking to the internet to promote their work and sell their artwork online to the general public more efficiently. One of them is veteran artist, Richard Black, creator of Smokey the Bear and illustrator of the legendary advertising icon, Mr. Clean. The internet-savvy artist started his career long before plastic keyboards were invented, but was quick to embrace the world wide web as a place to show and sell his art. Black, who is an eighty-something, teaches at a local university, paints every day and regularly uploads finished paintings to his online art gallery. Like most artists he has had to acquire the technical skill to photograph and create high resolution images that are so important for successful e-commerce art sales. Of course, internet generation artists like fine art photographer Crina Prida are a natural for showing and selling their work online. Prida who is a medical student, lives and works in Cluj, Romania and has only been a serious photographer for two years. The artist has already won a number of local competitions, but more important, she is gaining internationl exposure by showing and selling her work online. Starting artists like Prida who promote themselves on the internet are positioned to create a much larger following for their work than previous generations of artists ever could hope to cultivate. And this is why artists are flocking to show and sell their work online. Self-representation in what is now a world-wide art gallery is a trend that is quickly changing the art world, and how artists go to market. And, it’s a positive change for art buyers, too.   Real art is now more accessible and more affordable to the general public than ever before.   For the first time in history artists have a practical way to show and sell their work, and buyers have a practical way to find and buy real art.   The internet is a worldwide art gallery a thousand times larger than the Louvre and much easier to browse. Veteran artist, Richard Black, creator of Smokey the Bear and illustrator of the legendary advertising icon, Mr. Clean uploads his fine art oil paintings to his virtual art gallery at DiscoveredArtists. com.   Black, who is an eighty-something, teaches at a local university, paints every day and sells his work online.   He ships paintings directly from his studio in Ohio, USA.   His online art gallery has more than two dozen original paintings available for sale.   This painting, titled Africa is an 18″ x 24″ original oil on stretched canvas.   VIEW LARGERCrina Prida lives and works in Cluj, Romania and has been a serious photographer for only two years.   Starting artists like Prida who promote themselves on the internet are positioned to create a much larger following for their work than previous generations of artists ever could hope to cultivate.   This fine art photograph is one in a series of photos titled Circus Set available in Prida’s online art gallery at DiscoveredArtists. com.   The artwork is approximately 16″ x 16″ and is priced at $150.   The artist ships directly from her studio in Romania. VIEW LARGERAbout DiscoveredArtists. comDiscoveredArtists. com literally searches the world for talented artists who produce collector-quality, decorative art.   The artists range in experience from starting artists to established artists.   But, it’s not about the artist . . . it’s about the artwork and the value to the buyer. DiscoveredArtists. com’s marketing team advises artists on how to display and describe their work, but artists independently set their own prices. Paintings are shipped directly to buyers from the artist’s studio, so there is no middle man, gallery markups or handling fees which helps keep prices reasonable.