Just paint and click

Necessity recently gave birth to a groundbreaking way of discovering and purchasing original artwork.

ArtQuiver. com is a Charlottesville-based e-commerce business designed to give art enthusiasts a novel online approach to finding art created by some of the country’s top painters. When a picture that sets the heart aquiver is found, it can be purchased with — get this — a lifetime money-back guarantee.

Matt Schenck, president and founder of ArtQuiver, is the mastermind behind the concept, which has been up and running since April.

“I was trying to find original works of art for my home, and was feeling a little frustrated in trying to make that work,” said Schenck, who lives in Charlottesville with his wife and their three children.

“I found there was some intimidation with the traditional art gallery world and, frankly, I didn’t have time to be gallery hopping. And I felt there were limited selections in the galleries I saw.

“I thought there had to be a better way to find original art that was truly inspiring to me personally. We live in the 21st century with the Internet, and there should be a way to have convenience, choice, selection and more transparency in finding original art.”

Schenck’s better way was to create a Web site that does much more than furnish an image of a painting and price in an eBay-esque format. For example, by using a proprietary algorithm and a short I-like-this-better-than-that assessment process, a technology called ArtQuiver Search usually can predict with a high degree of accuracy what a potential customer will like or dislike.

Another innovation called Visual Search helps buyers focus on certain criteria, such as style, size of painting and price. Another plus is a “Zoom” feature that provides high-resolution close-ups of every work on the site.

Schenck said the concept of selling art via the Internet is not unique, but he doesn’t know of any other site that is doing it the way he is.

“Before throwing my hat in the ring to start this company, I was researching what was out there,” Schenck said. “I found a Web site called ugallery.com, but it focuses on student art.

“There’s other companies that have more of an eBay model, where artists are uploading their own work. Those are not developed specifically to showcase artwork, and it’s kind of an overwhelming online experience, because there is so much choice.

“As far as I know there’s nobody that’s doing this middle-ground approach of taking the best part of the traditional art gallery — that is, the elegance and selectivity — and joining that with the breadth of choice and convenience that comes from showcasing it online.”

Schenck’s approach to creating the Web site was to come at it with a buyer’s mentality. What he and a handful of others fashioned was an easy way to navigate through an online art world featuring about 350 original paintings created by scores of artists from around the country.

Each of the artists, as well as his or her art, goes through a selection process conducted by art experts. The pieces that appear on the Web site are available only there, and nowhere else. The instant a credit card number enters the system, a “sold” sign appears on that particular painting.

The artists have retained physical possession of their artworks. When a sale

is made, a company that specializes in shipping artwork sends the artist packing material specific to that painting. ArtQuiver sends the artist the shipping label, and the painting goes out UPS ground direct to the customer.

Before taking on this new venture, Schenck helped Rosetta Stone become the nation’s leading language-learning company. While developing its consumer division, he rose to the position of executive vice president.

Experience has taught him the importance of removing obstacles so site visitors become satisfied customers. One of the major barriers he removed is the fear of not being satisfied with a painting when seen in person.

“We’re doing something that I think is unprecedented, as far as return policy goes,” Schenck said. “That is, we send it to you for free, and if you are unhappy you send it back to us and we pay that shipping cost as well.

“And there is no time limit. At any time during your lifetime, if you should decide to return the painting, we take it back and refund your money. We want to motivate people to take that step and buy that painting knowing it’s risk free.

“Our goal is to have diversity of style, price and media. We believe there should be something for everyone on the site.”

Current prices range from $350 to $8,000.

Another feature of the site is called Price History, which displays a timeline graph of works the artist has sold, including price, so one is assured the piece one is interested in is priced fairly.

Schenck is convinced he has created an e-commerce art gallery born of necessity and progressing forward in a natural evolution. The site even has a “Virtual Wall” showcasing user-selected works in a 3-D gallery setting.

“It’s a lovely experience to walk into a traditional art gallery, and be surrounded by beautiful works of art that are well presented,” Schenck said.

“We wanted that to come through online, and not just be this commodity-selling venue.

“There’s an evolution of things moving from the physical world of retail to the online world. We believe we offer a net benefit by offering original works of art online via our venue.

“This is progress, and not something to be constrained by the status quo.”

The site can be accessed at http://www.artquiver.com.