How to spot ethically licensed art online

How To Buy Art Responsibly and Ethically

Support real art. Follow real people on social media, who create. Follow local Etsy craftspeople and support local art galleries, craft markets. Support your musicians, artists, jewelers, knitters, crafters, potters, poets, painters, sculptors. You will be able to share in the creativity of their everyday journeys, not just the pretty staged picture at the end. ENGAGE at any level. Share our heartbreak too. As makers, we are deeply grateful for the love you share with us.

Ishita drawing abstract black and white art
August 02, 2020 — Ishita Banerjee
Abstract painting of an eye and face. It is blue, orange, black, and grey.

My Battle with Online Art Theft

Over the past couple months, I have been relentlessly trying to get unscrupulous drop shipping companies to stop selling my art that is blatantly stolen by Ali Express. The network is so large, so widespread of ruthlessly stealing from small makers, artists and craftspeople from all over the world.
They steal our intellectual property, mass produce them in China and have them drop shipped for pennies to make gigantic profits.
August 02, 2020 — Ishita Banerjee
Ishita standing next to her original abstract art

Montreal artist tired of online companies stealing her work

Banerjee encourages people buying art from third-party websites to make sure the company has a deal with the artist. Look for a link to the artist’s page on the website, and not just one but several works by the same artist, often with their signature on them.
“Until people become aware, as responsible buyers, (this will continue),” she said. “These guys are really taking advantage. And it’s not even plagiarism. This is straight-up theft.”
Beautiful abstract painting of an eye
August 02, 2020 — Ishita Banerjee