A Bit About Bill Cox and Infected by Art

I've been asked by several individuals why I didn't get involved in the dialogue on Facebook a few weeks ago—when a few people were saying disparaging things about Infected by Art and competitions that require entry fees and reward monetary prizes, in general. While my personal reasons for not getting engaged varied, primarily I remained silent because I prefer to let others form their own opinions on what things an artist can or should do to move up their own personal career ladder. I don't purport to know what's right and wrong myself, as some others do. What's great about the day in which we live is that artists have many avenues to chose from to build followings and get noticed all on their own. In my opinion, experimenting with all that’s at an artist's disposal is the best approach, for any who are aspiring, to find what works best for them. So, that's why I chose not to add my voice to the discussion.

I do, however, want to address a few things that I feel are pertinent to the integrity of Infected by Art, as well as myself personally. I believe it was mentioned that our collecting of entry fees was nothing more than a money grab—a means for us to line our pockets with artist's hard-earned money. While I'm not going to put on my CPA cap and give the full accounting of our income, suffice to say that after we paid out $5,000 to the winning artists this year we had less than that same amount to publish, print, and deliver a couple thousand 300+ page hard cover books. Even with advance sales, we still had to personally pay to get the book in our hands. I can assure anyone who may be concerned that we are not doing this for the money. When you factor in the hundreds of hours I, myself, put into both the book and the website each year, I honestly don't foresee ever making any substantial income from working on IBA for years to come—if ever. To be honest, I'm okay with that and, if you knew more about me, you'd know why.

In light of recent sentiments shared, I feel the need to finally talk a bit about myself and my passion for this community. It’s even more pressing that I do so, as questioning the integrity of IBA easily puts into question my own integrity and involvement as well. I do find it awkward to talk about my involvement, as I'm not looking for personal accolades or recognition for the things I do—and have done for years—in the art collecting community. I'm a bit of an introvert by nature, and not very articulate in a crowd, so I'm never going to be the guy who’s looking to share in any artists’ success or expect a pat on the back in return for the things I do. Being an internet developer has helped me to remain behind the scenes, quietly doing my thing without having to take on the role of being an open leader in any of the endeavors I engage in. I’ve enjoyed that space.

A 1991 graduate of  Montserrat College of Art, with a BFA in painting and sculpture, I'd always wanted to be an illustrator—doing exactly what so many imaginative artists are doing today. I loved all the work being created for D&D in the mid '80s and that was what I aspired to do as a career. As it turned out, I married a programmer and that changed my professional course for good—as I started doing website design in the mid '90s. Today, it is quite an honor for me to interact with artists working in those same genres, given my background in the arts, and I wouldn't have rekindled that passion had I not started working on Infected by Art with the second volume a few years back. 

Why does my involvement matter to an artist contemplating participating in IBA on some level? 

Thirteen years ago, I built a website called  www.comicartfans.com (CAF) as a means of introducing myself to other comic art and illustration collectors since the hobby was a bit closed and hard to get started in. Over the years, CAF has also brought over 20 art dealer sites up to a modern platform—making the art market just that much more accessible to the average collector. After all of our efforts, today our site has over 125k registered art collectors, and we're seen by more than 300k unique visitors each month. 

The beauty of the site is how it simultaneously provides a means for art collectors to share their passion for collecting with others, while introducing those collectors to unfamiliar new artists and genres. You can go to CAF today and search for folks like Bob Eggleton, Donato Giancola, Wayne Reynolds, Volkan Baga, Lucas Graciano, and even Frank Frazetta—you'll find them all well-represented there.

One of the main reasons I got involved with Infected by Art was because I saw an opportunity to further introduce artist's work to the collectors who use CAF which, in turn, would lead to direct art sales and commissions. The work I'm doing with IBA centers around the hope that it will help artists generate more income for themselves—not to make money for myself. Given this reality, the comments made about IBA in that regard were both insulting and unfounded.

I've not limited my efforts to just IBA and CAF. Another reason I chose to get involved in this community is because of the Wilshire's. I've known Patrick and Jeannie for a number of years, have been inspired by who they are and what they do, and had always hoped to find ways to work with them if the chance arose. When it did, I jumped at the opportunity to offer our support to host the annual IX submission and jurying process, modifying IBA programming to do so. We also did the development that handles the IX Showcase Registration and the IX Portfolio Reviews. It was then only a matter of time, a natural fit, for us to host the IX Exchange on CAF for artists and collectors of imaginative realism—with a section that includes artworks listed for sale in IBA Artist Galleries to collectors of imaginative works. 

As I’ve become increasingly engaged in the efforts currently underway in this field of imaginative realism, I also met Art Director Jon Schindehette through Facebook and couldn’t help but to admire the goals of the Art Order. Inspired by Jon’s endeavors, I offered to create him a new website and host his regular competitions through IBA—I was honored when he accepted. Having the opportunity to work with someone who both worked for Wizards of the Coast and Thinkgeek was a true privilege for me. Similarly, after www.everydayoriginal.com was launched, I offered to import EDO artworks into CAF's art for sale inventory and now share those artworks to all of CAF's membership. I've done all these things pro bono for no other reason than the fact that I’m inspired by the unique opportunities presented to artists today. As they say, a rising tide lifts all boats—I am uplifted by the rising tide I observe, and will take any opportunity I can to assist.

Thanks for letting me bend your ears for a few minutes. If you ever want to talk about ways to further enrich this community, and feel my involvement would be of assistance, please feel free to reach out to me on Facebook, through IBA, or CAF.

Warmest Regards,

Bill Cox
[email protected]
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