Let's say you're planning a trip to Victoria and want to connect with some artists and galleries there...or you want to promote your wife's landscape paintings online...or you'd like to share some highlights of your sketching trip in the south of France. You can do all that and more, including checking to see what's on at local galleries, via a new website linking Canadian artists.

Saskatoon painter Paul Constable has worked more than a year and spent "thousands" of dollars to launch ArtistsInCanada.com. The site, accessible for the past five months, is hosted out of Edmonton, where Constable's brother, Dave, serves as Webmaster.

"We want to make it the major link for Canadian artists, public and commercial galleries and resources", Constable said in a recent interview at Joe Bean's cafe, where his circa-1996 paintings of Saskatoon's winter festival are on display.

"By the end of March, we'll have some value-added material coming: links to quizzes, newsletters by artists, tutorial sites on artmaking processes, and even a kindergarten-to-Grade 12 art curriculum."

Visitors will find the core choices in boxes to the left of the screen and the dynamic elements (information that changes daily) on the right.

The website and link service is free. There is no charge if artists simply want their own website listed. If they prefer, ArtistsInCanada.com can create a website for an artist using a generic format: that costs $80 and, unlike some other sites, there is no charge for changes or updates at any time.

"We're a directory", Constable emphasized. "We take no commission or fees. There's only a fee if you want to be a member with a website we build for you." The site is arranged with the goal of helping visitors find what they're looking for easily. Within the headings for each province and territory, there are alphabetical lists of artists and headings for various media.

There are 50 Saskatchewan artists currently listed, as compared to about 400 each for Ontario and British Columbia.

The home page displays and arrangement of made-in-Saskatchewan artwork, including a bronze bust by Hans Holtkamp, a painting by Robert Christie, and a welded metal sculpture by James Korpan.

"I'd like to get a lot more Saskatchewan artists", Constable notes. The roster now includes links to the websites of photographer Courtney Milne, painters David Alexander and Louise Cook, and printmaker Nik Semenoff, among others.

Semenoff's site promotes his invention of waterless lithography, described as "safer and easier methods of doing printmaking". He's a proponent of readily available, non-toxic alternatives to commercial materials. Among these alternatives are household products such as floor wax.

Individual artists decide whether they want to sell directly from their sites, or refer visitors to affiliated galleries. "We're not trying to be in competition with galleries", Constable said. "I think the website can be great PR for artists and galleries".

The website is capable of promoting Canadian art not only within this country, but also in the United States. "That's a huge market, when you think about opening it up to U.S. buyers and collectors. It creates a more fair playing field, when artists who have trouble getting into galleries can now have access to a world market."

There are links to resources such as CARFAC, outlining how artists can apply for grants, how artists and buyers can protect themselves in the course of Internet transactions, and how are should be packed and shipped.

Constable noted there are ways to address copyright concerns, including "watermarking" a virtual image, stamping it "sample", or making it available only in a low-resolution format. Other artists shrug off viewers' ability to download images and print them for their enjoyment.

They believe any exposure is good exposure.

Constable's own site is included too, of course. It features some of his recent paintings, including a series of oils focusing on "rock islands", those oasis-like spots in fields where farmers pile rocks, and small groves of tress spring up, save from the plough.

Constable, who graduated from the Alberta College of Art in 1976, works in marketing and art design at Marketing Den. He shows his paintings at Art and All that Jazz and James Art Studio in Saskatoon, the Scott Gallery in Edmonton and Kensington File Art Gallery in Calgary.

While he has attracted 450 visitors to his personal site since last October, Constable admits it has generated no sales. "Don't expect any feedback unless you ask for it", he advises other artists. He sees his website as a promotional tool, rather than a vehicle for selling his work.

Just like wandering through a library, a website offers a plethora of choices. Searching for one thing, you can come across something of interest in an unrelated area. For instance, Constable links reads to "a neat site I found in Toronto" that's all about glues: ThisToThat.com.

There's also a link to a weekly newsletter by Victoria artist Robert Genn, an upbeat missive akin to a virtual mentor. This experienced artist, author the book, The Painter's Keys, offers motivation, advice and practical tips on artmaking.

In addition to Genn, Constable has found regular correspondents from Nova Scotia, Toronto and Edmonton to write about art, and he's looking for more volunteers. There will be a forum for readers' feedback.

Constable is also lining up travelogues from artists. These could range from a day-long sketching trip by canoe to a tour of European museums.

"In addition to accounts of art museums, people will be interested", Constable said, "in where to stay, where to eat, what to see, what to avoid".

Organizing data so busy web browsers can easily find what they want is vital, Constable said. With a sigh, he added, "That kind of pigeonholing could be a life's work". "Initially", he said, "I'm doing all this as an act of good will. I found so many artists out there starving. It's very hard to make a living as an artist, especially when not everybody has access to galleries. People are looking at alternatives to promote their work and get some exposure".

"So many of us are working quietly in our basements, and it's great to be able to connect with others in Nunavut or Newfoundland or Vancouver. With the internet, I can get a feel for what's happening in visual arts across Canada".

The first stage has been to get as many artists and galleries in Canada signed up, as well as museum links all over the world. While the focus is on contemporary Canadian art, there will be links to historical sites, including artcyclopedia.com, and (through British-based artdaily.com) up-to-date global art news.

As a Canadian search engine, ArtistsInCanada.com "is a little fish in a great big pond", Constable said. "now, if a bigger fish wants to come and gobble us up at some point down the road--for a fee--that's fine too". Eventually, Constable hopes to make some money from this project that has devoured so much of his time and energy. "I anticipate at least another year with no profits, until the hits (visits to the site) come up to where people want to advertise with us". It's already looking promising. "We're getting hundreds of hits a day with no advertising". Eighty per cent of the hits are to artists or galleries, and 20 per cent to the resources headings.

Constable's goal is a clean, Canadian site that is functional rather than glitzy. "Form follows function", he said. "It's a basic rule of design. We're aware that not everybody is a computer whiz and lots of people don't have high-speed equipment".