I Don't Need the Notoriety - My Protagonist Does

By Kim

Carl Ahrens website

Some of you know from an earlier post that I originally wrote my current work-in-progress, The Oak Lovers, as narrative non-fiction. An agent assured me that format would make for an easier sell and I took her advice, understanding that ‘easier sell’ is a relative term. While my protagonist, Carl Ahrens, was internationally known and respected in the art world during his lifetime, his fame ended with his death in 1936. In order to have any hope of convincing a publisher he deserved resurrecting, I required an outstanding platform. I spent two years doing intensive research, writing and polishing my proposal, helping organize two exhibitions of my great-grandfather’s work, giving speeches and, most importantly, building a website.

Now that The Oak Lovers is a novel, the proposal collects dust in a drawer and I know that my two published articles on Carl are unlikely to count for much to a prospective agent. I continue to expand and maintain the website, however. Other writers occasionally hint that my time would be better spent finishing the novel I’m promoting and that building a web presence now is a bit premature. I won’t be offended if you agree.

Carl as a young man

My justification is simple: I don’t need the notoriety, but Carl Ahrens does. An artist once dubbed the greatest tree painter who ever lived is now a footnote in art history books. Most merely refer to him as a ‘friend and contemporary of Homer Watson.’ (Unless you live in Waterloo County, Ontario, or have studied Canadian art history, you won’t have a clue who Homer Watson is.)

As Carl’s great-grandchild, my claim that he’s a brilliant and unfairly neglected artist means nothing. Yet I can and have created a virtual art gallery with over a hundred examples of his work, allowing visitors to judge the quality for themselves. They may also learn about his life, see candid photographs of his adventures, or contact me.

Oak lovers

Maintaining the website, while time consuming, is well worth the effort. I’ve located and documented over 300 works of art without having to leave my home. Art dealers and auction houses in three countries consult me to authenticate work or answer questions from potential buyers. Respected art historians ask me to speculate about Carl’s reasoning behind his public press war with the Group of Seven, something that continues to haunt his image today. Archives and galleries shower me with hundreds of pages of correspondence written by my great-grandparents (usually free of charge). Artists offer to answer technical questions. A curator even approached me to help arrange the first exhibition of Carl’s paintings since 1937. I spoke at the opening and saw the gaping expressions of patrons touring the room.

“Why have we never heard of him before?” many asked me.

Why, indeed. That’s a very interesting story, and thanks to my website I have many more people waiting to hear it.

What about you? At what point would you consider building a website? If you already have one, have you found it to be a useful tool?