I joined about two years ago now. I’ve sold fairly (Probably average one a month) steadily, usually to people who I have directed to my gallery. And sometimes someone finds me just through DPW. I love the convenience of PayPal and tax payment services offered through DPW. It takes work on my part (I hate marketing my own work), but I have found value in pushing myself to paint often in order to have new work to post. Still learning all of this, for sure.
I checked out your paintings, they all look lovely, I do like the florals the best though, I think your technique works wonderfully for them.
A lot of my paintings were bought by fellow artists, you are right about that. I don’t know why your paintings haven’t all sold out, they are wonderful!
I love sales but detest the marketing. Since I joined up in July I think I have been posting almost every day and have started linking up to Facebook more. My blog is a mess, I have to start working on that more too.
Thanks Richard, I am on facebook, I liked your page there. I guess I have to get busy linking some other sites with this one. Love your work!
Mahalos - I’m on Fine Art Studio Online, Face Book (three separate pages), Pinterest, and Fine Art America, as well as posting on some plein air sites on FB. Just posting a link back to the painting in the gallery - some work, but you can’t just sit here and wait - hell - it’s almost the holidays!~!! and galleries aren’t open, for the most part, and there it is. Like your work - aloha, richard
Thanks Lori! Artist feedback is so helpful because friends tend to be too nice when critiquing. (:
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Not that you weren’t very nice!!!
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The most important marketing an artist can do is have an email list and an e-commerce enabled website, IMO. I was going to just say have an email list, but you have to have a way for collectors to buy, too. 
Every person who has purchased a painting from you should be on you email list (ask first, of course)! These people are exponentially more likely to purchase art from you. They have already drunk your Kool-aid, so to speak, and are invested in your success. Five past buyers are the equivalent of 500 subscribers who have not purchased from you yet.
Gallery owners know that buyers buy again and they treat them like gold. You should, too.
Send out your newsletter at least once a month. In the painting caption, mention the price. Link the painting image to the page on DPW or your website with the “buy now” button.
You don’t need to be a literary genius. Give them an idea why you painted the painting. Are you experimenting? Is this from your travels? Ask your readers to tell you which painting they like best and why. If someone replies, reply back.
Your newsletter sign-up should appear on every page of your website. Commit to sending out your newsletter for a year and then look at your results. Consistency is a big part of success.
I’m new to DPW since the summer and a long hiatus from painting. I honestly didn’t think I would sell anything here and had an Etsy place for awhile with no traffic (and no marketing on my part). But I have sold a bunch here on DPW recently to people I didn’t know before who just happened to see something that spoke to them (their words). My prices are low. Shipping eats a lot of my profits. I don’t expect to make a living selling my art, but the monthly fees at DPW are low enough that if I sell one painting anywhere, it’s paid for! Etsy charges go up and there’s so much more than art there that I believe sales are more for crafty things AND art gets lost. Etsy even sells plain brown boxes now.
All of you wonderful DPW artists inspire me every day to get better and better and strive to paint more every day. That to me is the best part of this place. 
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I sold dozens and dozens up until late 2016 then sales really dropped. The small number made after that were repeat purchases from the same two or three customers. No new customers. This lack of sales started to affect my ability to paint at all - a mindset formed that it must be because I was crap and getting worse. Also, found myself starting to paint things because I thought they would sell, sometimes things i had no interest in at all, and when they didn’t sell concluded I really was useless - and didn’t even like doing it much.
This was no good and I decided something had to change so I left here, closed my Facebook page - FB demands for promotion money were driving me nuts anyway - and then my website which had a pathetic number of views and retreated to the studio to focus on PAINT.
After a long pause I am now thinking of rejoining as I THINK I have got myself to place where I will stop worrying about sales and just enjoy having somewhere to show my stuff.
Better than stuffing them in a cupboard, anyway!
Also, DPW is a lovely site, both its owners and its community.
I have noticed that DPW has not in any way changed or refreshed its marketing, though, in all this time and that everything is exactly the same as it was before.
Perhaps the economic climate is so harsh for discretionary spending on art that it would make no difference if they did.
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Oh do come back! I didn’t like hiding my art in a portfolio or drawer or under the bed. Even if it’s not my best or if it needs work or just a good wash, I put it out there.
I recently said to my husband that as long as I sell enough paintings to cover my supplies and expenses, I’ll keep painting. He asked me if that’s why I paint. I said no, I love to paint just because it’s me. He suggested that I not devalue my desire and talent to produce art and not weigh it against sales. Just paint. Then I put in an order for more watercolor paper.
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I don’t make enough to cover my costs any more but like you, I can’t stop painting! Thank you for your encouragement!
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I agree Jo…
leaving a nice comment can make a struggling artist feel appreciated and motivated to do more.
I routinely buy 2 or 3 paintings a month from less appreciated artists and in my budget range, wish I could do more, but we can all support each other more in some small way.
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Thanks for your comment, Eric. Good idea about buying art as a way to encourage others.
I have been on DPW for 5 months and sold 3 paintings at auction. It has slowed. Looking at my analytics I can see that my auction images are not even being viewed for the last couple of months.
Anyway, no point in quitting now. The website is a bargain! For the price of a take-out meal you get a lovely website with a built-in email list of 5000? people.
I get lots of views and would like more comments and likes. I don’t find them discouraging.
I have had a couple of stand-alone websites in the past with so few visitors - DPW is much better.
I have not interest in collecting my own email list and pestering folks with every new piece of art I produce. I use social media for that.
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i have done DPW for about 3 years, but if I go for months without a sale, I tend to close the gallery until I have enuf of a backlog of paintings to where I can post daily, and then I will pay the fee to reopen. I do feel that posting to be on the front page regularly is beneficial, otherwise if we’re not posting, it’s easy to be forgotten. I do feel it is easier for me than a stand alone website where I would have to try to drive people to it. As we all would, I just would love to see more sales!
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Jennifer, I re-joined DPW. Thank you! 
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I was here in 2014. Sold several then sales stopped. I figure I will try again and rejoined a couple weeks ago. Good luck to me and all here!
How do you link to your gallery?
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I hope Richard Rochkovsky will help us with this question.