Richard Grieco's fans from the old days have jumped right on board as cheerleaders for his artwork. That's not surprising: his fan base appears to be very loyal and his artwork is damned good. But will those fans and Richard's early fame be good or bad for his career as a painter?
Since I once made my living in Internet marketing, my first thought was that Richard's fan base was a gold mine in terms of spreading the word. He (or someone) has done a great job of getting press coverage for his artwork, but in the era of social media that coverage is only as good as its dissemination. From that viewpoint, having thousands of people invested in promoting your work is a definite benefit.
But, of course, the world of marketing and public relations is rarely so simple. Perception is sometimes more powerful than reality, and the unfortunate fact is that many, many celebrities dabble--some of whom should probably keep their hobbies private. It seems, sometimes, that every actor in Hollywood is in a band on the side and every actress is publishing a children's book. The same gallery showing Richard's work features Jane Seymour on their website, and Rick Springfield has a novel coming out next year.
As I've mentioned before, talented people tend to be talented. Many of those celebrities do, in fact, have other talents, and their work in other fields is quite good. And you already know that I strongly believe that Richard is not an actor who took up painting but an artist who happens to do some acting. But I'm not a critic, and I'm not a collector.
Is Richard's name recognition a blessing or a curse as he unveils his work to the world? I'm not sure, and I'm hoping to hear your thoughts in the comments or the forums. For the moment, I'm holding my breath a little.
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