CLAUDE MONET Gondolas in Venice Wall Hanging or Room Divider    US $55.00

JOHN SINGER SARGENT b 1856 American O C City Canal    US $3,500.00

100 Greatest Paintings Picasso Michelangelo Lots of Great Images on CD Bonus    US $.01

ART PRINT BAR IN FOLIES BERGERE ARTIST MANET    US $12.00

A Windmill at Zaandaam by Monet 11x14 Landscape canvas print    US $21.99

Agapanathus Claude Monet 1914 1917 11x14 flowers canvas print    US $21.99

Agapanthus2 Claude Monet 11x14 flowers canvas print    US $21.99

Framed Art The Beach at Sainte Adresse French    US $49.99

Argenteuil Seen from the Seine by Monet 11x14 real canvas print    US $21.99

Arm of the Seine near Giverny by Monet 11x14 real canvas print    US $21.99

Asters MonetArtist 11x14 Flowers canvas print    US $21.99

Banks of the Seine at Jeufosse Clear Weather Monet 11x14 Landscape canva    US $19.99

Beach Sainte Adresse Claude Monet 11x14 real canvas print    US $21.99

Boats in Port Honfleur Monet 11x14 Seascapes canvas print    US $21.99

Boats in Port London Monet 11x14 Seascapes canvas print    US $21.99

Paulemile Pissarro Original Pastel Paul Emile Pissarro    US $8,000.00

	Coffee Mug: Monet Water Lillies Sale Price: $12.95

	Claude Monet - The Beach At Saint-Adresse 14oz Coffee Mug Sale Price: $12.95

Claude Monet 'Artist's Garden' Framed 2-piece Canvas Art Set $123.99 Artist: Claude MonetTitle: Artist's Garden CollectionProduct Type: Canvas 2-piece art set

How To Monetize Your Site

How to make sense out of Adsense

If you are just starting out in internet marketing, one of the ways to create a revenue stream or monetize your Web site is to display contextual ads from a number of advertising networks. By far the most prominent and popular with affiliates is Adsense, a program run by Google. If you haven't enrolled yet and you are in Internet Marketing, make a point of reading this article and then go to Google and sign-up. It's free and it is part of any affiliate marketers tool kit.

Before you do sign up, there are some things you need to know as you consider putting these ads on your site.

Page Content

First off, the Web page on which you want to place these ads should be theme based and rich in content. Google ads are based on the content of a page and the geographic location of the customer, so there has to be a way for the ad to relate directly to the information you are displaying. For example, if your site is about a breed of dogs, Adsense will place ads that directly bear on the care or business that relates to that breed of dogs and has some bearing on dog care and maintenance.

Make sure your content is focused and target one or two keywords or keyword phrases; that will ensure that the search engine will serve more relevant ads and increase the chance of clicks for which you get paid. That is how you monetize your site.

Ad Placement and Format Choice

Ad placement and choice of format are other factors to consider.

Ad placement is generally considered to be best where the ad can be seen by the customer. Conventional wisdom places them on the right side of a page, placed on white backgrounds and clearly separated to allow for easy reading. I have seen Adsense ads in the center right top of web sites. The best thing is to test where they are most effective depending on the design of your page and how the information is displayed.

Formats for ads have vertical or horizontal characteristics. The format you choose has more to do with site design and display of the specific Web page. Here again you can experiment to see which format looks better and gives the best results in click throughs.

There are some rules of thumb to respect however when placing ads. For example, it is not a good idea to place Adsense on your homepage. This gives your visitor the chance to click away from your site before they have had a chance to look around and give you some business. So let your potential customers spend time finding the information you have for them before you hand them over to someone else.

If your page is a product endorsement page, you will not want Adsense for the very same reason. You want that lead to buy your product and not leave for someone else's.

Informational pages are perfect for Adsense, just make sure you don't overload with too many ads. Google allows for three ads per page. Anything more than that is just overselling and a turn off for the customer.

You also don't want to put Adsense on social pages or pages used for interaction with others such as a forum. In many cases blog site rules don't permit ads so be mindful of the agreement rules of your site host.

Remember that you are trying to establish a relationship with your customer and overloading on ads in every nook and cranny will work against that goal.

Conclusion

With all that said, effective use of Adsense can be a real source of income to supplement and add to the revenue for the affiliate marketer. So make a point of learning about the ways you can use Adsense to your advantage. It is very easy to set up.

The sign up takes only a few minutes and once you have registered the site on which you want to place the Ads, Google will review and send confirmation with a clip code you will place on your Web pages. This code can be positioned wherever you want and within a short time thereafter, ads will start appearing.

Commission earnings are not disclosed by Google but estimates from experienced users put the rates at between 40 to 60% of Adwords rates and Adsense earnings. That's not bad given you are not doing all the heavy lifting.

And there you have it! Once you have Adsense under you belt, you can take a look at other Ad services such as ValueClick, Affiliate Sensor and others to find new ways to monetize your site. With time, and some trial and experimentation, you will find new revenue streams awaiting you.

May your travel be prosperous.

About the Author

Over the past 20 years Claude Pelanne has worked in a series of startup ventures including some of the first commercial webcasts. He is an internet marketer and serial entrepreneur. Feel free to distribute this article in any form as long as you include the resource box. For tips and resources to get into internet marketing visit
cpelanne
or
claudepelanne

Van Gogh Owns the Sunflower

Many artists have their own personal favorite motives, which they paint numerous times. I am not here talking about silk screens and other things that made the numerous images generated by e.g. Andy Warhol famous. Rather I am talking about truly painting the same type of motive over and over again. It can be done for numerous reasons, from an interest in the specific subject to an exploration of e.g. the effects of light.
 
Sometimes, the study makes the subject so tied to the specific artist that they are hard to separate. Paintings by other artists of the same motive seem less relevant. Claude Monet for instance owned the Water Lily. He painted them in his garden in Giverny hundreds of times. However, even though it was also painted by Monet, the sunflower belongs to Vincent Van Gogh. Van Gogh took a liking to the flower, which he had also seen Gauguin paint, and created a whole series of paintings depicting the sunflower. The most famous among these very similar works is probably Vase with Fifteen Sunflowers painted by Van Gogh in 1888.

There is a depth to the paintings that allow them to grow on you and expand in the expressive impression the longer you gaze upon it. Add to that the thick brush strokes of Van Gogh that allows the flowers to reach out of the canvas towards you, and the effect is almost hypnotic. At the same time, the richness of the colors, typical of Van Gogh but no less extraordinary for that, speaks to you and brings across the warmth and almost joyous nature of the flowers.

Van Gogh himself was also very pleased with these paintings. He wrote to his brother Theo:

"It is a kind of painting that rather changes in character, and takes on a richness the longer you look at it. Besides, you know, Gauguin likes them extraordinarily. He said to me among other things - 'That...it's...the flower.' You know that the peony is Jeannin's, the hollyhock belongs to Quost, but the sunflower is somewhat my own."

Indeed his own it was. Both Monet and Gauguin painted Sunflowers as well, but neither reached the richness and depth achieved on several occasions by Van Goghs work. The sublime mastery of this motive made it his own.

Being among the most celebrated works of one of the worlds most celebrated artists of course also means that such Sunflowers do not come cheap. Indeed, one version was sold at Christies in 1987 for USD 40 million. At that time, this was a record setting sum to be paid for a painting. However, there are also copies available at places that can be accessed through a simple entrance fee. The Vase With Fifteen Sunflowers can for instance be found at the National Gallery in London, England. Visiting this classic yet ever modern piece of art is certainly worth the trip there. And if London is not your thing, versions can be seen at museums from Tokyo to Amsterdam, Munich to Philadelphia and beyond. You should see it. It is living art history and it is worth it.

About the Author

To see a large selection of hand painted oil painting reproductions from all the great artists please check out Art Reproductions. This is an original article first published as Van Gogh Owns the Sunflower.

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CLAUDE MONET Gondolas in Venice Wall Hanging or Room Divider    US $55.00

JOHN SINGER SARGENT b 1856 American O C City Canal    US $3,500.00

100 Greatest Paintings Picasso Michelangelo Lots of Great Images on CD Bonus    US $.01

ART PRINT BAR IN FOLIES BERGERE ARTIST MANET    US $12.00

A Windmill at Zaandaam by Monet 11x14 Landscape canvas print    US $21.99

Agapanathus Claude Monet 1914 1917 11x14 flowers canvas print    US $21.99

Agapanthus2 Claude Monet 11x14 flowers canvas print    US $21.99

Framed Art The Beach at Sainte Adresse French    US $49.99

Argenteuil Seen from the Seine by Monet 11x14 real canvas print    US $21.99

Arm of the Seine near Giverny by Monet 11x14 real canvas print    US $21.99

Asters MonetArtist 11x14 Flowers canvas print    US $21.99

Banks of the Seine at Jeufosse Clear Weather Monet 11x14 Landscape canva    US $19.99

Beach Sainte Adresse Claude Monet 11x14 real canvas print    US $21.99

Boats in Port Honfleur Monet 11x14 Seascapes canvas print    US $21.99

Boats in Port London Monet 11x14 Seascapes canvas print    US $21.99

Paulemile Pissarro Original Pastel Paul Emile Pissarro    US $8,000.00

	Coffee Mug: Monet Water Lillies Sale Price: $12.95

	Claude Monet - The Beach At Saint-Adresse 14oz Coffee Mug Sale Price: $12.95

Claude Monet 'Artist's Garden' Framed 2-piece Canvas Art Set $123.99 Artist: Claude MonetTitle: Artist's Garden CollectionProduct Type: Canvas 2-piece art set

Discover the French countryside

Discover the French countryside this summer The French countryside is perfect for a family trip: with sandy beaches, quaint villages and rolling landscapes just waiting to be explored. So why not get back to nature and spend this summer exploring rural Normandy and Provence….

The Calanques; Provence Spanning the 20km between Marseilles and Cassis, the Massif des Calanques forms one of France’s most breathtaking stretches of coastline. The Calanques are creeks, formed where the towering chalk cliffs plunge to the sea. En-Vau is the prettiest and one of the more accessible – a mere 90-minute walk from the nearest Cassis car park- although there are plenty of other miniscule white sand inlets waiting to be explored. The Calanques is a protected area and is the perfect place to hike, kayak or cycle your way across the rugged rural landscape.

Pays d’Auge; Normandy Stretching north to the Côte Fleurie, bisected by the River Touques, Pays d’Auge perfectly encapsulates the distinctive charms of Normandy. From endless orchards of apples and pears, thatched houses and half-timbered manors to fat cows and farmhouses selling cider and cheese, this rural region of France has lots to offer. Pay a visit to the Camembert Museum for a taste of the local cheese, explore the delightful selection of villages – Beuvron-en-Auge and Lisieux being two of the best – or visit the enchanting Château St-Germain-de-Livet and the romantic Manoir de Coupesarte. Find out more about Pays d’Auge

The Camargue; Provence The Camargue delta is a magical part of rural France; you’ll find pink flamingos, white horses and Europe’s only cowboys galloping across the flat land. It’s a 200,000-acre area of lagoons, salt-flats and marshes, rich in wildlife and perfect for exploring by bike. A good place to start your visit is the Ginès Information Centre and next door is the Parc Ornithologique du Pont-de-Gau – two acres of beautiful bird park. To really get away from it all, take a trip to Plage de Beauduc – the beach at the end of the world – or visit Les-Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer for a glimpse of a traditional seaside village. Find out more about the Camargue

Alpes-de-Haute-Provence; Provence One of the highest and wildest parts of France, the Alpes-de-Hautes-Provence is relatively undiscovered and still has a very rural way of life. The Durance River and its tributaries – such as the Verdon – cut spectacular gorges through the limestone rock, adding to the breathtaking views of this beautiful part of France. The area is a great place for trying a range of sports from white-water canoeing and hang-gliding, to high-country walking. Or, the town of Castellane is an ideal base for starting a drive through the canyon; wind your way through towering walls of rock before stopping for lunch at the awe-inspiring Point Sublime. Find out more about Alpes-de-Haute-Provence

Giverny; Normandy Traveling through rural France in April 1883, the great Impressionist painter Claude Monet first saw Giverny from a train window and it was love at first site. He soon moved here and planted his beautiful garden so that he could paint in every season. A great way to explore the local countryside is by bike: rent one from the town of Vernon and then cycle to the Fondation Claude Monet to spend the day wandering around the gardens and Monet’s house. The nearby Musée d’Art Américain is also worth a visit for its collection of nineteenth century American impressionist paintings.

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Normandy Impressionist Festival Sweeps the Streets of Northern France

As the first-ever Impressionist Festival kicks into high-gear, JustLuxe hits the streets of Normandy to celebrate one of the most influential artistic movements of all time.

The cobblestone streets of Northern France are abuzz, as the first-ever Impressionist Festival kicks into high gear. Slated from June to September, the Normandy region of France will celebrate one of the most relevant artistic movements in art history by offering a variety of cultural programs, exhibitions, and activities.

The Impressionist Festival was initiated under Laurent Fabius, President of the Roen, Elbeuf, Austreberthe Community (CRE), along with the regional governments of Upper and Lower Normandy, the counties of Seine-Maritime and Eure, as well as the cities of Rouen and Caen. With support from the community, local businesses, urban centers, and prominent cultural personalities, the unprecedented, multidisciplinary festival is poised to become one of the largest landmark events in recent French history.

After a recent trip to France, JustLuxe has the insider scoop for those fortunate art aficionados who are planning on attending the festival. As you know, the festival takes place throughout Northern France, and where better to start than by visiting Giverny, more commonly referred to as the estate and gardens of Claude Monet.

If traveling from Paris (or anywhere in France for that matter), the best way to get to the Normandy region is by train. We found that Rail Europe provides a quick and hassle free means of travel, offering a comfortable first-class cabin for those who wish to ride in style. For just $335, you can purchase a First Class France Rail Pass, which provides four days of unlimited travel, valid for one month. Not only are the high-speed trains (Train à Grand Vitesse) both luxurious and convenient, they also offer unsurpassed views of the pristine French landscape. After approximately an hour of yellow and green panoramas flashing through the windows, our train arrived in Vernon, an enchanting town steeped in history, located just 30 minutes from Giverny.

As you approach Giverny, you will most likely find yourself overcome with a sense of surrealism, yet this particular estate is all about one thing: Impressionism. It was here where Claude Monet went about his daily life, raised his eight children, and drew inspiration in the surrounding beauty of his expansive gardens. From the borderline obsessive Japanese prints that blanket the walls, to a kitchen that would make Alice and Wonderland proud, each room inside the estate has been carefully restored by the Foundation Claude Monet Giverny.

While the interior of the pink rural farmhouse is unarguably impressive, the real beauty lays just outside. Spanning two and a half acres, the Jardins de Claude Monet is a welcoming respite, splashed with vibrantly hued flowers and sweet lingering aromas. One doesn't need to be an art aficionado to recognize the familiar specks of color and gleaming flecks of light— but for those who know Monet well — this is truly a profound experience. Cascading perennials, lush greenery, and of course, delicate water lilies scattered gracefully in the water garden, are among the highlights of this well-preserved sanctuary.

In celebration of the upcoming festival, the Musée des Impressionist de Giverny is showcasing Impressionism on the Seine: from Renoir and Monet to Matisse, an exhibition, which brings together approximately 50 paintings from both public and private collections, each which was painted along the banks of the Seine River. The collection is designed to retrace the history of Impressionism and post-Impressionism, from Eugène Boudin to Henri Matisse.

After perusing the gardens and masterpieces by Monet, Renoir, Pissarro, and Sisley, we set out to follow the Route of the Impressionists in Rouen, a charming town situated between Paris and the Normandy coast. Once described by Pissarro as being just "as beautiful as Venice," Rouen is best known for having drawn the likes of landscape painters, serving as an instrumental landmark during the time of the Impressionists.

The Route of the Impressionists runs along the Seine Valley La Bouille, Sahurs et Bonsecours and highlights 22 key locations where such famous artists had once set up their easel and captured the landscape that lay ahead. The six tourist routes are scattered throughout Dieppe, Etretat, Le Havre, La Bouille, Rouen, and Giverny, and are marked with reading panels that describe which Impressionist painting was created at the site, and by whom.

After literally standing in the footsteps of some of the most influential artists of all time, we headed back to the city, checked into the medieval Hotel Bourgtheroulde, passed the burning grounds of Joan of Arc, and made our way to the Musée des Beaux Arts. With 100 masterpieces devoted to the city "of a thousand steeples," the Musée des Beaux Arts boasts the finest Impressionist collection in France, outside of Paris. In celebration of the festival, the museum presents: A City for Impressionism: Monet, Pissarro, and Gauguin in Rouen.

While Impressionist paintings hang on the white walls inside, the real spectacle occurred just outside its doors. On June 5, 1,250 participants clutched a recreated piece of Monet's La Cathédrale de Rouen, effet de soleil, fin de journée, and as they extended their arms towards the sky, the puzzle came into focus and was projected for all to see, covering a surface area of 600 square meters.

There is no denying that the much-anticipated Impressionist Festival has swept the streets of Upper and Lower Normandy. From museum exhibitions and carefully mapped routes along the Seine, to exclusive pre-fix "Impressionist menus" at local restaurants, the Impressionist Festival is one cultural event that is not to be missed.

About the Author

Associate Editor, JustLuxe

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