Ikonick is Helping People Discover the Art They Love, But Haven't Found Yet

To quote the late, great Stan Lee: "With great power comes great responsibility." Those who rise to prominence in any field—whether it be art, sports, business or truly anything—find themselves in a position of immense responsibility. The person at the summit has the opportunity to toss a rope back down to the base of the climb. In other words, to look out for, and help guide everyone else.

Since its inception in 2017, everything produced by Ikonick has been primarily created by one man: co-founder Jeff Cole. The canvas brand, which boasts an 8-figure a year revenue canvas brand, partnered early on with Gary Vaynerchuk and a laundry list of other notable licenses like the NBA, Muhammad Ali, the Peanuts and more. And now in 2021, they're making their biggest adjustment yet.

The brand's other co-founder, Mark Mastrandrea, tells me: "Ikonick was started when I was managing an artist, and found a need for affordable, trendy art in the market. Helping an artist who had never sold a painting to making 6 figures plus a year, was very fulfilling to me." In the last six or so months, as they approach a total site revamp, the duo has shifted focus to curation.

"Up until now," Mark tells me, "we have exclusively offered canvas and intentionally centered all of our art around our personal interests. As with anything in life, as you grow, you add new passions, and new interests."

“We’re basically shifting from a brand to a hybrid brand-marketplace," Mark tells me. Whereas they've previously focused on a more niche form of wall art, Ikonick is now transitioning into a marketplace, boasting the work of a wide array of over 70 up and coming artists from around the globe. "This new chapter is bringing me back to my roots, allowing me to help a roster of artists grow their brands through our platform," Mark tells me.

Jeff has found himself in the position of curator throughout this pivot, sifting through countless works to make the best selections for the new marketplace: “For the last 6 months, I spent a majority of my time finding talented artists and curating specific art that would fill the holes of all the other interests of our family, friends and fans." Mark puts it succinctly when he describes how the brand has developed in the nearly 5 years since its inception: “We’ve changed as humans.”

"The evolution in our own lives sparked the new direction. Curating art rather than creating art was a skillset I didn’t exercise enough in the first 5 years. It opened up new perspectives of my mind that used to be in a box of only 1 art category," Jeff adds.

To mark the new direction of the brand, there will be a few major alterations to the site. First, they are launching framed prints. Second off, they're launching new categories for the works: Street Art, Abstract, Minimalism, Photography, Nature, Pop Art, Pattern and Surrealism. The new categories will launch in conjunction with their Black Friday sale, which will offer buyers up to 40% off.

The new catalogue features work of over 70 different artists from around the globe.

The new work runs the gamut, featuring everything from pop art to nature photography to color-block paintings.

The work by Mexico City-based artist Hola Lou is a personal favorite of mine. I was lucky enough to get to browse through all of the new works, and was struck by how wide the range of work is; whereas Ikonick's previous catalogue catered to a specific audience, the new roster features something for everyone.

I am personally drawn to some of the more minimal, colorful paintings, but there are also numerous options for those interested in more traditional photography or even vibrant, more animated pop art.

Ikonick will continue to produce some of the motivational canvas work that catapulted the brand to its current status, but now the marketplace is blooming, bringing in consumers of vastly different interests.

Mark leaves me with a concise encapsulation of everything we've discussed and what's to come for Ikonick:

"The artists are the future."