A couple days ago I received an email from a fan who wanted to let me know a seller on Ebay was selling pillows with my artwork on it. It’s not the first time, and probably not the last, as many artists have had to deal with this for years. I contacted the seller, filled out Ebay’s VERO form, and then set out to contact all the other artists I could find, by Google image searching artwork on the pillows. I found about 12, mostly on Etsy, contacted them and passed on the info. I thought that was going to be it for the day!
Unfortunately, it wasn’t. A friend had recommended a website called ImageRights. They offer up to 1000 free uploads of images, which they will search the internet for. The results are bundled into folders like, “blogs, possibly resellers, outside our protection,” etc. That’s when I found my Frida and Friends painting. It was clearly my painting, but someone had vomited flowers all over it. So I turned to Google image search and went looking for the creator of the image. A girl in Peru, with tons of stolen artwork, she was passing off as her own. My piece, was apparently her signature piece.
I was literally stunned. I found her Facebook pages, her personal Facebook page, and I shared them on my personal Facebook page. My friends and Mom went at her, commenting on all the pictures with my painting, pointing out it wasn’t her work. I went to work contacting other artist who she had stolen work from.
After quite a few hours of reporting every image I could through Facebook to have them removed, she finally emailed me. She said it wasn’t her art (clearly) and that nothing had been sold (clearly…) and that I should keep quiet about it and she will remove all the images. That *I* should keep *quiet* about it. She has made her living off of directly stealing other people’s artwork, I wouldn’t care if she was inspired, we’re all inspired, but her “thing” is taking artwork, puking flowers all over it, slapping her name on it and saying it’s hers. That’s unacceptable. This is my livelihood, so I can’t stand idly by.
As of today, she has removed her 4art design Facebook page, as well as her Flavia Macedo(insertotherwords) page. She’s tried to remove all traces of her theft from the internet (I got screenshots =).) Surprisingly, she hasn’t removed all of the stolen artwork she’s taken from other artists. If you recognize any of the artwork, please contact the artists so they can get their art removed as well.
Wow! Good for you for going after them. And I love your painting.
Thanks so much!
You are right not to keep quiet.
I’s sorry this happened to you but congratulate you on the time and effort you’ve taken to protect your artwork from thieves. Still, what a time suck when you could be spending that energy elsewhere. I hope this is the end of these problems for you. Love your work!!!
Thanks so much, Claudia. I usually end up taking/losing a day or two a month when I decide to go look and then go after people like this. It’s a bummer we have to deal with it-the downside to putting stuff online, right?
some of those designs on art4life are Heather Galler’s. I’m contacting her tonight.
Please do, Sharon. I contacted her as well but I wasn’t sure if she went over and looked!
Still there…: https://instagram.com/flamacegdlt_art https://www.facebook.com/4artdesign.pe
Can you see the Facebook group? I cannot.
Instagram, art4life and facebook pages are down. I have screenshots of the web site with the stolen work, will try to ID some of the other artists.
The TodoAutos people still Flavia Macedo’s picture up with the Kia and the stolen Frida art, dated June 15, 2015. (Found it by searching her name on their website.) They even have a closeup of the work she repainted to pass as her own. I’ll send them a note and a link to this page as well.
Thanks so much Sharon! I didn’t even think to look at TodosAutos. You’re awesome!
You can clearly see the green striped sleeve of your original art that she is about to paint over!
Right? The whole thing is just nuts!
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Thanks so much for letting me know about this! =)
She has a new page and now is stealing Fab Ciraolo’s art (Frida with a Daft Punk t-shirt)
https://www.facebook.com/pg/folkanica.pe/
I wouldn’t be surprised! I alerted a lot of artists that she had directly copied, and I see all of those items are no longer showing…at least online.
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[…] if that’s the right word. I am not going to hide her name, as I didn’t with the other Flavia (what is it with this name and stealing my art?) Below is the conversation that transpired. Yes I […]