Does anybody sell their art or craft work via a website for self-representing artists?

[IrishBloodEnglishHeart]

I have friend who makes the most incredible paintings. He is self-taught and has never thought about selling them as a regular thing although he has sold prints and cards of his work on occasion through friends. He is recently unemployed and struggling to make ends meet. I wonder if he can sell his paintings via a website for self-representing artists. There seem to be a lot of them out there and I am prepared to trawl through them and see how they work and which ones represent the best deal but I thought I would see if I could get a quick overview from any mumsnetters who might already use this type of site and can make a recommendation.

Any pointers gratefully received.

Is there a local Open Studios scheme where he lives? That's good publicity and he would make some good contacts. The one I belong to lets artists join up in one venue - useful if your own studio isn't suitable for visitors.

Has he looked at Etsy? I think original art is a little hard to sell on there (although many do it successfully), but lower value items like cards, prints, mugs etc printed with art do fairly well on there. This could give a little breathing room and time to find the best way to get the word out about his paintings. Folksy is a similar site based in the UK which is less well known.
They both have low % commission (3.5% for Etsy, about 6% for Folksy), then an additional low % charge for payment. There is no charge for setting up a shop so little initial outlay involved. Worth an exploration anyway. There's a ton of useful info on each site about setting up shop and FAQs etc.