Italian sculpture Print and Pansies in watercolor
Fine Art Giclee from an original painting of an Italian marble sculpture and an offset lithograph from an original painting of pansies, leaves and ladybugs.
Two of my Limited Edition Fine Art prints are almost sold out
This is an opportunity to purchase the last in a very popular giclee print edition and an offset print edition
Learn how to create prints and reproductions from your art.
I have two fine art prints that are almost sold out. There is only one Psiche Abbandonata Limited Edition Fine Art Giclee left. This is a giclee on 300 gsm watercolor paper. It is a very early number that I have put aside for myself. But I have decided to sell it as my walls are becoming too full with paintings as my collection for my 2011 exhibition increases.
Psiche Abbandonata
"Psiche Abbandonata"
Watercolor Painting
22 3/4 " x 13 1/2 "
Available as TrueGiclée Print
This sight took my breath away when I happened across it in the Piti Palace in Florence, Italy.
The dappled light lay softly on her body as it folded around the marble figure. This sculpture seemed alive as she appeared to have an amazing depth and glow from within the stone. I particularly loved capturing the femininity in her fingers and toes.
The way the light gently rested on her body and folding marble fabric as it draped so exquisitely. Her elegance and grace touched me and made painting this scene so very compelling.
Light and Shade
For the artist, this painting is an excellent example of creating form in watercolor using light and shade (tonal variation), color temperature and soft elegant line. If you look closely you can see I use the same methods to describe folds in petals as I do when I want to paint folds in fabric with watercolor. This is a wonderful example to show you how to paint folds of fabric in watercolor. I stand in front of this giclee and feel the peace and tranquillity, grace, elegance and innocence.
High Summer
"High Summer"
Watercolor Painting
18 ¾" x 21" - 477 mm x 535 mm"
Available as Lithograph
This Pansy Painting is an offset lithograph and there are very few of this print left. It is a very limited print run of just 125. This flower painting was on the cover of the New Zealand Gardener magazine. It was the most popular painting in the exhibition in which it was featured. I love the little ladybugs hiding amongst the leaves and the spent flower which shows the beauty of life and age. The petals waft in the summer breeze as the sun highlights the little faces of these beautiful flowers. The leaves are a study in how to paint leaves – as they were such fun to create with their undulating segments and shiny surface. I like to think this painting is a celebration as it captures the feel of a summers day – for all four seasons!
Please have a look at my Cottage Garden Pansies with a detail image and more information.
Lets chat about giclee reproduction:
Many of you ask about my images available on giclee and lithograph. You want to know which images I choose and why I choose them. You ask about the quality and longevity of giclees and offset lithographs. As some of your are artists – and some of you are interested to know as much information as possible before you invest in art and reproductions - let me share some information with you:
Quality Giclees
When you have decided you would like to produce reproductions of your work – you first need to be assured of a good response to prints of your work. The appeal of your prints does not only rely on the image – it actually begins with quality. It is very expensive to create quality reproductions. Everything I do is done to the highest standard possible and this of course is true of my reproduction prints too. I build my reputation on quality.
There is much research and time that goes into sourcing the best methods and craftspeople to create superb giclees – but your clients need to know the giclee they have just invested in can be an heirloom.
Ask your giclee printer if he gives a guarantee in excess of 100 years (before even the tiniest of difference could be noticed by the human eye.) This is very important. It is important to me also that my name and quality are synonymous – just as your clients want assurance of the best possible reproduction too.
There are many printers out there who can produce what they loosely title ‘giclees’. Sadly many of these produce substandard product and this is very bad for genuine printers who are also artisans of printing in their own right. These are craftspeople who create prints to a professional standard.
The wonderful thing is there are now accepted standards that give the art buyer a guarantee of the highest quality.
TruGiclee Certification
This, in my mind, the best guarantee an artist can have that the quality of their printer meets rigorous standards required for this esteemed certification.
How many should you produce a print run?
One of the things that has caused a loss of credibility in the print market in the past is an unfortunate sense of greed shown by some artists or their agents. Patrons may have bought a signed and numbered limited edition print and thought they were purchasing one out of a print run of say 500. But on close inspection the artist may have a print run of 500 in one size and 500 in another size and 500 in another size. This isn’t always disclosed. Then there could also be 500 on watercolor paper and 500 on canvas.
I believe an artist has to be upfront and very transparent.
In my case I declare the number in the print run with pride. For instance in some of my print runs you will see I have 350 regular prints, 25 artist’s proofs and 25 remarques (hand embellished). This gives the patron the choice of what type of giclee print they would like but it also shows them that my print run is strictly limited to the number and variety I have declared. They are assured of a limited print run and they are issued with a certificate of authenticity.
Other artists may prefer not to have a limited edition and this is fine – it is always reflected in the price and as long as the patron is aware of everything – they can then make an informed choice to suit their needs.
What do we look for when deciding if we should create a print / reproduction?
First you need to be assured of demand. If the demand for your original paintings is high – then you know people love your work and would love to own a reproduction.
Know your market
Before going into reproduction you need to decide how you will let people know you are creating prints. How will you do that? This is very important. A website is not enough. You need demand and you also need a good qualified mailing list of people who are very interested in your work. People are bombarded with emails every day where businesses are trying to sell them things. You need a qualified list of names of people who would love a piece of your work or reproduction. Without this interest or list, you may need an agent.
It is very expensive to create fine art reproductions so do take the time to do the research first.
What to look for in a giclee Printer/craftsperson
Firstly you want someone with a good eye for detail. A craftsperson who is passionate about their craft.
Ask them about their printing equipment: scanner, giclee printer, substrate (artists canvas or watercolor paper), giclee coatings, giclee inks. All of these are crucial to the longevity and quality of your product.
My printer/craftsman has an extremely high resolution scanner that cost him over $250,000. Believe it or not - the scanner is more important than the printer! His printers are leading edge and are updated to keep a constant edge.
The substrates he uses and the inks and coatings are specific to each other to ensure the best longevity possible.
Search for TruGiclee so you can understand the strict standards required to produce superb quality giclees.
Once you have all the information you need and you have ticked the boxes above – you know you will have a superior product that you can sell to your patrons with pride. Something that will be enjoyed for generations
My Reproduction Page shows you available Fine Art Prints as TrueGiclées and Lithographs.
Susan
Tags: craftsman, Florence, flower painting, Italy, marble sculpture, pansies, pansy painting, pink, Pitti Palace, printer, purple, quality prints, reproductions, scanner, tru giclee, watercolor, watercolor paper, white pansies, yellow
