2 very different prints from the same store(?)

Aperture: To add a little something extra and agree with your comment about these prints. The lighter fading / graduating tone in a couple areas in the landscape “could” be a hand done wash over the base printed ink. But that subtle fading could also still be wet printing ink being pulled off the paper during the process of it “sticking” to the bottom of the silk screen or having sticky [too thick ink] on a planographic surface such as a Lino block. But to do a lino block, usually done in a reductive process”, thus inking larger areas, then cutting away some of lino material, inking, cutting away more and then inking the next color, would eventually reduce the lino surface down to just a few thin tree areas [the darkest color] and that would mean every bit of the lino material would have to have been carved away by the time the artist got to this last color.

That is a lot of lino removal and leaving very thin lines. But from what I can see the dark color was printed last and over printed the underneath lighter colors. Labor intensive, yes, doable absolutely.

But as we both agree can’t tell too much without seeing the actual print.

The last thing that got me thinking about these prints again is the nomenclature area under the image. This is where the artist pencil signs, dates, provides the title and the “state” of the print. Well here we have a pencil signature only. But no title, date or state which is very important in items getting a higher value.

The state in an edition is usually presented as a fraction number. Example : 23/125 meaning this is the 23rd print done out of a limited edition of 125 total prints at which time the printing device, plate, screen, lino block, wood block is supposed to be destroyed by the artist so no more can be printed or after death repro houses buying the plates or screens and doing re-runs of what was supposed to be a closed limited edition. Several houses in NY used to do this all the time with Picasso plates and others.

But my point here is that neither of these prints states they are a limited-edition print. So, is it an artist proof just being done to see where he is at in the process, but he-she signed it? Is it a staged image, Hor’ Commerce print, part of an edition and it has the flaws we discussed and the artist culled it out as a reject and didn’t include it in the numbered run and if it is a reject the artist should have destroyed it.

OR IS IT A MONOPRINT, which is a process of changing the ink colors and printing pressure on each print and resulting in a different look on each print. But if that is the case “Monoprint” should be pencil stated on each print.

Digital prints and print on demand technology have opened a whole new school of ethics on original, hand done limited edition prints. Basically, limited to anyone and everyone who is willing to keep buying them. i.e. Danbury Mint, Thomas Kinkade, and so forth.

Most hand done originals, litho stone, etchings, collagraphs, screen prints, monotypes and such should be limited to under 125 per run, 250 is OK and 500 pcs. is the cut-off point. But is “Offset” lithos where the speed of the auto presses [non-hand done inking and printing process] is 3k to 5k impressions per hour there is no way to control such a small run and get a stable consistent image on each sheet. Thus, we see “repro” editions signed and numbered as 2,500, 5,000 and I have even seen signed, titled, and numbered pcs. reaching 10,000 and above. That must take forever to sign, date, title and number that many by hand in pencil. Even at 1 print per minute that is 167 hours [about a month at 40 hours per week] of just having the artist sit down and complete that task.

And the value after what we call a large edition [500] starts to go down. Even very famous, well selling primary first market level gallery represented artists don’t go much over 250 or 500 max. Working artists are more interested in getting on to exploring new and different work, not depending on selling the same concept over and over.

Or is it a student in an art school printing class learning the process, only did a few prints and put his name on them.

So, there is so much to think about when evaluating art, and who the artist is, is of little value if you still have a low-quality work in front of you. That is why many galleries in NY or other artists from New England came to me and our company or other New England Fine Art Atelier’s and paid us to print their limited-edition artwork for them.

So that is a jumble of art goopy gop to start your morning off. BTW… very hard to sell quality, hand crafted art on Ebay. Most people just buy an image they like and don’t give a hoot about the intrinsic quality or value of a piece of art. They just “Buy a Purty Pitcher”!!! LOL

Man, I didn’t need that third cup of coffee this morning and I should have been listing used glass and brass “stuff” during this time. That’s where the money is, “used bowls, dishes, china, candle holders, flower vases, and kitchenware. To heck with fine art.

As I always say, my opinion and a Master of Fine Art Degree and 35 years in the printing business along with a whole $1.00 these days will buy me a third of a cup of coffee at Starbucks.

Oh BTW, I can make more selling a vintage, rare Starbucks coffee mug than I can selling a hand done, pencil signed original limited edition print these days.

As the wicked witch in the “Wizard of Oz” movie said, “What a world, what a world”. !!!!! LOL 🙂 🙂

Mike at MDC Concepts, Inc.
MDC Galleries and Fine Art
and Master Printer LOL 🙂

All good if people want to buy cool items from each other. Just make sure they’re cool.