A New One On Me! Art Technique-Painting

[Curious Curator]

I paint in both oil, and acrylic. I have an unhealthy collection of other people’s art work. I love paintings. That being said, today, for a buck, I picked up a little painting. I love Tiki and this had a Tiki vibe to it, I was on my way to get my nails done, so I was in a hurry, as this was an unplanned trip to the thrift store on half off day. I grabbed it and kept looking at it while I waited in line. Something about it was different, but I couldn’t put my finger on what it was that was different. No signature and approximately 6″ X 10″ unframed, but it did come with the frame pictured. When I pulled the painting out of the frame, to see if it was a print, or a painting, I noticed something I had not seen before. Turns out, this is a photo canvas which was painted on. Now, that’s a new one on me! If you look at the 2nd and 3rd photos, you will see the paint and photo canvas edges, respectively.

I’ve seen a lot of things in painting, but this-I’ve never seen. Still, I really like something about this and I don’t know if it’s the color palette, or that and the subject, or what, but this painting to me, exudes happiness. Anyone? Anyone? Is it just me?

Anyhow, I just thought I would share this and ask if anyone has seen this technique, or this style of painting before? I have not. If so,what is it called? I tried Googling and the only thing I came up with, was “over painting a photo”. But I don’t think that sounds right. Too obvious?

I am guessing this is a tourist type souvenir, but from where? I don’t think it is really Polynesian, as I originally thought. I almost want to say it is Jamaican, or another West Indies Island, but I don’t know.

[Rick]

I ran across a couple painted on photo canvases in thrift stores recently that were very cool. I don’t remember the subject matter. It took me a bit to realize they were photo canvas that had been painted on. I don’t know if this is something that people are doing to their photos, or if some company is producing these as mixed media art pieces. It’s a cool technique if done well.

[MDC Galleries & Fine Art]

@ Rick.. Sure but if only done by the original artist of the first image and then the same artist doing the “over painting”. Doing a mixed media piece is fine if by the same artist. But doesn’t make sense if the under painting is totally covered and not seen, then what is the purpose of the time and cost of paint for the “under-bottom” image. Most mixed media works are done in such a way as to allow the viewer to experience the mixture or combination of multiple mediums used to create the final, viewable image.

If the original artists is printing off a whole bunch of his original works, then quickly doing a fast cover up of the bottom image just to show the detailed brush strokes and because of doing it this way he can hand reproduce a large quantity of “so called originals” just to sell on multiple patforms, then is it ethical? Debatable?

I see the same image on a good many sights and it is by the same artists and being described as an “original oil or acrylic painting”. If it is an original, there is only one not 10. But it could be only one and the artist has cross listed it on the other sights. When it sells, he kills the other listings. But in more than I would like to think, he does have 10 and they all look “original” and also done by hand. with very distinctive brush strokes.

In some cases when the artist places his order for the digital canvass prints of his work, he will have the print house gang up several images in different sizes on the print production roll. Then when he cuts them up and stretches them, he over paints all of them and he ends up with 5 or 6 in 4 different sizes.

The art market has gotten so messed up these days, especially with the introduction of digital presses that are 60″ x 100 feet or more and can print on almost any material up to an inch thick. You can get a lot of images on a 20 color Roland or HP wide format printer that can handle a 60″ x 100 ft. roll and print in such a manor using 3rd generation Piezo heads that it is damn near impossible these days to tell a reproduction image because a Giclee print does not print in 4-color CMYK and uses no halftone dots. About the only way will be extreme magnification, like a microscope which can detect the faint spray droplets that comes from a nozzle print head or a chemical test.

The art business can get really detailed if one wants to wade into the weeds.

Take care…

Mike at MDC Galleries and Fine Art

[MDC Galleries & Fine Art]

This is a topic that will require one of my “wall of texts” as Jay calls them, so I will reserve an answer to when I have more time and also do it on a separate thread.

But as a preview it will, revolve around modern day forgery methods as compared to former pre-digital methods of how to make forgeries, mass produced forgeries, copyright infringement, illegal practices and royalty evasion.

Also a little history on the evolution of the printed image as it transformed into the faking of brush strokes and the transition into over painted duplicate or fake original.

This activity though is OK if the original was done by the producer of the new series of “hand made over painted duplicates” though not really ethical if the original artist is selling his own, multiples and claiming as originals, but only if done by the original artist of the original work.

Where it becomes forgery and a crime is if there is a signature on that digital “under print image”. The knock off artist in China’s Art Alley take digital printed images of work by other artist, buy dozens of then step and repeated on a large roll of canvass, cut them out, stretch them and then do quick over paints of the image below and sell them as their own and even at times paint in a fake alias signature.

I may even include in that series a section on the Encho En Mexico families of artist who create original oil on canvass paintings that are done by teams of family members who pull out a 100 foot roll of canvass on long tables in old airplane hangers and factory buildings and go down the assembly line creating dozens of original paintings and signing all of them. Many of those end up in mall art galleries or in hotel art stores.

So I will leave it at that until I have the time to maybe do a “wall of text” the subject.

Mike at MDC Galleries and Fine Art

• This reply was modified 6 years, 9 months ago by MDC Galleries & Fine Art.

[Curious Curator]

Mike, I appreciate all of your insight. I completely agree with all you’ve said. One minor correction, however, the phrase is “Hecho en Mexico” (made in Mexico). That being said, what are your thoughts on the frames only which are “Hecho en Mexico”? I have a collection of frames only and some are marked “Hecho en Mexico”. Some are better than others. Some are gilded. Some are wood.

I know there was some controversy over someone like Frida Kahlos’ image being sold on sites like Etsy done by artists all over. I don’t know if there is an answer to that. Frida and Diego did not have children together, so I do not know if there is an “estate”, or someone who would handle that. Also, in photography, I know there is a 50 year wait before something goes in to the public domain after the photographer dies, but I don’t know if the same is true of other artists work.

I remember there was a guy who Photoshopped images of people like Kanye, the Kardashians, Diego Rivera, etc then stuck the images on devotional candles and sold them on Etsy and Instagram. He went by the name of something like Jaymsie Waymsie (or the other way around). I wondered how long it would be before he got shut down. I guess he did because I don’t see his stuff anymore.

I am in awe of forgeries (I am a novice painter-self taught). My paintings are nothing to write home about. I just like the process and creating and making. I love watching documentaries about forgeries and forgers. I think they have a lot of nerve and talent-which is a dangerous combination-also what makes them do what they do. I’ve seen so many, I’m now on the the British forgers! These guys are good! Watching these shows has made me be a little more discriminate, but no match for Mike’s (MDC Galleries) abilities-to be sure!

Mike, do you have a blog, or are you on youtube? If not, do you have any recommendations for some good YouTuber’s who are in your area of expertise?

[Steves Stuff]

In my absolute amateur opinion, it looks like a case where a beginning painter used a picture they found as a guide to help them learn proportion, composition and so on. Almost like tracing artwork.

[Author]

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