Original Vs. Print: What's the Difference?

As I have listened to people talk about art over the years, I have realized that there is much confusion surrounding the differences between originals, prints, reproductions, giclees and hand-embellished reproductions. This article is intended to be a quick and dirty description of each to help clear up a few of the common misconceptions surrounding two-dimensional art.

An original work of art is the easy one; it is the original painting, drawing, watercolor, computer-generated image etc. that was first produced by the artist. It is created from the mind and brought into being at the hands of the artist.

A print is created during the printmaking process where an artist creates an original image on a stone, plate, screen, or block and then hand pulls or supervises the hand pulling of a print from this surface. It too, is derived at the hands of the artist or artist assistant. Editions i.e. more prints can be pulled from these blocks, but at some point the surface will deteriorate (or be destroyed) and the image will no longer be able to be printed. This is what makes a true print more valuable than a reproduction. Each print has some element of change and possible imperfection in each subsequent image, making them each one of a kind.

A reproduction of art is an exact replication of an original image. An artist creates an original image through various media i.e. paint, ink, watercolor, pastel etc. A photograph or scan records this image in digital form and then it is printed out onto a surface in the form of a paper, canvas print and various other types of surfaces. The type of printer, ink and paper is at the full discretion of the person/company creating these reproductions.

A giclee (pronounced soft zhee klay or gee klay) is a reproduction, but is known for being a higher quality reproduction created by an inkjet printer with high quality ink on high quality paper or canvas. Giclee is the term used to describe the shooting of color ink into the surface to create a high quality reproduction of an original art image.

Something else you may have seen is what is called a hand embellished reproduction. That means that the original image has been photographed, reproduced on a surface, and then hand embellished with something to give the piece texture or an element of something that makes it look hand made or more original. This is most often seen in department and home decor stores. A real artist probably created the first image, but what we buy from the chain store is not the original and cannot be called a painting. It is a reproduction.

You might ask yourself, “How do I know the difference when I am looking at art?” The best way is to look very closely. One very simple indication is if you can see the hand of the artist in the piece. This means you can see a brush stroke, or a directional line drawn with graphite. If you look closely, you can see the medium applied to the surface. The price is another indicator. If the price seems too good to be true, it probably is. Original art takes time to create and it is one of a kind, so the price should reflect that in most circumstances. Reproductions are a wonderful way to be able to appreciate an original work of art while staying within a budget. The important thing is to know the difference when you are spending your money. When all else fails, ask the person selling the art!

As far as my art goes, I wait until a painting sells before I make a reproduction of it. Right now, the only reproductions I sell are greeting cards that I have printed up by Vista Print and then I pay my kids to package them nicely to be sold during the art fairs. One day, I would like to have reproductions on my web site. I am also interested in getting high quality prints made in the future, but in truth, I would rather spend my time creating original paintings! 

Eye Spy Art Night at Wood Icing

I made this in my art journal after many attempts at creating one with the computer.
Once again, I was saved by my art supplies!

This week we are getting ready for the next art reception at Wood Icing. My mom and I were brain storming ideas about what we could do this time that could possibly compare to our last one. We had such an awesome turn out and everyone said they had a great time, so we don't want to disappoint.

This time we thought of having our guests play a game for prizes. I'm not gonna lie, my main goal here is to create a situation where our guests are encouraged to look at the art, talk to the artists and hopefully buy some of their art. My other main goal is that everyone has a great time. Soooo, we came up with the Eye Spy Art game. Will give our guests a card that has 10 hints about different art in the room. First, the guests "spy" the art, then they find the artist who made that piece and receive a raffle ticket for a chance to win gift certificates to use at the gallery. The more raffle tickets they get, the more chances they have to win. We will be giving away four $25 gift certificates and two $50 gifts certificates. Yep, we are generous gallery owners! Please mark your calendars for this Friday, October 12th from 6-8pm to come by Wood Icing Gallery and have some "Eye Spying" fun!

I took this picture of my Mom's paint and brushes. Not bad for an amateur, huh?

Also, my mom got some Chalk Paint(TM) with no labels so we have no idea what color is in the can. She has decided to have a guess the color of the chalk paint game and if you guess it right, you win a free wax brush which normally cost $35 so that's a great prize too.

"Like" us on Facebook and then say you will be joining us! Eye Spy Art Night at Wood Icing

And as always there will be wine!

Time Flies When You Are Opening a New Business!

So I have been MIA again, but for a good reason. I have been working very hard at a new business venture with my mom, Rose Wilde and two of my very good artist friends Mary Beth Shaw and Greg Barth. That is my dad in the picture after he finished hanging the new sign.

Our new store is called Wood Icing named after my mom and dad's business. My mom had been selling Wood Icing (the modeling paste that I use in my paintings) online for years and has decided to take it t the next level. Greg, Mary Beth and I have also decided to take our artistic careers to another level as well by making our fine art available to the public every day. We are offering our original art, framing services, photo services, workshops, and of course, the Wood Icing product in our store/gallery/studio.

Now, I can't lie, this has been stressful, but so exciting. The first day I worked with Mary Beth we both admitted we were excited to be there even though we had been there constantly painting and fixing the place up. Once we get everything into place, it is going to be such a great place to be. We plan to offer Girls night out, and helpful demos. It is the perfect combination of a sophisticated gallery, artsy hang out, and arts/crafts supply destination. We are welcoming crafty do it yourselfers, interior designers, faux finishers, artists, and art lovers. Obviously we hope people will consider us as they do their Christmas shopping. We offer many gifts anywhere from $10 and up.

So I guess I should mention where this super fun place is located. The Chesterfield Mall in Chesterfield, MO. We are located on the upper level next to Sears and across from Houlihan's. We are already open for business, but our Grand Opening is December 11, 12, and 13. We will have demos, cookies, Christmas Ornament painting, Greg is even planning to shoot free facebook photos, and we will be hosting a few special guest artists!

Oh and by the way, have you been to the mall lately? I forgot how fun the mall is. They have an H&M (love it) and GAP and Old Navy, and should I dare mention Aunt Annie's Pretzels. If my butt is bigger now you know why!