Art Print Issues by Barney Davey

What is a Giclée? Summer Repost

Ed. note: I'm taking some time off for vacation. It's a good time to repost some of the most popular articles from the past. Here's one from April 2007 that gots lots of comments. Read it and you'll see why.

It can be a humorous adventure to go on Web sites where digital reproduction are sold under the Giclée moniker and read the vain attempts to explain: what the word means; its genesis; how to pronounce it; or to accurately describe the process of creating digital reproductions.

Poor desciptions and explanations are a detriment to true acceptance

The reality for the art industry is it really isn't a laughing matter. There literally must be thousands of poorly informed and worse written descriptions floating around cyberspace these days. Many with futile attempts to inform collectors and surfers what the heck is a giclée. The term has become as nondescript and amorphous as the word "print."  The more the word and its description gets mucked up, the more confusing the term becomes to the public and the less ability it has to be a powerful valuable descriptor.

The information to learn about the word and its genesis is easily available

There isn't enough space here to go into the history and meaning of the word. However, I do commend to you the following information and strongly suggest any who are truly interested in understanding what a digital print or giclée is to spend time with these links. They provide the best most accurate detailed history I've seen. It is from Harald Johnson, author of Mastering Digital Printing (Digital Process and Print). Johnson generously offers these excerpts on his Web site pulled from the above-mentioned book: What's in a Name: The True Story of "Giclée" and Digital, Fine Art Printing Comes of Age.

If there is a soapbox here, it comes from the frustration some artists and printers have with the loose use of giclée to represent digital fine art reproductions. When a term can be used to describe a homemade print coming off an Epson desktop printer based a low resolution digital photograph or worse, an image scanned from a garden variety photograph and also a meticulously produced digital print that might have taken hours just to setup the image capture and more hours to thoroughly manipulate the RIP software and printer calibrations to produce a masterful faithful reproduction on fine art paper or canvas, then the industry has a problem.

It's only taken a short time to marginalize the term

In a nutshell, the term "giclée" has become nearly as generic as Kleenex. Did you know that the words aspirin, thermos and fridge all started as a trademarked name and look at them now. Giclée itself has never been trademarked. But there are many companies now trying to incorporate it into a trademark, Tru Giclée, UltraGiclée and a handful of others are being bandied about as companies such as Epson attempt to get their brand into the process. News flash, these marketing maneuvers are not going to help the industry as a whole; collectors are never going to clamor for an UltraGiclee or any other trademarked process. They will continue to trust dealers and gallerists to guide them to purchases based on their interest in the artist and the art.

Another debate regarding digital printing is there are those who think it is bad for business for companies such as Epson and H-P to be exhibiting at shows such as ArtExpo. They believe it confounds the pubic, confuses artists and does nothing to elevate the process. Remember, the whole reason giclée got into the vernacular was an attempt to move away from techie terms like computer generated digital print. That sounds like something you can make at home whereas giclée has that hoity-toity je ne sais quoi quality to it.

Does the term serve your needs today?

I don't blame anyone for using the term giclée, but I also don't blame those artists and printers who are moving away from it either now that it has come full circle and no longer has the cachet of something special. To be honest, seeing pixellated digital prints from well known highly publicized artists at ArtExpo adds yet more negativity and cynicism around the giclée moniker.  That's another post, but anyone looking at this can see it is problematic for the business.

Back in the day long before the first digital print hit the market when Bill Humberg was editor and publisher of Decor magazine, there was terminology used to delineate a fine art print such as an etching, mezzotint, etc., from a reproduction. Graphics were used to describe high-end pieces designed as originals in the print medium of choice, i.e., serigraphs, linocuts and so forth. Prints was used to describe those pieces that were reproductions. At that time they were primarily offset lithography on paper. Even then you saw poster publishers using graphics in their company names, but at least there was an effort to bring order to the confusing array of terminology.

Lack of governance means its the wide open west when it comes to adopting standards

The problems with getting everyone in the industry to use standards for descriptions will never cease. There is no governing body, no real authority to monitor usage and make positive changes where necessary. Where we go from here is anybody's guess. As individuals you can help by becoming and staying informed about correct terminology, printing processes and the business of the art print market. If you can clearly articulate what is a giclée to a lay person, you will help yourself and the industry in the process. If you can suggest changes to someone using the term inappropriately, you will help. With the ease of access to voluminous information available to all consumers these days, it's more important than ever for all involved to be forthright and clear on what we are selling to the public. It's harder to fool them, although my recent posts on convicted felons Kristine Eubanks and husband Gerald Sullivan and cruise ship art auctions belies that notion.

If you have followed my musings, you know I champion having open editions on giclées unless the editions are truly limited to very small sizes such as 95. Consumers realize it's easy to run off more copies once an image is digitized. With open editions, there is never the worry that more than the stated edition size was sold...it is a non-issue. To me, the issue ought to be selling the intrinsic value of the art on the paper or canvas without having to resort to a limited edition marketing gimmick.

The need and desire for limited editions will never completely pale

There will always be a place for limited editions, I just believe the giclée market is not the right place for them. Some limited edition prints might sell well for years if they were open. Imagine how much money is left on the table when something like that happens. Sure an artist can continue to paint more like before, but there is magic with some pieces that can't be recaptured. Often neither artist or publisher can say with authority that a certain piece will get legs and sell through the roof. But experienced ones know it happens and they can count on it, but can't tell you why. Limited edition giclées shut the door on such possibilities.

See you soon!

If you want to follow the comments follow this link: http://www.artprintissues.com/2007/04/what_is_a_gicle.html

It can be a humorous adventure to go on Web sites where digital reproduction are sold under the Giclée moniker and read the vain attempts to explain: what the word means; its genesis; how to pronounce it; or to accurately describe the process of creating digital reproductions.

Poor desciptions and explanations are a detriment to true acceptance

The reality for the art industry is it really isn't a laughing matter. There literally must be thousands of poorly informed and worse written descriptions floating around cyberspace these days. Many with futile attempts to inform collectors and surfers what the heck is a giclée. The term has become as nondescript and amorphous as the word "print."  The more the word and its description gets mucked up, the more confusing the term becomes to the public and the less ability it has to be a powerful valuable descriptor.

The information to learn about the word and its genesis is easily available

There isn't enough space here to go into the history and meaning of the word. However, I do commend to you the following information and strongly suggest any who are truly interested in understanding what a digital print or giclée is to spend time with these links. They provide the best most accurate detailed history I've seen. It is from Harald Johnson, author of Mastering Digital Printing (Digital Process and Print). Johnson generously offers these excerpts on his Web site pulled from the above-mentioned book: What's in a Name: The True Story of "Giclée" and Digital, Fine Art Printing Comes of Age.

If there is a soapbox here, it comes from the frustration some artists and printers have with the loose use of giclée to represent digital fine art reproductions. When a term can be used to describe a homemade print coming off an Epson desktop printer based a low resolution digital photograph or worse, an image scanned from a garden variety photograph and also a meticulously produced digital print that might have taken hours just to setup the image capture and more hours to thoroughly manipulate the RIP software and printer calibrations to produce a masterful faithful reproduction on fine art paper or canvas, then the industry has a problem.

It's only taken a short time to marginalize the term

In a nutshell, the term "giclée" has become nearly as generic as Kleenex. Did you know that the words aspirin, thermos and fridge all started as a trademarked name and look at them now. Giclée itself has never been trademarked. But there are many companies now trying to incorporate it into a trademark, Tru Giclée, UltraGiclée and a handful of others are being bandied about as companies such as Epson attempt to get their brand into the process. News flash, these marketing maneuvers are not going to help the industry as a whole; collectors are never going to clamor for an UltraGiclee or any other trademarked process. They will continue to trust dealers and gallerists to guide them to purchases based on their interest in the artist and the art.

Another debate regarding digital printing is there are those who think it is bad for business for companies such as Epson and H-P to be exhibiting at shows such as ArtExpo. They believe it confounds the pubic, confuses artists and does nothing to elevate the process. Remember, the whole reason giclée got into the vernacular was an attempt to move away from techie terms like computer generated digital print. That sounds like something you can make at home whereas giclée has that hoity-toity je ne sais quoi quality to it.

Does the term serve your needs today?

I don't blame anyone for using the term giclée, but I also don't blame those artists and printers who are moving away from it either now that it has come full circle and no longer has the cachet of something special. To be honest, seeing pixellated digital prints from well known highly publicized artists at ArtExpo adds yet more negativity and cynicism around the giclée moniker.  That's another post, but anyone looking at this can see it is problematic for the business.

Back in the day long before the first digital print hit the market when Bill Humberg was editor and publisher of Decor magazine, there was terminology used to delineate a fine art print such as an etching, mezzotint, etc., from a reproduction. Graphics were used to describe high-end pieces designed as originals in the print medium of choice, i.e., serigraphs, linocuts and so forth. Prints was used to describe those pieces that were reproductions. At that time they were primarily offset lithography on paper. Even then you saw poster publishers using graphics in their company names, but at least there was an effort to bring order to the confusing array of terminology.

Lack of governance means its the wide open west when it comes to adopting standards

The problems with getting everyone in the industry to use standards for descriptions will never cease. There is no governing body, no real authority to monitor usage and make positive changes where necessary. Where we go from here is anybody's guess. As individuals you can help by becoming and staying informed about correct terminology, printing processes and the business of the art print market. If you can clearly articulate what is a giclée to a lay person, you will help yourself and the industry in the process. If you can suggest changes to someone using the term inappropriately, you will help. With the ease of access to voluminous information available to all consumers these days, it's more important than ever for all involved to be forthright and clear on what we are selling to the public. It's harder to fool them, although my recent posts on convicted felons Kristine Eubanks and husband Gerald Sullivan and cruise ship art auctions belies that notion.

If you have followed my musings, you know I champion having open editions on giclées unless the editions are truly limited to very small sizes such as 95. Consumers realize it's easy to run off more copies once an image is digitized. With open editions, there is never the worry that more than the stated edition size was sold...it is a non-issue. To me, the issue ought to be selling the intrinsic value of the art on the paper or canvas without having to resort to a limited edition marketing gimmick.

The need and desire for limited editions will never completely pale

There will always be a place for limited editions, I just believe the giclée market is not the right place for them. Some limited edition prints might sell well for years if they were open. Imagine how much money is left on the table when something like that happens. Sure an artist can continue to paint more like before, but there is magic with some pieces that can't be recaptured. Often neither artist or publisher can say with authority that a certain piece will get legs and sell through the roof. But experienced ones know it happens and they can count on it, but can't tell you why. Limited edition giclées shut the door on such possibilities.

See you soon!

If you want to follow the comments follow this link: http://www.artprintissues.com/2007/04/what_is_a_gicle.html

It can be a humorous adventure to go on Web sites where digital reproduction are sold under the Giclée moniker and read the vain attempts to explain: what the word means; its genesis; how to pronounce it; or to accurately describe the process of creating digital reproductions.

Poor desciptions and explanations are a detriment to true acceptance

The reality for the art industry is it really isn't a laughing matter. There literally must be thousands of poorly informed and worse written descriptions floating around cyberspace these days. Many with futile attempts to inform collectors and surfers what the heck is a giclée. The term has become as nondescript and amorphous as the word "print."  The more the word and its description gets mucked up, the more confusing the term becomes to the public and the less ability it has to be a powerful valuable descriptor.

The information to learn about the word and its genesis is easily available

There isn't enough space here to go into the history and meaning of the word. However, I do commend to you the following information and strongly suggest any who are truly interested in understanding what a digital print or giclée is to spend time with these links. They provide the best most accurate detailed history I've seen. It is from Harald Johnson, author of Mastering Digital Printing (Digital Process and Print). Johnson generously offers these excerpts on his Web site pulled from the above-mentioned book: What's in a Name: The True Story of "Giclée" and Digital, Fine Art Printing Comes of Age.

If there is a soapbox here, it comes from the frustration some artists and printers have with the loose use of giclée to represent digital fine art reproductions. When a term can be used to describe a homemade print coming off an Epson desktop printer based a low resolution digital photograph or worse, an image scanned from a garden variety photograph and also a meticulously produced digital print that might have taken hours just to setup the image capture and more hours to thoroughly manipulate the RIP software and printer calibrations to produce a masterful faithful reproduction on fine art paper or canvas, then the industry has a problem.

It's only taken a short time to marginalize the term

In a nutshell, the term "giclée" has become nearly as generic as Kleenex. Did you know that the words aspirin, thermos and fridge all started as a trademarked name and look at them now. Giclée itself has never been trademarked. But there are many companies now trying to incorporate it into a trademark, Tru Giclée, UltraGiclée and a handful of others are being bandied about as companies such as Epson attempt to get their brand into the process. News flash, these marketing maneuvers are not going to help the industry as a whole; collectors are never going to clamor for an UltraGiclee or any other trademarked process. They will continue to trust dealers and gallerists to guide them to purchases based on their interest in the artist and the art.

Another debate regarding digital printing is there are those who think it is bad for business for companies such as Epson and H-P to be exhibiting at shows such as ArtExpo. They believe it confounds the pubic, confuses artists and does nothing to elevate the process. Remember, the whole reason giclée got into the vernacular was an attempt to move away from techie terms like computer generated digital print. That sounds like something you can make at home whereas giclée has that hoity-toity je ne sais quoi quality to it.

Does the term serve your needs today?

I don't blame anyone for using the term giclée, but I also don't blame those artists and printers who are moving away from it either now that it has come full circle and no longer has the cachet of something special. To be honest, seeing pixellated digital prints from well known highly publicized artists at ArtExpo adds yet more negativity and cynicism around the giclée moniker.  That's another post, but anyone looking at this can see it is problematic for the business.

Back in the day long before the first digital print hit the market when Bill Humberg was editor and publisher of Decor magazine, there was terminology used to delineate a fine art print such as an etching, mezzotint, etc., from a reproduction. Graphics were used to describe high-end pieces designed as originals in the print medium of choice, i.e., serigraphs, linocuts and so forth. Prints was used to describe those pieces that were reproductions. At that time they were primarily offset lithography on paper. Even then you saw poster publishers using graphics in their company names, but at least there was an effort to bring order to the confusing array of terminology.

Lack of governance means its the wide open west when it comes to adopting standards

The problems with getting everyone in the industry to use standards for descriptions will never cease. There is no governing body, no real authority to monitor usage and make positive changes where necessary. Where we go from here is anybody's guess. As individuals you can help by becoming and staying informed about correct terminology, printing processes and the business of the art print market. If you can clearly articulate what is a giclée to a lay person, you will help yourself and the industry in the process. If you can suggest changes to someone using the term inappropriately, you will help. With the ease of access to voluminous information available to all consumers these days, it's more important than ever for all involved to be forthright and clear on what we are selling to the public. It's harder to fool them, although my recent posts on convicted felons Kristine Eubanks and husband Gerald Sullivan and cruise ship art auctions belies that notion.

If you have followed my musings, you know I champion having open editions on giclées unless the editions are truly limited to very small sizes such as 95. Consumers realize it's easy to run off more copies once an image is digitized. With open editions, there is never the worry that more than the stated edition size was sold...it is a non-issue. To me, the issue ought to be selling the intrinsic value of the art on the paper or canvas without having to resort to a limited edition marketing gimmick.

The need and desire for limited editions will never completely pale

There will always be a place for limited editions, I just believe the giclée market is not the right place for them. Some limited edition prints might sell well for years if they were open. Imagine how much money is left on the table when something like that happens. Sure an artist can continue to paint more like before, but there is magic with some pieces that can't be recaptured. Often neither artist or publisher can say with authority that a certain piece will get legs and sell through the roof. But experienced ones know it happens and they can count on it, but can't tell you why. Limited edition giclées shut the door on such possibilities.

See you soon!

If you want to follow the comments follow this link: http://www.artprintissues.com/2007/04/what_is_a_gicle.html

Making Fine Art Prints - Perspective from a Photographer

Whether you are making digital fine art prints from photographs shot with the intention of recreating them as prints, photographs or scans of original 2D flat art, or creating something wholly digital through the array of tools for such purposes, you still need a way to get the product of your creativity on some substrate, usually paper or canvas.

There are different paths depending on where you start in the creative process. For photographers, it's going to be different from painters. This post is to alert you to a series of blog posts on fine art printing from Brian Auer, a San Diego based photographer. This description is taken from his website:

Brian Auer is a photography enthusiast from San Diego, California. He's also the guy behind the Epic Edits Weblog. As a hobbyist photographer since 2003, his passion has been to constantly improve his photography skill set, to share his own knowledge with others, and to become an integral part of the photographic community.

Brian is proof positive that one turned on person can make a difference. His Feedburner subscriber shows nearly 6,500 other enthusiasts share his passion for photography. To get that many subscribers, it takes more than passion. One has to impart knowledge, wisdom and insight in such a way that others want to tap into it. He serves a great role model for anyone looking to build a following, a Tribe, as Seth Godin accurately calls them in his bestselling book, Tribes: We Need You to Lead Us.

To give his readers easily digestible amounts of information, Brian has broken his article on Making Fine Art Prints into four parts. I am sure you will find it worth the time to review his thoughts on this subject. While you are on his site, check out the rest of what he offers his readers. There is a reason he has a large following.

While what he offers in the way of advice and insight is solid, it won't apply across the board to every artist. Nevertheless, there is useful information in his series of posts on making fine art prints. Perhaps just as importantly, there is much to be gained from studying how an self-proclaimed amateur photographer can carve out a meaningful place against the Internet's constantly changing means of putting together like minded folks. Bravo to Brian!

Is an On-site Print-on-demand Giclee Printer in your Future?

Living in the future, none of this has happened yet - Bruce Springsteen

Lightning Source International is the printer of my book, How to Profit from the Art Print Market. The company does a great job of making it widely available to booksellers both online and traditional with its print-on-demand technology. I can order one or 100 at great prices, but I don't bother with fulfillment. It's easier to let retailers such as Amazon.com and Barnes and Noble handle it for me. Today, I got what could be a glimpse of the future for the art print market. It's the Expresso Book Machine.

Brick and mortar retailers of all kinds are now going to be able to offer high-quality books delivered immediately on site. This development has interesting and potentially widespread implications for retailers. Can you imagine buying your favorite book while waiting for your Caffe Latte at your favorite coffee shop? I can.

Can Giclee prints delivered on demand be available in retail stores be far off?

With the constant evolution of digital printmaking capabilities, I imagine it is only time before Epson or HP, or one of their many competitors comes along with a plan to put on-site on-demand digital fine art prints in local retail stores. If a company such as Allposters.com, which along with its sister site, Art.com are the largest retailers of art prints worldwide decide this is a market it wants to be in, it could bring yet another game changing development to the art print market. Granted, the print speed for making digital prints, aka giclees, is nowhere near the speed of making a book as shown in the video here. But, quality and speed continue increase dramatically.

Should such technology come along for the art print market, it wouldn't necessarily be just to the advantage of the big retailers like Art.com. I think it could be a way for local artists, perhaps art guilds, to level the playing field. As threatening such a development could be to established fine art giclee printers, it could also be an opportunity for them to create new markets for themselves as well. This is high concept thinking. There would be a multitude of details before an idea like would come to fruition.

Nevertheless, as much as things have changed in the business over the past decade, I think we are just beginning to understand the dramatic developments of the way visual artists will get their work to market in years to come. Stay tuned, the future is just around the corner. It's only promise is it will not be as we know things now and opportunities will abound for those who embrace the changes.

P.S. The deadline to register to win a Milton Glaser signed poster is May 31. Here is the scoop:

Milton Glaser Documentary Premiers May 22: You can win a signed poster promoting it or his book! ' http://bit.ly/bBxor 

Milton Glaser Documentary Premiers May 22: Register to win a poster or book!

Register to win a Milton Glaser Poster or book from Art Print Issues (Ed. note, the drawing has concluded and the winners notified)

For many, Milton Glaser is the personification of American graphic design.  Best known for co-founding New York Magazine and the enduring I ♥ NY campaign, the full breadth of Glaser’s remarkable artistic output is revealed in this documentary portrait, MILTON GLASER: TO INFORM AND DELIGHT.  From newspapers and magazine designs, to interior spaces, logos, and brand identities, to his celebrated prints, drawings, posters and paintings, the documentary offers audiences a much richer appreciation for one of the great modern renaissance men.

Artfully directed by first time filmmaker Wendy Keys, the film glances into everyday moments of Glaser’s personal life and captures his immense warmth and humanity, and the boundless depth of his intelligence and creativity.

The documentary premiere is set for May 22. Look for it at an arthouse theatre near you. You are certain to be delighted. 

Last year, I wrote a post reprinting, with Mr. Glaser's kind permission, his iconic 10 Things I Have Learned. To help illustrate the post, he kindly provided a marvelous image titled The Secret of Art. It neatly showcases his  eye and elegance, and his wit and wisdom.

Register to win a Milton Glaser poster like the one above or or a copy of his book, Drawing Is Thinking from Art Print Issues (ed. note The drawing closed and the winners have been notified.)

In honor of the film premiere, and to help raise awareness for it, we are conducting a no-obligation raffle where you will have the chance to win a poster like the one above or a copy of Drawing is Thinking.

 

The rules are simple.

• To register, follow this link and enter your name and email address.
• All entries will be placed in a spreadsheet. A random number generator will be used to determine the winners.
• Winners will need to provide a valid USPS address for free shipping. 
• Multiple entries, duplicate names and email addresses will be disqualified.
• The drawing will take place on May 31.
• Winners will be annouced here and notified by email in early June.

Jack Vettriano Paints Sexiness, Establishes Heartbreak Publishing

The Temptress - Jack Vettriano

"Jack Vettriano is the nation's most successful living artist – his prints outselling the likes of Klimt and Monet. In a frank interview the 'people's painter' talks about his obsession with women of a certain type, why he felt he had to leave Scotland and his ongoing battle to be taken seriously" -

 

Anne Mackenzie in Scotland on Sunday, March 18, 2008

 

Jack Vettriano is more than Scotland's most successful living artist. He is one of the most successful living artists of his era. Sales of his most famous work, The Singing Butler, are reported to make it the best-selling print in the world.

 

As with virtually all visual artists who have enjoyed astronomical art print sales, Vettriano has the uncanny knack of communicating viscerally, emotionally and cerebrally with his collectors. There is no way to fabricate such a connection. It has to come instinctively from the artist.

 

I paint what moves me - sexiness

 

In an article titled, "I paint what moves me - sexiness - Jack Vettriano interview", and from which the opening quote is taken, the painter has this to say, "I could turn out an abstract painting for you but it wouldn't be coming from the heart. What I paint is what moves me." With the sales of his prints and licensing deals that move astonishing amounts of work, it is apparent what moves Vettriano also moves many consumers worldwide as well.

 

Jack Vettriano establishes new art publishing company, Heartbreak Publishing

 

In February 2009, Vettriano established his own publishing company where he is co-owner. It is appropriately named Heartbreak Publishing.Unlike the most typical pattern of many successful artists who go off to start their own solo publishing venture, Vettriano's business model was established to publish his works  and other artists, photographers and designers including: Johanna Basford, David Brayne, Michael Clark, Jacqui Denby, Paul Manousso and Fredi Marcarini. Given the degree of difficulty in launching any publishing business, it is a remarkable and commendable undertaking for Vettriano to cast his net and include other artists.

 

It seems unlikely to me Jack Vettriano plotted to make paintings that would tap the zeitgeist of a generation in such a way to sell incredible amounts of prints and simultaneously pull in a half million or more in USD for his originals. It seems equally unlikely any artist could successfully calculate and execute such a plan. As with great success in any of the arts, there has to be an intersection where talent, ambition, the ability to touch and influence buyers and a bit of luck all come together to produce it.

 

Talent of another sort is required to continually create new works that sell well

 

The trick is to not be a one-trick pony, but rather to continue to mine the mother-lode. That requires staying in tune with collector tastes and  keeping interest in continuing to create new interesting compelling images that reflect an artist's style, but which also show growth. I don't think there is an art school or a business school that can teach such skills. Some of it is inherent or instinctual, some of it comes from gaining business knowledge, some comes from being managed in a way that leverages the interest in the artist's work without overcooking it, but rather a steady simmer.

 

At the end of the day, no one can simply coach Vettriano or any other really successful artist to flatly follow some pre-disposed plan marketing plan to create success. That is well and good, but it takes more. The smart artists take clues from wherever they come. It can be from family, friends and rivals. It can be from business partners, the daily news or notes from collectors. However, ultimately when Vettriano or any other artist sit at the easel, it becomes a solitary task to wring an image from imagination and talent.

 

The desire to sit at the easel and work on the painting has to be compellingly strong. In Vettriano's case it pulled him away from an engineering career and a marriage. You see it over and over where the need to create is so compelling it is life altering. Under the right circumstances you get a Jack Vettriano, or maybe a Bruce Springsteen who reportedly wrote 1500 songs before breaking into the big time with his music career.

 

The best bait will not make the fish bite. They come on their own terms.

 

When the magic that is in a would be best-selling image is released to the public, it gets a life of its own. Yes, it can be expertly advertised, publicized and skillfully promoted, but if the fish aren't biting, no amount bait will bring them in. Vettriano is a perfect example of that notion that the most successful artists help us define ourselves, express ourselves and connect us in communal ways.

 

Jack Vettriano has proven the community that shares an interest in his work can be vast and be vastly profitable for him. It will be fun to observe the success of his new publishing venture boldly launched in a most financially disturbing time. I wish him well and hope his success helps keep the interest in the art print market strong for artists, dealers, retailers, consumers and other new publishers too.

The Best of Times, The Worst of Times

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to heaven, we were all going direct the other way - in short, the period was so far like the present period, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only.

Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities
English novelist (1812 - 1870)

Art and commerce - Making room for both

Some find pursuing commerce in parallel with producing art a soulless pursuit. I can understand such sentiment. Since this blog mainly is about the business of art; about helping artists make a living from their art, I suppose not many who feel that way regularly read it. 

Just acknowledging art comes from an intensely personal place makes it easy to grasp that sales and marketing activities sullies the process for some artists. The Art Biz Coach, Alyson Stanfield, neatly summed up the notion in the title of her bestselling book, I'd Rather Be in the Studio.

On a personal level, I quite honestly would rather write for a living than work at marketing and sales for a high tech firm. It's not that the work is distasteful or unrewarding because it is neither. It's just not what I'd do if I didn't have a need for decent benefits and a steady income. With no regrets, I suppose if I'd had the epiphany to think this way in younger years, I would have done things differently. Younger artists reading this, please take note.

Many very successful print artists rose through the ranks of illustrators

If you study the history of many artists who have "made it", you find a common thread. That is, many of them supported themselves by toiling away doing other things. Look at the number of fine artists who began as illustrators and ended up with significant careers in the print market. Their ranks make an impressive "Who's Who" list, including Howard Behrens,  Arnold Friberg, Richard Thompson, Norman Rockwell and Andy Warhol. A list that represents a mere smattering of artists who traveled this path.

In some ways, a career starting as an illustrator is the ideal training vehicle for would-be fine artists who seek a commercially viable career. They learn to create art that is both utilitarian and beautiful on demand. They learn the value of creating art that enhances commercial efforts. They learn to imbue their creativity into mundane things. Who could argue with the outcome?

There are those who decry the ongoing decline in the use of traditional illustrators who have seen their role usurped by technology and digital art. It is sad to think the system that bore so much fruit is no longer as necessary and one wonders how will new artists find their way now. From a nostalgic perspective, I agree. From a realistic perspective, I accept and welcome change and the unexpected outcome it will bring.

We are on the precipice of being amazed by how the best among us use technology to create art

I'm eager to see what the future holds for young graphic designers and artists working their magic on Wacom tablets in Painter, Illustrator, Photoshop and similar programs today. It will be fun to see how they have learned to harness the power of technology. It's hard to imagine what they will bring forth from their own experiences toiling away in the halls of commerce while simultaneously working on their skills and building a body of work. This is not to say there aren't already plenty of examples of artists creating phenomenal digital art that is creative, beautiful and thought provoking because there is. It is more to say years or decades of experience in a disciplined field tend to produce results unlike any other.

Some worry that technology tends to dumb down the culture with a "Calculators have no place in school rooms" mentality. The logical extension would be Photoshop, Painter and Illustrator make it too easy for hacks to get by. I argue the intrinsic qualities that make an artist unique will make that artist stand out against the best equipped hack. And, despite the occasional slip, the wisdom of crowds nearly always prevails allowing the best among us to properly be recognized and rewarded.

Making the argument that these are the worst of times is not difficult today

The state of the economy and the scary news around it is as great as nearly any living person can recall. Reading the front page or watching the evening news is a testament to our fortitude. Can any of us honestly do these things without feeling a bit or a lot uneasy? Certainly, what we are living through with unending waves of layoffs, bankruptcies, foreclosures and shocking economic bad news in many ways qualifies as the worst of times. You'll get no argument here.

It is just as easy to make the argument this is the best of times for artists

I've said it before and will continue to say it as long as the many years ahead I plan to write this blog: This is a great time to be an artist. I go beyond just saying it's great timing to be a visual artist, which encompasses fine artists, photographers, digital artists and graphic designers. It arguably is a great time to be a musician, an actor, or a writer, too.

Technology has made so many things possible, like this blog, for instance. Print-on-demand technology and increasing advancements in video and audio recording all put tremendous power in the hands of individual artists. Couple those advancements with the ability to deliver their creative output via the Internet and other digital distribution methods and you have a strong argument for this being the best of times. I think it is easy to forget that in the good old days breaking in as an artist in any genre was tough. It still is. What is different now is that artists of all stripes can make their own luck in ways not available to previous generations.

Life's checks and balances seem fully in play just now

Perhaps it is the curse that comes with the blessing that these remarkable tools and advancements would arrive at a time of tremendous hardship and difficulty for many of us. Just as we are poised to make and deliver our best work, brilliantly made and eloquently presented, we are struck with a collector pool stunned by bad news and fears of worse to come.

It seems to me this is a time to learn not only how to harness technology for our individual gains, but also to learn how to use it in new ways to make for the collective good. That is for our fellow artists and for our shared body of collectors. How such a quaint and grandiose notion gets implemented is not for this post. It is rather for an ongoing dialog between all interested parties.

The light-speed evolution of social media and networking offers unwanted diversion and welcome opportunity

Most of us are still grasping with how to make good use and not foolish waste of time use of new and interesting tools such as Facebook, Twitter, blogs and even Web sites, for that matter. To be alive now is to be a living witness to changes that we feel and see everyday which ultimately will take us to new and different ways of making art and making distribution channels to deliver it. Some of these tools will go the way of VHS tapes and audio cassettes while other will evolve into deeply integrated aspects of our lives on nearly every level. It will be the best of times and a bit of a joy ride to participate and see how it all unfolds. You'll be telling future generations about these times.

Don't stop now

Technology is not a tool to make the works of hacks and amateurs passable. In the hands of the most talented, it will lift us and inspire us in ways we have yet to imagine. To my mind, it is the worst of times to be a pessimist and the best of times to be an optimist. It is a time to cautiously go forth with one's best plans, and to be cautiously aware those plans will need to be monitored and adjusted to inevitable changes. If you are like everyone else, you have already slowed your roll a bit, which is natural and prudent. I do admonish you, however, to keep on moving and leave you with the wisdom of the Great Depression era's best humorist and philosopher: 

Even if you're on the right track, you'll get run over if you just sit there.
Will Rogers (1879 - 1935)

Art in the Digital World - 3rd Anniversary for Art Print Issues

Faithful readers of words that tumble out my head into this blog post know I'm favored to author the occasional guest blog post for Absolute Arts, which is one of the leading and most comprehensive sites covering the fine art scene. It's impressive Google Page Rank of 7 attests to its popularity and traffic. (For those of you interested in Page Rank and who don't want to hurt their non-math non-tech brain trying to follow the logic on the link above, you can just read this paragraph from the Smashing Magazine article about it:

Each Page Rank level is progressively harder to reach.“PageRank is logarithmic in its calculation. In the same way that the earthquake Richter scale is exponential in calculation, so too is the mathematics behind Google PageRank. It takes one step to move from a PR0 to a PR1, it takes a few more steps to PR3, it takes even more steps to PR4, and many more steps again to PR5, and so one.” [Google Page Rank FAQ]

Art in the Digital World - It's Bigger Than You Think

Should you rather read a ramble with an interesting take on how the digital world intersects in the art world, reading my Absolute Arts blog post is here for your pleasure: Art in the Digital World. It is ambitious in trying to cover lots of ground while connecting more than a few bits and bytes along the way.

Happy Birthday Art Print Issues - Three Years Old and Picking Up Speed

Finally, this blog celebrates three years of posts in this format this month. The first back in February 23, 2006 started a string nearly 200 more since. If you count the articles in the blog's digital newsletter format begun in mid-2005, the list is closer to 250 posts.

Blog Post Triage Keeps the Patient (Post Prospects) Alive

I have never been at a point where I wondered what to write about next. For every post that was planned, there were probably two closer to being extemporaneous wanderings and musings on whatever was firing on my synapses at the time.

My regret is not having the time to get all the thoughts, ideas and suggestions that pop into my head and which I think merit pursuing into the blog. It's like blog post triage much of the time. But, in this case the patient always lives at least enough to be resuscitated at a later date. My trusty other brain helps me keep track of loose thoughts and blog topic prospects.

I'm humbled and honored to have each and every one of you who take your time to read my words. And, I'm eager to keep cranking them out for your edification, entertainment and help in improving your art careers. It's not unlike painting. The more you do, the better you get at it and the more you want to do it. And should others take a fancy to the output, then all the better. 

Charles Fazzino - Pop artist keeps work, style & attitude fresh - looking forward to ArtExpo 2009

Charles Fazzino - Bleeker Street

You've read here often, and in my book, that I believe being distinguishable because your work weaves a recognizable thread through it is beneficial. When you look at the careers of successful artists, especially in the print market, it is not difficult to grasp why being known for having a "style" works for them on multiple levels.

There is an argument that having or being known for a "style" effectively buries one's talent. Artist  Martin Stankewitz has gone so far to eloquently and vociferously argue this very point in his Squidoo lens: art style - how to bury your talent. I get his point and passion, but there is another side to the argument.

When I look at the oeuvre of Charles Fazzino, I see a definitive style. I also see a joyful artistic process that has given him tremendous visibility in the art community and with thousands upon thousands of collectors world wide for three decades. If you have ever seen his work, when you see it again, it is instantly recognizable. Despite the irresistible cheeriness in nearly all of his work, you will also find it presented with a social conscious. Proving you don't have to paint in depression to make a serious point.

Last year, I wrote a post mortem opinion piece titled ArtExpo New York - The Show Must Go On  wherein I did my best to lay out what I saw happening there and why it is important to support the show. In March 2008, most in the art business had already seen storm warnings of serious impending financial problems, but few, myself included, knew the full force of the storm. What's happened in the ensuing 12 months has worsened conditions dramatically and all but capped any hopes of a resurgent show there this year. Many are hoping to ride out the storm and wait for better days, show organizers included.

Charles Fazzino is not one to sit out bad times. He recently added a comment to that post about his preparations for the 2009 ArtExpo New York show coming up in just a few days. He is going well prepared with cautious optimism and I wish him and all the participants whether attendees, exhibitors and show management well. It is certain to be a difficult show compared to the glory years not that long ago. The show has have been hurt by the Las Vegas ArtExpo experience which opened on the Friday when the Dow Jones Industrials took a 500 point dive signalling more downward pressure to come. Still strong hearted optimist stalwarts like Charles Fazzino will be there to make the most of whatever opportunities arise.

So, hats off to one of the most collected and well known artists of the past 30 years. He shows no signs of slowing down or of abandoning his signature style that has only earned him tremendous reward and recognition. Check out the impressive bio and collector list below from his Web site: 

Kind Words for How to Profit from the Art Print Market - Using Google Alerts Effectively

I suppose it is possible one can read my blog and not realize I am also the author of the book, How to Profit from the Art Print Market. If you are interested, you can click on the cover image on the top right of the page to get more information. The text link below the image will take you to a free download of Chapter One. I'm proud it has remained a top seller on the Amazon.com "Business of Art" list since it was first published. It's also been excerpted in The Artist's Magazine and been a selection in its sister operation, the North Light Book Club.

Here is a tip. If you are not using Google Alerts, consider doing so. The following reasons to use the service are directly taken from the Google Alert home page:

• monitoring a developing news story
• keeping current on a competitor or industry
• getting the latest on a celebrity or event
• keeping tabs on your favorite sports teams

Use keywords to keep up

I use a variety of keywords to help me stay up on industry developments. Warning: If you pile on a bunch of terms, you can quickly fill up your inbox and find yourself feeling overwhelmed trying to keep up. I suggest starting with a few terms and seeing how they return, then modify or add accordingly.

Apply the power of Six Degrees of You to promote your work

While I don't have time to read stories about local events, it is a good suggestion for any artist with a desire to build a local/regional following to keep tabs on the art scene haps in your area. For example, the search term "art shows Phoenix" brought up useful items. Over time, you will be pleased at the ideas you garner for promoting your art, or for finding contact names worth pursuing in your ongoing Six Degrees of You marketing practice.

Track your own name, or company name

You should not be surprised I use my name for a search term. It is to help me find blog posts or news items about me or my book. I track my name to be able comment on posts with it or thank the author for the digital nod, etc. Admittedly, I get back more results not related to me. I unfortunately find more stories about Barney Frank, Barneys retail operation, and Barney the Purple Dinosaur than me. My name is somewhat unique, so I can only imagine the results if it were more common.

Show sincere gratitude

The most recent result was from a relatively new blogger named Assanti. He kindly reviewed my book, How to Profit from the Art Print Market. It's obvious reading the review it was translated from another language into English. The reviewer went so far to provide some very good suggestions for any follow up I might produce. To a large degree, that is the point of this blog -- to carry on the original thoughts in the book and apply and update contemporary circumstances to them.

Some of the prose in the translation creates a unique slightly amusing interpretation of the review. Here is an example:

Visual artists will find this pursue to be an cherished quotation. It provide insight, notice, example and materials; all designed to aid demystify the arcane world of art print marketing. By erudition to accurately appraise their resources, which grades in making sagacious choice, artists can cut copious frustration with avoid futile method and front themselves to glory in the print souk.

I have already commented on the blog to thank the poster for the kind words with assurance I will take the suggestions seriously. However put, I do have as my mission helping artists use the print market to advance their careers and smooth out the cash flow in the process.

Three Art Marketing & Art Publishing Links to Make You Think!

It goes without saying, there is a great amount of very good information for visual artists to be found on the Internet. That so many put forth the effort to share what they know is remarkable. These folks, all of whom have full lives, are to be commended for their efforts.

We'll start with post from Myron Arndt. He has been a publisher in the art print market for many years. Long enough to have observed the many twists and turns this market segment has taken. I'm sure he's like me and would not have predicted a few years back how much the open edition print market has changed. Undaunted, he provides some straightforward advice in his Art Business Thoughts blog post titled: 10 Simple Things Artists Should Know About Reproductions. As the title implies, the information is simple, but knowing and paying attention to it can make a big difference when you are gearing up for the print market.

The art market is full of terms that have multiple meanings. For instance, ask 10 people what is a print and you get my drift. This next link, Getting Your Artwork Published, is from gifted pen of Lori Woodward Simons. Now, when I hear getting art published, I go straight to thinking about someone like Myron Arndt at his Island Art Publishers taking on an artist's work.

Not so fast, Lori's article is all about getting your work published in a print magazine. The same term takes a different meaning under her tutelage. Her article, published on Clint Watson's splendid Fine Art Views blog, where she is a regular contributor, gives great insight borne from years of her personal experience and observation.

I've long been a proponent of getting publicity wherever possible. Lori's advice on how to go about it should be must reading for any artist seeking to get wider exposure via traditional media. Good publicity is worth its weight in gold. You just can't buy the credibility that comes with the strong implied third-party endorsement of a well placed media piece.

Now that you have some ideas for making prints and how to go about getting recognition for your work, you need some ideas on how to get it to market. Who better to give you a unique twist, one you probably haven't given much thought, than Alyson Stanfield, in her Art Marketing Action newsletter? Recently, she published a piece titled, Get People to Sell Your Art for You. The article has great ideas and links to dig further into affiliate marketing.

True to form, after hearing from her readers, she followed up with more thoughts in her Art Biz Blog to offer more clarity on the subject. You can read Is Affiliate Marketing for You? there. It asks and answers the questions about whether such marketing techniques are useful for everyone. The answer, is of course, no. As with any serious undertaking, you have to judge your fitness and desire to take on projects no matter how promising they seem. One thing is for certain, getting good solid advice from art industry veterans such as the fine folks featured here can only help your cause.