Elegant Editions

Choosing the right kind of paint is like falling in love… you just know it when it happens, and it feels as if no other paint would do. The reasons are a combination of personality, skills, confidence and knowledge of the medium itself.

Oils

Oil-based paint is typically slow-drying, consisting of particle pigments suspended in linseed oil. Brightness and glossiness is enhanced by adding turpentine, white spirit, varnish or other alcohol-based thinners.

what makes oils desirable is the durability of the paint and its versatility, as it can be used on canvas as well as other interior and exterior surfaces such as wood and metal.

When it comes to canvas applications, the amount of paint and the patience to apply it with the right timing and strokes, often bears splendid results and the prospect of enjoying the resulting artwork for a very long time.

One of the concerns when using oils extensively is the occasional presence of potentially toxic pigments, among which lead is the one typically at the center of attention. Modern pigments however have evolved to a point where health risks are significantly reduced, through the use of less toxic zinc or titanium-based pigments.

Watercolors

The desirable feature of watercolors is in the transparency. All watercolors, except for Guache, are transparent on some level, and are made of four main components:

The Pigment is a natural, synthetic, mineral or organic powder suspended in the Binder, a suspension liquid made of Arabic gum. Additives like glycerin, ox gall or honey are used as preservatives and to alter the transparency, viscosity and other properties of the paint. The Solvent is used to dilute the paint and it evaporates as the paint dries.

Enthusiasts of water-based paint are known to appreciate the paint best when it is not diluted with extra solvents, as watercolors are made to be used in their full range of paint consistency, and use dilution only when necessary.

One of the concerns from painters attempting to use watercolors for the first time, is typically how fast the paint dries. The time allowed to mix colors directly on canvas is considerably less than what oils allow, which is why many develop quickly a habit of pre-mixing a certain palette range in paint wells. This may be considered a disadvantage by some, and yet, also a way to develop and broad knowledge of color mixing.

One common misconception around watercolors is that oils are believed to be significantly more resistant to light exposure. This is actually very inaccurate, as modern watercolors, Guache and acrylics have evolved to a point that many water-based paints produce artwork able to withstand light exposure and retain its original properties, even better than oils, especially when coupled with archival paper.

Considerations:

Art is expression, it’s a feeling, and there is no rule set in stone that should stir a painter from using one medium versus another. When considerable knowledge is gained in understanding advantages and disadvantages in using oils as well watercolors, it all comes down to the artist’s personal choice. For some it’s a love/hate thing, others will not care, as long as the paint allows them to feel free to express their vision.

A general analysis.

New Yorker’s columnist as well as former Washington Post journalist and author of “Outliers”, Malcolm Gladwell,  deducted a clever and interesting theory in regard to how certain outstanding individuals were able to reach wealth and recognition beyond the common man’s imagination.

In his dissertations, Gladwell theorizes that in order to achieve equal or greater success compared to that of personalities such as Bill Gates or Christopher Langan, a degree of dedication to one’s own art, science or otherwise, must very closely match the behavioral profile of some obsessive-compulsive disorders, for at least a total of 10,000 hours of continuous practice.

Many fine art scholars may not know this rule, but it is without question that those who stand out are prone to provide the validity of this theory in one way or another.

Talent, in fact, is not born in itself, but it is rather cultivated by the minds with the most interest and determination. Outstanding talent is very much like madness. It is relentless almost maniacal, to the point of interfering with one’s own personal and public life, unless the gifted individual in surrounded by people with enough sensibility to understand the obsession in question.

Many artists have wonderful fulfilling relationships, blessed by sensible partners with enough open-mindedness to realize the potential. Others are notoriously and publicly exploited, sometimes unknowingly, as outstanding talent does not go unnoticed by the opportunist.

The level of obsession, or rather “persistence of vision”, needed to achieve ultimate success in a specific field, is often mistaken for “innate talent”, where outsiders will feel as if the gifted individual displays talent in an almost “unnatural way”, as if techniques, procedures or textbook knowledge were already there where none was supposed to be. Often times this will spawn feelings of envy and frustration in those who do strive for the same success but lack the drive the exceptionally talented seems to be “born” with. The truth, as it has been already postulated, is that there is no such thing as “natural talent”, however there IS such thing as “compulsion”.

Much of the mechanisms that are part of this process are unknown, for what seems to draw a separation between “bad compulsions” such as what is commonly known as debilitating psychological impairment, and “good compulsion”, which is what pushes an individual into compulsively study or perform a task / procedure which induces in turn a sensation of extreme fulfillment. When this occurs, any art or science will no longer be daunting tasks to be tackled. the road for extreme success is paved by positively directed madness.

One thing is certain: any person with an adequate interest in a particular field, the resources necessary, as well as a particularly supporting environment, is likely to achieve considerable success, as long as constant practice and dedication is applied by the individual and encouraged by the surrounding environment.

The key to success in fine arts, as well as in any other goal in life, is indeed persistence of vision.

When a limited edition art piece becomes so popular that the demand outnumbers the quantity of limited edition giclee prints initially set, extending the number of prints for said edition may seem an ideal course of action, when in fact, it is a recipe for disaster.

The purest purpose of creating a limited edition for any piece of fine art, is to bestow upon the buyer the privilege of becoming owner of something unique and exclusive, something so special that can only be released in a limited number of copies.

Any art collector regards to the number of an edition piece as something more than an ordering system, it is a signature within the signature, a seal of value and integrity, released by the artist under the promise that no more originals will be released beyond the initially set number, according to the quality and importance of the artwork.

The definition of Giclee goes much farther than the mere practice of reproducing fine art. When a Giclee print of an original art piece is commissioned by the original artist, that print should be considered as an art piece by itself, whether it’s printed on canvas, calico, paper or any other suitable media. The quality of Giclee allows for the replication of seamless details, so fine and crisp that only a trained eye could spot the difference between the print and its hand-painted counterpart.

This is why the creation of a limited edition of giclee prints should be planned strategically and intelligently, considering the true value of the artwork itself.

A limited edition that is too vast in regard to the reputation of the artists and the quality of the execution will find very few buyers unless the price is set accordingly, whereas an edition that counts only few issues, from an artist who enjoys a vast and syndicated reputation, will sell for much more.

The serial integrity of a limited edition will also spark the interest of third party re-sellers who understand that once a limited edition has completely sold out, the issues in their hands can be sold at a higher price, hence acquiring collector value.

What sets art marketing aside from consumer-based marketing is the emphasis on quality, popularity of the artist, integrity of the pieces released and many other factors that defines the definition of collector value.

Save money while taking control of the size of your work.

Painting on canvas is unlike many fine-art surfaces, however the cost of a pre-stretched canvas can be heavy on the budget. Let’s find out the way to put together a stretched canvas, without stretching your budget.

Any good art supply store will be able to provide with the following necessary items:

1. Primed or unprimed canvas, as big as the size you are planning for your artwork. A valid alternative to unprimed canvas is also heavy-duty unbleached calico, which can be purchased  at any fabric store.
2. Four stretch-bars, which can be custom made with some DIY skills or purchased in two sets of different lengths to create a rectangular canvas.
3. A staple gun and staples. Alternatively carpet tacks and a hammer can be just as useful.
4. Canvas pliers, essential to make the process easier and faster.

Laying out the stretch bars is the first phase in which we’ll plan the size and shape of our artwork. Different aspect ratios can be achieves through using different length for the horizontal or vertical bars.

In most cases, stretch bars are constructed to clip together, hence avoiding the need to use nails or other methods to keep the frame together.

Once the frame is complete, we will roll out the canvas on a flat, clean surface and lay the frame on top of it. It is important to pay attention to the size of the frame, and to leave enough canvas beyond the outer edges of the frame to allow the canvas to fold over the back of the stretch bars. Excess canvas can always be cut away at a later time if needed.

As a rule of thumb, attaching the canvas to the frame should be executed from the middle outwards and in opposites. Locate the middle of the edge of the canvas along the frame and staple it, three times, roughly two inches apart between staples.

Pull the canvas as tight as you can and repeat the same for the remaining three sides. This is where canvas pliers will come in handy.

Fold neatly the canvas at the edges and staple one fold on top of the other. If needed, the frame can be tightened by tapping the frame keys in, but this practice should not be relied upon excessively. Removing the staples and starting again will give better and more stable results.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Contact:
Greg Prior
Elegant Editions
408-298-1686
greg@eleganteditions.com
http://eleganteditions.com

Midjo-Pasto: The blurred line between Teacher and Student

Two artists, two renaissance men who found in the expression of art, the product of a life-long research into parallel fields resulting in a revolution of thought and perception on canvas.

Christian Midjo, born a Norwegian in 1880 as an incredibly gifted and prolific artist and professor, pioneer in conveying the harshness of his homeland through striking cloud formation, and the impeccable use of shadows and sunlight.

Tarmo Abraham Pasto, of Finnish descent, a child of few years after the turn of the 19th century, was Christian Midjo’s outstanding student, born in the same year as Paul Cezanne, 1906, he was a psychologist, a writer, a researcher, as well as having played a key role in drawing the psychological profile of Jack Ruby during the trial for the assassination of Lee Harvey Oswald in 1963.

The turn of the 19th century, in a time where arts, literature, science and research were young and untamed, we find two extraordinary individuals being born and maturing through it, whose art display alone still conveys fundamental and undeniable teachings in the use of color, form and space.

Artworks by Christian Midjo and Tarmo Pasto are now on display in their entirety, as high-resolution color-matched scans on our website at ElegantEditions.com. The life-like characteristics of the paintings have been preserved through the use of a Better Light Scan Back, which allows for up to 192 Megapixels digital resolution, conferring digital reproductions with unmatched fidelity and gamut.

Additional information and a complete bio on the life and art of Christian Midjo and Tarmo Pasto can be found at the following website: http://www.midjo-pasto-gallery.com

For additional information Contact:

Greg Prior
Elegant Editions
408-298-1686
greg@eleganteditions.com
http://eleganteditions.com

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Company History:

Greg and Sharon Prior, owners of Elegant Editions, have been in the business of creating dazzling Giclee fine art reproductions for eleven years, with the care and experience matured from being genuine artists themselves.

How it all began.

The story begins in 1998 when Joe and Lynn Ediem were looking to start a home based business. They had a friend in New Mexico who did Giclee printing. They contacted her, and purchased a large format printer from Colorspan.

Fast forward to 2002, Joe and Lynn were growing tired of the printing business, and wanted to completely retire from working. Sharon Prior had painted a yellow rose she wanted to have prints of. She asked a friend who she knew had had prints made in the past. The friend gave her Joe’s contact information but, she added, “I don’t know if he is still doing this”.

Sharon contacted Joe and talked him into letting her stop by. He showed her what he did and all of the equipment he had. He then said it was all for sale and he wanted out of the printing business. 

Sharon and her husband Greg Prior were working on remodeling their kitchen at the time, instead the money went into buying “Colorful Reflections”, as Joe named the business.  Sharon asked if he would help train whoever bought the equipment. He said yes, Sharon and Greg bought it all, and Elegant Editions began.

Greg Prior’s interest in art and printed artworks started in high-school, at UCSD where he built his first dark room in 1965. He was the school photographer for sports and the yearbook, as well as having worked for a photographer in La Jolla, CA doing studio and architectural work.

In 1985 Greg moved to Silicon Valley  and started in display technology, including color work. Initially Greg worked in electronics and then added optics.  This dovetailed nicely with the printing business which is quite color intensive, requiring a working knowledge of input, working, and output color profiles, color space conversion, and how the scanned and proofed images equate to the color numbers on the computer.

Both Sharon and Greg have created artworks, and Greg used to do quite a bit of work in jewelry, including designing and fabricating metal work, and faceting gemstones to mount in the metal work. Greg has done also some works in watercolors, while Sharon has done more work in watercolors, as well as ceramics. Greg gathered knowledge of Photography, jewelry, gemstones, and printing all on-the-job, mostly self-taught, including quite a bit of book reading, research, and scientific experiments.

Greg continued researching equipment throughout the years, and decided to add a Betterlight scan back instead of scanning film captures of the artworks.

This dramatically improved the time required to match the colors to the original. Virtually every piece of film that came in was different, along the lines of 10 different kinds of Kodak film plus many more from Ilford, Fuji, etc.

All had different lighting with different amounts of cross polarization. There was just no standardization.

Going straight to digital meant that the scanner could be calibrated and profiled (computer color corrected). It took about 80% less time to get a proof to match the original.

The latest research brought Greg to the Canon iPF8300 printer now in use alongside the Colorspan.

It has taken technology quite a bit of time to get pigment ink up to the color dynamics of the dye inks used by the Colorspan.

Since 2002, Greg and Sharon’s passion for Giclee print and fine art has never diminished, and to this day their work is still driven by the same spirit to innovate and research, continuing Elegant Editions thriving success.