Fine Art Today

Considered as works of art and technology, fine art prints can be defined as artworks on a heavier archival type paper such as semi-gloss paper, watercolor paper or super-glossy papers; normally produced with a better printing process like serigraphy, stone lithography, or giclee.

The printing method and the quality of paper on which the image is made are the most important components of a fine art print. Also known as iris print, giclee print is the most well known printing method used in fine art prints. This state-of-the-art printing method produces prints that closely resemble original paintings in all aspects. Giclee print has many advantages over other printing methods, in beauty, quality, and durability.

Fine art prints are the perfect alternatives to posters and paintings. People opt for fine art prints as getting the original image is difficult or high-priced. As there is a chance of fading, fine art prints should be kept away from direct light and excessive heat.

Fine art prints complement the home or office wall décor. Fine art prints based on different themes such as American life, animals, architecture, fantasy, and humor are ideal to modify the look and feel of a room. They are great gifts for special occasions such as birthdays, weddings, and anniversaries.

Today, a wide assortment of fine art prints in a range of different sizes is available to choose from. High quality fine art prints including classic works, abstract and modern images are available as well. Auction houses, galleries, and art fairs are some sources for buying fine art prints. One can buy fine art prints from dealers or from contemporary artists.

Furthermore, fine art prints can be purchased on the Internet. There are several malls, galleries, auctions, and artist websites through which one can purchase fine art prints. World class paintings made on artist’s canvas are also offered online.

Fine art prints not only refer to prints of artwork on paper or canvas. Fine art prints here also refers to photos of sculptures, craftwork, etc.

For instance, if you have a piece of hand-made embroidery, you may want to capture an image with a digital camera and sell it as a fine art print. Fine art refers to the purity of discipline. So if your art can demonstrate that, you can call it as fine art.

If you are looking to sell your fine art prints, you have to first consider why people are searching for fine art prints. Why not just any art print? Why fine prints in particular? What’s the difference?

By definition, fine art has a connotation of quality, though this may not necessary be the case. It’s more about the discipline than the quality. Sometimes, it’s hard to define quality when we talk about art. That’s becuase in many instances, art is subjective. What is high quality for one may not be high quality for another.

Understanding this, you’ll see that if you want your fine art prints to get noticed, you want to communicate your art discipline to your potential customers. You’ll also have to differentiate yourself from all the other fine art artists. How do you do this?

Simply by creating art that comes from within. Draw inspiration from inside yourself. You’re unique and special. So the moment you create art from what you feel, you’ve already differentiated yourself from all the other artists whether you know it or not.

Ask yourself, what is your definition of fine art? Communicate that discipline to your potential customers in your fine art prints. You’ll draw people who resonate with what you feel, and they can feel you through your artwork.

It is possible to reinvent the discipline as you evolve as an artist, and your fans will evolve with you. You’ll lose some fans along the way, but you’ll also gain new fans as you grow. So do not be afraid to grow, and share your discipline with the rest of the world.

That is, share your fine art prints with the rest of the world. If your customers appreciate your fine art prints, maybe they’ll come the appreciate the original fine art pieces and make a big purchase.

So share your talent, and bring in the profits.

Painter Michael Khundiashvili is a recipient of National and International Portrait Competitions Awards and Honors and a Graduate of the acclaimed Academy for Fine Arts in Tbilisi Georgia. His works are in private and public Collections throughout the Russia, Canada, Israel, Georgia, USA and has been featured in several national publications.

Since 1987 he is a member of the association of Arts in the Soviet Union. In 1995 he immigrated to Israel and become a member of the Israeli painters and sculptors association.

A Master of Fine Arts, he has a strong belief in the Eternal Values offered to the artists by the Renaissance, which are:

Love and Respect for God’s Creation, Appreciation of it’s Harmony and Beauty without alterations.Necessity of study for the Knowledge of the Human Anatomy, Perspective, Composition, Painting and Drawing Methods.A Must of the Drawing Skill, based on that Knowledge.The foundation of his painting philosophy is the pursuit of superb draftsmanship skills to ensure the integrity of the painting. Equally important is the creation of a dynamic and unified composition that invites the viewer in for closer inspection. Each painting is carefully thought out and a drawing is submitted for approval before the canvas is built.

With a desire to create distinguished portraits that speak to many, he searches to convey quiet, sensitive insight into the life of the sitter. His visual understanding is greatly enhanced by painting from life when possible.

“I feel profoundly blessed and grateful to God for the gift of painting, the ability to express my visions, filings and fantasies on canvas, to share it with others, and the opportunity to pursue a career I dearly love.” - Michael Khundiashvili.

Birthday gifts are all about personality. To find the perfect gift, you may want to ask yourself some of the following questions: What is the personality of the recipient? What are their hobbies or pastimes? What time of year were they born? Is this birthday a particularly significant year?

Some gift choices are fairly obvious. For a gourmet cook, anything to do with the kitchen can make a wonderful birthday gift. Kitchens are traditionally decorated with images of flowers and plants, particularly plants associated with food such as herbs or vegetables. If the recipient you have in mind is a gardener or flower lover, then choose a gift based on their favorite flowers or a flower with meaningful symbolism. If you are buying a gift for a man, think about a painting or print featuring a landscape, seascape or forest image.

Fine art birthday gifts can also be given related to the season in which the birthday falls. Winter birthdays are the toughest call. Birthdays near the holidays are even harder! What do you buy for someone who is already getting a bevy of gifts for Christmas or Hanukah? You may have to think of something a bit unusual. That’s where fine art gifts come in handy.

With so many prints and paintings available today, finding a gift for even the most difficult recipient should still be possible. For a spring and summer birthdays, fine art gifts featuring flowers are ideal. Men tend to prefer wildflowers, while women often like traditional garden flowers. For an autumn birthday, try a brilliantly colored forest scene. For a winter birthday, try either a winter scene or an image independent of the season such as a cityscape or abstract painting.

For significant birthdays such as those that celebrate decade milestones, you may want to think about a little larger birthday gift or something that can be of value for a lifetime or more. Original artwork or a large limited edition fine art print might be just the thing. Once again, don’t forget to look for an image that suits the recipient’s personality!

Greeting cards. Have you ever really pondered our real intention when sending greeting cards? Of course, you might reply. We want to celebrate; we want to offer inspiration; we want to console; we want to communicate. We often choose landscape photography or nature photography as the basic foundation of our communication as these scenes display a fabric of life that is beautiful, peaceful and an opportunity to acknowledge the magnificence of the world around us.

Yet, our intentions with fine art note cards can have a spiritual purpose. Our greeting can inspire a be-attitude: be happy, be hopeful, be courageous, be comforted, be aware that you are not alone, be aware of unconditional love. These are all attributes of character development and reminders of our strength and courage during times of celebration and during times of adversity. Ultimately, greeting cards connect us to each other as immediate family, extended family and a global family. Thoughts can change the world for the better. Thoughts and images combined can offer inspiration. You can make a difference when you purchase with a purpose.

So, when choosing a unique greeting as a note card, have a new level of consciousness concerning its potential. Verses for these cards can reflect self awareness, human potential and community service. Boxed greeting cards can now become a gift of peace or a gift about evolution of consciousness. The magic of your selected beautiful scene and inspirational thoughts may literally be your contribution to change our world, and make it better, one person at a time.

Your don’t have to a BFA like me to be a print collector. Instead, concentrate on what you like. Art need not be intimidating, especially if you make purchases based on what will look good over the living room sofa or matching the bedspread. But if you must have a Rembrandt etching or Calder print for investment purposes, head for the library or Internet and do your homework. Also understand the amount of fakes in the marketplace and be prepared to make a sizeable payment for the better pieces. Begin with the smaller lower-cost prints and stick with numbered, signed, and documented work. There are dozens of articles available on the Internet regarding the “provenance” and other essential materials needed when making your purchase.

What is a print, you may ask? Rather than pay for an original, one of a kind oil or acrylic painting costing thousands, you buy a reproduction that is often designed for the mass market. They can be lithographs, serigraphs, etchings, silk-screens, mixed-media and other print-making techniques used to create multiple pieces. Each is then numbered and signed by the artist. They provide a letter of authenticity guarantying the process and the outcome. These “editions” can be small, of fifty or so, or large including many thousands. But, for a collector, the number is meaningless. For some artists that have passed away, even a large edition, because of the limited amount of remaining pieces and the fame of the artist, their art can still fetch huge amounts at auction.

Auctions can be a good place to start in your pursuit of artwork. If you’re a cruiser, almost every large ship has an “at sea” auction opportunity to buy a less expensive piece for a few hundred dollars or so. Don’t forget these are unframed prices, so be prepared to spend another hundred for that expense. There are many online auctions, but you are relying on a picture for the only look at your art and the colors may not be accurate when the print arrives by mail. Try visiting a local gallery first and get familiar with certain artists you like.

When it comes to artists, you have two choices: (a) the famous, international current or past ones such as; Dali, Neiman, Miro, Calder, Rembrandt, Erte, and many others. These are easily researched and many of their works are documented and catalogued. They are more expensive and easily resold. (b) local, lesser known or upcoming artists you may never have heard of, but whose work you like and you don’t really care much about resell value. It’s strictly your decision whether your collection will be of those whose value increases or one simply containing pieces for decorator appeal.

Either way, try to see the artwork in person go gain a true feel for the actual color and texture. Then you can go to Ebay or other art auction sites for the final bidding. You can also scan the newspaper classified or the various art magazines available at the local bookstore. Once you buy an unframed item, consult your local frame shop for the best way to preserve and protect your investment, There are special acid-free mats and other secrets to insuring the art’s integrity for the future.

I found that collecting prints is a more rewarding way of buying an investment that you can view at will and still enjoy appreciation of value. It sure beats plastering your wall with stock certificates. But decide if you are buying for investment or the joy of seeing fine are in your home. Only buy what you like and spend the required money on good framing. First, educate yourself and then book a cruise. You’ll have a great vacation and have the chance to buy some nice pieces at auction. Bon voyage!

Though most quality prints are printed on Archival papers, such as Fuji Crystal Archive Papers or Kodak Endura Professional Papers, it is essential to consider a few important aspects to maximize the life of any print you are planning to display.

Things to Avoid

* Avoid placing your Fine Art Prints in direct exposure to sunlight.

* Avoid places with high levels of moisture or humidity.

* Close to a source of direct heat, like near a wall heater, or a furnace.

Consider the Sun

If you are going to frame the print, and are planning on hanging it on the wall, you should consider the placement first of all. We recommend placing your print on a wall which does not receive direct sunlight. What’s wrong with sunlight? Well, sunlight is a full spectrum light, which means it packs many different frequencies of light, including UV (ultra-violet). The problem with UV is its effect on photographic papers. UV causes fading, simply put, regardless of the quality of paper used to produce the print. This does not mean that all prints, regardless of the paper, or method used to produce them, fade at the same rate.

Archival papers are meant to last. Special chemicals are used to protect these papers from long-term effects of UV, moisture and other factors. However, even archival prints are not immortal. While Archival papers are meant to last, over time they will also show signs of age. The good news? They will likely outlive you.

Print Comparison

If you were to compare a print produced on a high-end inkjet printer using standard inks to a Fine Art Print produced in a Lab on Archival paper, initially they may appear of equal quality. But many inks are water based, and are not rated for archival usage. Such a print, if displayed properly, will perhaps last 3 to 5 years before any fading becomes visible. On the other hand, an archival print, also displayed properly, will last 50 or more years. Back to Top.

To Summarize

Place your prints into a quality frame, and hang it somewhere out of sun’s direct rays. There’s nothing wrong with light falling on the prints. After all, full spectrum light means your photos are going to shine. Indirect light is best, because it will not accelerate natural aging of your prints, and will provide soft even illumination. In today’s hi-tech world you may be able to purchase a frame with UV shielded glass, which is ideal, if your prints are going to receive quite a bit of direct sun light.

Try to hang you photos away from sources of heat and moisture, because both cause materials such as paper, and glues or tapes used to mount photos into mats to warp. The last thing you want to see is your print rippling in its frame.