Sunday, April 7, 2013

Collecting Original Prints

Black and white as a theme

What is an Original Print?
Original prints, in difference to massproduced offset prints, encompass any form of printmaking where the artist has direct participation in producing the print! Surprisingly, many people do not realize that for example an etching on copper, has to be inked up, by the artist, for each and every print that is printed!
Click and see how an etching is made and printed by
Mariann Johansen-Ellis, Cascada Studios Resident Artist

2 great reasons to become a collector of Original Prints!  
1) Price - find local printmaking artists, in shops and galleries or search the world via the internet, you will be amazed at the fantastic artwork for very reasonable money that is available! Have you tried www.etsy.com ?
This is a website where artists from all over the world sell their work direct to the public, search under printmaking and the choices are wonderful, varied and very affordable! Between the website etsy and PayPal , it is also a safe place to shop online. 
2) Personality - collecting original prints for your home, puts your personality at the forefront, what hangs on your walls, is a direct reflection of you as a person! Why have a nasty offset poster,when you can have an original print? The nature of collecting prints is also such that you "never" fill the walls, as your art collection grows, you can rotate your prints. Every 6 months I change over the art I have on my walls, this way I "see" them again, and it is fun, over the years, I have collected so much, that I can now decide on my mood, just by the art I hang on my walls.
How do I start a collection?
It is easy to educate yourself in the "what am I looking at" with the help of the internet, I have a couple of favorites, that explain things very clearly
Coskun fine art gallery's website or ArtBusiness.com , you can of course find information in your own language, that helps a lot. 
The bible on collecting original prints being Rosemary Simmons "Collecting Original Prints"

It can feel a bit daunting to start off, so why not start purchases deciding on a theme - you like birds - why not bird prints then? You like abstract art, search under abstract printmaking and start from there....... it is worth having a cup of coffee and thinking things over - what do I like??? Small, Big, a certain Color, all these things narrows your search, and makes a collection look more cohesive on the wall.
Above all, it is FUN to collect art! You become more knowledgeable about art, as collecting leads to wanting to know more, and your personal taste both develop and expand!
HAPPY COLLECTING!