What Kind of Art am I Looking at?

Oftentimes people come into my booth during an art festival and ask, "What kind of Art is this?". Many otherwise intelligent and educated people have little knowledge when it comes to prints and reproductions. This is due to a lack of good art education in our public schools and artists who provide misinformation when it comes to selling reproductions.

Today I am going to clarify the difference between Linocuts (or Linoleum Block Prints), Etchings, and Giclee's. Below are photos of an Etching and a Linoleum Block Print.

Both of these are hand-pulled prints. If you see an embossing line around the edge of the image, like the print on the left, you are looking at an Etching. Etchings are created on a metal plate. The embossing line you see is the mark of the plate being pressed into damp paper as it is run through a printing press. It has an edition number on the bottom left corner. The photo on the right is a detail from my linocut Marcy Field II. If you look carefully you can see the layers of ink from the reduction process, which I have described in other blogs. Marcy Field II is a large print with an edition of fifteen. 

This is a Giclee by Kelly Lattimore. It is a photographically reproduced print. The inks are high quality but it is not a hand-pulled print. Notice there is no edition number at the bottom. There is nothing wrong with purchasing a Giclee. I own a couple myself. The example above was originally a painting that sold for thousands. I love the image and I could not afford the original.

Some artists do sign their Giclee's and present them as something they are not. This upsets me and confuses buyers. The term “print” can mean a hand-pulled etching or linocut; some people use this term for reproductions.  Every print I sell, whether you purchase it matted or framed, is an original Linoleum Block Print.  The only exception to this are the note cards.

I think it is important for buyers to be informed when they make purchases. I hope that this information will help you make wise choices as you shop in galleries and at art festivals.

My show at Gloversville ends soon!  If you are in the Adirondacks, check out my exhibit at the Micropolis Gallery  on Main Street. The show runs through the end of April.  

The Art of Flight opens in May at the Art Center of Lake Placid. I just finished the Loon print I have shown you in progress; I’m working on framing right now. You’ll see the finished product next month.

 Please  Subscribe to my newsletter to see all my blogs, and get updates on my shows.  To see my finished Linoleum Block Prints, featuring landscapes of upstate New York, dogs and their people,  and moonlight prints, visit my online store at  www.DCastleBabcockArt.com.