I panicked and pulled the plug. They are gone.. I fret that someone will contact me and say ..hey I was saving up for one of those! That was part of the problem. To make it worth while you have to charge more money than anyone is ever likely to pay. A lot of time is wasted by creative types being sold a dream that never quite takes form. Top left .. I was worried this one looked a little dirty. It got ten times the twitter exposure than I'm used to but I worried was it the word "dirty" in the description? I worried that someone would buy a garment and it wouldn't fit. I'd have to stand the cost and I'd be pissed off. Part of my brain is more interested in the failures. They get to me. What would I do with the returns? Maybe an extra layer under my jeans on a freezing cold day? I worried they'd detract from my art generally. People would think me commercial. Don't you feel sorry for artist's that have found a formula and then are obliged to stick with it. Like a Johnny Mathis who has to sing Misty for the rest of his life. I needn't have worried. No one bought anything No worries...
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I recall seeing some Rolf Harris prints in the gallery at Redbrick Mills in Batley Carr. They were mass produced giclee prints, with a huge edition size. I wondered if he had even seen them. Did they match the originals in colour and vibrance? Were they as detailed. Was anything lost? They were expensive!!!
I've taken a bold step. I'm getting out of limited editions. Instead I'm going to sign and date my self-made prints on the back. They are ALL artist's proofs from now. Some of the ones I have sold must obviously remain limited (which is a shame) but the rest can be sold in: any size any resolution any image tweaked version any substrate any inkset any time anywhere What swung it for me was an article I read that asked the question why would you want to limit your ability as an artist to produce the best possible print of your work. What if some new technology is just around the corner enabling prints to be made with a huge gamut or broader range of colours that leave your old editions looking like mono in a stereo world? Why do this when the value of limited editions is a bit of a perceptual trick anyway. Some artists have editions of thousands and are hardly limited. Anyway .. I'm free to do whatever I want. I have been threatening to do this for some time now, and I have jumped in at the very deep end. Oils with a painting knife. I've made a fundamental mistake .. there is no under-painting, but the paint is so thick that I guess I have got away with it on this occasion. Oh, and getting an edge against another colour is a tricky business, I find myself longing for serendipitous things to happen, but I lack the courage to just throw it all together in a likely mess!!
Thankfully I have lost the shape that resembles a doofer on the preliminary sketch to the left. I can see why those who labour for hours with traditional media look down on the digital artist. How you achieve spontaneity though with this oily stuff is another thing.. I feel like I'm in exile, but I hope that good things will develop !!! |
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