What's in a name? Giclées are images printed at very good quality onto archival canvas, paper, and other surfaces. Museums typically sell them as printed reproductions of paintings in their collections. Some can be quite costly, given their fidelity to the original work. Given the cost of the original work, thought, whew! But they are reproductions, and they are mass-produced.
In my case, I create original digital paintings. Yes, along with using traditional brushes and painting material, for many years I've worked with a electronic stylus and painting pad to create an entitrely different set of works: digital paintings. They are originals that I have done only in digital form. That is, I create the images digitally. For me, it's similar to my work as a printmaker, in which I created a set of etchings. Instead of using a stylus to etch onto a copper plate, I "etch" onto a digital tablet. The results are expansive!
Some master painters, like Rembrandt, Durer, or Goya, were also master printmakers. Others, like the Japanese ukiyo-e masters, worked almost exclusively as woodblock print makers. I place original digital paintings in this venerable tradition. Whether or not the artist is a "master", well..... that's another issue entirely. But such works can be groundbreaking in art. AND, in their own time, they have always been far less costly and more available than paintings by the same artists.
My digital paintings are produced in limited editions. That means the original template is destroyed once the last one in the edition is sold. The smaller the edition, typically the higher the price. But working in this way keeps the cost reasonably low and still gives me the freedom to offer original art!
On this page are a number of my large edition digital paintings. If you click on one, you'll see a slideshow containing them all (with thumbnails). Some are shown flat (image on paper or on canvas); others are shown as they'd come on gallery-wrapped canvas, or with black or white sides. All are available in whichever format you like.
Here's an example of one of mine (called Glee) as a flat image.
Here's the same work mounted on art canvas stretched on wooden bars, like a painting. (The colours look a bit different because of the angle of the light hitting them, but they are the same in all three images):
And here it is framed (you can choose among different frames on the site).
I very much enjoy creating works digitally ... almost as much as I love painting with paint, and I've been doing it for about as long. I used to print them myself, but I couldn't afford it, especially at the large sizes most people wanted. So, I went looking for a well-established printer.
Lo and behold! I found a quality place that makes it easy for all concerned: Imagekind. Click on it and see what I mean. It's user-friendly and you can see which size might look best in your setting. They ship nearly anywhere promptly, reliably and reasonably.
I've had several purchases and the feedback has been good. People get the sizes they want on paper or wrapped canvas (like a painting), framed or unframed. We're all pleased with the quality. And the prices are good (some small ones of mine start at about $20!) Sometimes the company even offers free shipping and other sales.
It's not an oil or acrylic painting. Nothing digital will give all the textural variation and subtle shifts resulting from the brushes and traditional medium used. That's why even good reproductions (giclées) fall so far short of the originals. But, if the works are digital paintings to begin with, these prints are perfect!
I'll keep adding to the selection I've put on Imagekind. This page shows you some of my available works in small format to give you an idea. Go to the site if you're interested, and I love to hear from you if you are.
