This little area is to let you know a bit more about what you should expect when purchasing an original work of art from me and how to care for an original.
If you are wondering about shipping and pricing go HERE.
Purchasing an original work of art is not the same as purchasing a print or a poster. Even the highest quality print loses a lot of what exists in an original. It also lacks the life that an original has. Yes, I said life. Originals tell a story that no print can tell. It tells the story of how it came to be. Every little stroke of a paintbrush shows. Every little line made with a pencil or pen. You can look close and find surprises even. I may not be
Vincent van Gogh or Edvard Munch, but I can guarantee someone has a painting created by one of them with an eyelash hidden in the paint. I can also guarantee they noticed it. If it stayed it is because it worked. If it hadn’t worked they would have taken it out or painted over it.
Anyways… My works on canvas. Let us touch on those first.
When you get an original painting from me you can expect it to have a glossy or at the least a semi glossy appearance. It will almost appear wet. Worry not, it isn’t I work with very vibrant and glossy paints. I also use glossy additives and varnishes. My less glossy pieces would still be considered a “satin” finish I would guess. At least that is what I have been told. I paint the edges of my canvases. Theoretically people usually do that on stretched canvas so no framing is required. My reason however is because I like my paintings to look good with any sort of framing. That includes framing which doesn’t wrap over the edge. I like my paintings to be framed and hope that that is what you end up doing with them. I usually work on stretched canvas, but also work on loose canvas. When looking at my work on canvas it will state if it is a loose canvas rather than stretched.
When working I am usually at an easel unless the piece is very small. If it is small it usually is on a table. I move around a lot when working and my paintings get taken from the easel, flipped around, put on the floor, hung on a wall, held in my lap, etc. during the creation process. If it is a stretched canvas the frame sometimes bends or warps a bit. If it creates a lift from laying flat more than a quarter of an inch I will re-stretch it. If it is less than that then I leave it. None of that matters if you are framing the piece anyways, but for those that aren’t, a lift over a quarter inch is a visible annoyance. I string the paintings if on stretched canvas with hanging wire encase you are not framing it. If you are framing the piece yourself rather than having a framer do the job I would like to point out that works done in oil or acrylics on canvas usually are not covered in glass. Don’t cover them in glass please. If by chance you get something on an original painting you can clean it off. Be gentle, and know that there is at least one coat of varnish (usually many) on the painting which protects the paint. They are pretty darn tough.
On to my works on paper.
If you purchase an original work on paper it is fragile. It MUST be framed and does need glass.
My ink drawings are usually done on a lightweight, smooth, pure white, acid free paper. The inks I use are also acid free and archival so you wont get any quick yellowing and it wont turn to dust before your children can inherit it. For the most part I stick to Higgens Black Magic which is a very black ink, or if using a non dip pen I use Micron Pigma pens.
For pastel paintings on paper and wax crayon drawings I use the same type of paper or sometimes a cold-press watercolor paper. Oil Pastels harden much like oil paints, but they cannot be scrubbed. Put them under glass.
Charcoal drawings, soft pastels, watercolors and my multi medium works are all done on thicker papers with a lot of tooth. I spray them with a fixative after completion to avoid smudging. Even with that fixative they are delicate and rough handling or fluids can destroy them. They must be framed to be displayed.
All works of art are light sensitive. I use all high quality products which are considered light fast. Even using such high quality art products it is recommended that you do not display any work of art in direct sunlight. In my experience it seems acrylic paintings are able to withstand the most direct light of any other painting medium, but even then a decade of sitting in the sun will take it’s toll. In other words, a little wont hurt, but a lot will harm. Watercolor paintings are especially vulnerable to sun damage. UV protective glass is recommended for all my works on paper and especially for my watercolor or non traditional mediums.