Digital BW, The Print

In a message dated 11/18/2002 8:31:43 AM Pacific Standard Time, 
mark@... writes:

> #1You don't get it. It's not about keeping your costs down. It's about 
> keeping your quality up. And also about maintaining your 
> credibility.
> 
> #2 I maintain if you're serious about entering the fine art market, 
> then you've got to bring some solid rules and practices to the 
> table.
> 
> # 3 If you're gonna live in the "Edition mentality", then the only true 
> way to know that the edition is consistent is to print them all at 
> once. (Whether you then trash the file is another conversation). 
> That's what it means to be an Edition, at least to me. 
> 
> #4 If you're gonna print "on demand", then I'd say you're one notch 
> up from a commercial photo lab. You've deviated completely 
> from the spirit of the artist; you're just an order taker.
> 
> #5 If you don't want to play by those rules, then fine, no problem. I'd 
> advise at that point to have Open Editions, lower prices, but then 
> know that you're killing your future potential in the gallery world. 
> Just try going for representation at a gallery, and tell them that 
> you practice Open Editions, and see if they take you on.
> 
> Crafts fairs are one thing; galleries are quite another.
> 
> MT
> #1. Hey if you sign it, it passed your quality control, and credibility 
> test  didn't it? Certainly you wouldn't sign a piece your not proud of. 
> Your signature is your own endorsement. Comercial work is ultimately 
> approved(or not)by the client paying for the work. This art gallery work or 
> personel work YOU decide what the final is eather the gallery likes your 
> choices or not. Its personal work remember! 
> #2  Solid practices, yes! Rules? hardly. Rules and creative photography 
> seem like a contradiction. You bring your images and print work to the 
> table, and your in or your out. A certain level of quality is expected as a 
> balance with the image. Countless images of the highest quality and 
> integrity have been rejected.
#3. Very rarely done. Except those that edition under 15 prints.
#4 Please! That's a little extreme don't you think. Print on demand does not 
mean there is no consistency. Its the same image after all! printed hopefully 
by the same person. Just have Nash Editions print your work, you get more 
money for the prints and have weaker blacks and more sales! And can have 
print on demand.
#5 Sure galleries like numbered prints! Its all for increasing the prices 
nothing more. There is an implication to the buyer that these are somewhat 
limited and that is why you have to pay more. I'll bet if they liked your 
work enough, the open editions would fly just fine.
Just tell them there are over 800 AA "moonrise" prints out there, Or that 
your in poor health and expected to die very soon :)
Sure there is a big difference in craft fair vs. galleries, craft fair 
editions run in the hundreds and galleries in the 10's. 
I know of a couple APIAD (living)blue chip photographers that have many 
editions of the same image. Silver, Platinum, Iris, Lightjet. There each 
different and should be editioned separately. When a customer buys a print 
from the gallery wall, they are expecting to get the one hanging, or one 
pretty close to the same if not identical.
So if they buy a silver print, that's what they expect to get, not an IRIS or 
platinum print.
Just because you get a gallery show booked doesn't mean your work is 
collectable, Collectors are actually a very small part of the contemporary 
gallery scene,
let your estate worry about collectors, work is really only collectable after 
there is no more available, as in death of an artist. People that tend to 
number there prints to 10 or less are going strictly for the collector market 
and trying to get lucky. Unless your Michael Kenna ;0) but he has a 20year 
exhibit history.
#6 Give them a nice print at a fair price with some assurance that there 
neighbor won't have the same image.
Mark, are there any living(or dead) photographers that follow your standards 
for editioning an credibility? names?
I really do no what your saying, only the highest standards are allowed at 
the gallery level and the market insures that.
Before you hang it ask why would someone buy or not buy this print. Not buy 
because the blacks are weak? maybe! but doubtful.
Time for my meds!
Steve M.


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