Digital BW, The Print

Jerry,


> Michael, just a curious question, do you know of ANY other art media
> OTHER than inkjet inks that worry people about longevity?

Actually yes, individuals in all the other arts have considered 
longetivity as an issue within the last 25-40 years.

> artist's don't even consider this question when making art supply
> purchases.  Can you even IMAGINE  of an oil painter or watercolorist
> testing 10 different brands of oil or watercolor paint in the sun  
> for 3 months to see which faded less?

They do consider it when making the purchase of 'professional' vs 
student grade paints, and pay a premuim for those materials.  Main 
different of course is in the choice of your pigment within a color, 
some yellows are archival, some not.  Same for other colors.  This in 
addition to the medium they choose.  


> I think its about time we joined all the
> other artists and forget about it. If a client ever complains, I'd 
> just reprint it. Very little cost, happy client.

Can't reprint a watercolor.  It's a matter of providing artwork 
created with the best materials available to you that also meet your 
needs, in conjunction with a collector who understands the 
limitations of the medium and not just the surface of marketing 
knowledge.

In that way we have joined the modern era of making art.  It's the 
collector (consumer at a lower level) who may be tainting their 
purchase with an 'investment consideration.'

If passion takes you and you create hundreds of works a week, cost 
may be a factor so you choose 'cheaper' material.  If you are 
fastidious about design and useage then you are likely to create 
fewer works with 'more' consideration of each piece (and use higher 
quality material).  Seems to me the philosophy we are prone to use is 
embeded in us regardless of the media, or job, we choose.

Sincerely,

Cleavis