Tom,
The conclusions I have drawn from similar experiences are quite
different. I think the 'argument by exaggeration' you've mad is not
only flawed but adds fuel to the misrepresentation of digital prints.
My own view is different in two main areas.
Firstly, I have an extensive collection of fine art (more than $,000
and less the $,000,000) and I am don't place any of it, with the
exceptions of my three year olds efforts, in a window or in direct
sunlight. I bought it because it moved me and I take elementary steps
to protect it.
Secondly, the life blood of a gallery is not reputation, it is elitism.
Gallery owners/representative are, IMO, much more concerned that a
potential client will equate the term 'inkjet' with something mass
produced, a commodity, or something they could do themselves than they
are about longevity. If you are selling in the same gallery as
sculpture, or oil paintings then you _know_ you are going to fighting
the uniqueness battle.
Perhaps you were just venting. In that case I've been reeled into the
boat needlessly. Shake the hook and put me back in the water.
Other comments are below.
On Friday, October 18, 2002, at 12:59 PM, HPA wrote:
> The people who put prints in windows are your most important
> customers, they
> are the art galleries where your work will be displayed and sold. The
> inability of gallery owners to display digital artwork because of the
> humiliation of them fading right before everyone's eyes has led to
> severe
> local marketing problems for digital artists.
That is silly. No prints I have ever made or seen fade before my eyes
-- literally or figuratively. I think it is irresponsible to make
comments that could lead people to that conclusion
> Most students with digital
> portfolios are now unable to even book coffeeshop shows in the art
> gallery
> district.
Most student I know find enormous resistance no mater what media their
prints are on.
> IMHO, the permanence issue is killing sales left and right. Once the
> customer has bought the art, permanence is the only issue. can a
> gallery
> owner afford to put your art in a quality frame job and have it turn
> brown
> before they even get the bill for the framing?
More sanctimonious silliness.
> From the customer's point of
> view, is spending money on artwork a potential investment or a
> sure-fire
> loss? As an artist, is it acceptable to you for your work to be
> considered
> disposable?
Collectors are a diverse group. Most collect because they have an
affinity for a certain type of art. Some collect for prestige, some
collect just so they can look at it, and some will collect as an
investment. The investor is probably unlikely to buy an inkjet print.
But then again if you are investing for appreciation, they are other
art forms that will appreciate better that photography and they may not
even be in the market.
>
> As far as marketing goes, the people who are making money with digital
> in
> this area are the small print for $10-$25 crowd. Business is very
> good for
> them. If a digital print is priced at $10-$25 per print, galleries are
> having no problem selling them, it is ok if they are made with
> disappearing
> ink.
Disappearing ink? I know you're just pulling my leg now.
> As far as large format prints go, there was a huge demand for them
> last year, but that evaporated about five months ago. I thought I was
> going
> to have to close the archival printing part of my printing business,
> but
> orders since then are back up to 2000 levels. I attribute the
> 'comeback' in
> archival fiber prints to be a reaction to a general fear of digital in
> the
> marketplace. Permanence is the only reason that digital is not doing
> better
> as a medium in the marketplace today. every disappointed customer
> will lead
> to bad PR for digital artists every time the casual conversation turns
> to
> art buying experiences.
Do you know any customers, personally, who are disappointed because
_they_ saw fading of properly mounted and displayed inkjet prints?
What were they printed on, how were they printed, how were they
displayed. I am still looking for something more than urban myth. A
real customer who bought a real print, displayed it properly and then
said, hey, this looks like crap now ( or even this looks different now).
Show quoted textHide quoted text
> It will be a long time before these buyers (or
> their friends) get taken again.
>
> Art gallery owners are loathe to have their reputation for integrity
> and
> quality (which is their only real asset) hurt by digital art. They are
> better off selling sculpture, oil paintings, or archival fiber. The
> way
> things are going, that would be the most prudent choice for them to
> make
> now.
>
> Tom Robinson
>
>>> That's most interesting, as I have prints that are VERY faded...in
>>> fact,
>>> every one that has been in the sun for more than a couple of weeks,
>>> has
>>> severe fading. Ones that haven't been in the direct sun, are "fine".
>>
>> That's one of the points people are trying to make. Who is going to
>> display artwork in the direct sun and expect it not to fade! I'm
>> amazed
>> that the ones I have in the window have only slightly warmed. It's
>> much
>> better than I expected.
>
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