I want you to be happy with your purchase of art from me. I understand that looking at a small image on a computer monitor is not the same thing as looking at the actual-size artwork. Color can vary from monitor to monitor, and in addition, colors displayed on a computer screen are at best close approximations of what they look like on paper or canvas.
Any piece of art you purchase from me must meet your expectations, or you can return it. See instructions for returns below.
I believe that when you see my work in person, you will like it, and want to make it a part of your art collection.
My one-of-a-kind paintings are painted on archival paper using transparent watercolor, opaque watercolor, acrylic, ink or a combination of these in which case they are labeled "mixed watermedia painting". I also do some acrylic painting on canvas.
If you purchase an unframed work, it will be shipped to you flat or rolled in a large, sturdy tube depending on size. You should remove it from the tube as soon as you receive it, and lay it flat until you are ready to take it to your framer for framing. Works on paper should always be framed under glass or sheet plastic, and with some separation between the glass and the paper surface. This separation can be obtained with a top mat, which will cover the staple holes around the edges of the painting, or by spacers in the frame if you want to "float" the art. If you do want to float the piece, the framer will hand tear about 3/8" off the edges of the painting to remove the part with the staple holes in it. These staple holes are a normal part of painting when you stretch your watercolor paper prior to painting on it. Your framer can discuss various framing options with you.
About Giclée Prints
Giclée
prints may be one-of-a-kind "originals" where the artist produces
only one print from an original digital file that is then archived, or may be
produced in editions. My edition prints come with a certificate of authenticity,
which lists how many prints are in the edition, and what number your particular
print is in the edition (shown as a fraction). 1/50 means that you have the
first print in an edition of 50. When a limited edition is "sold out",
the digital file is destroyed, and no more copies of that particular image can
be made. Unlimited edition or open edition means that any number of prints
may be made. These will not be numbered, nor do they come with a certificate
of authenticity. These open editions are considered reproductions rather than
fine art prints.
Giclée prints should not be confused with traditionally "hand-pulled" prints (lithographs, etchings, serigraphs, etc.) where the artist and/or master printmaker use labor-intensive methods to produce prints one at a time, or with photo-mechanical reproductions which are generally mass-produced on a high speed offset printing press or copy machine. Giclée prints are produced using a wide-format inkjet printer and pigment-based inks or dye-based inks, and printed on a variety of substrates including archival watercolor paper and canvas, and each print is hand-inspected.
My giclées are original works of art. They are not "computer generated". The computer, being a machine, does not generate anything without direction from me. I use a stylus to paint, draw, or airbrush my ideas on a digitizing tablet, where they appear on a computer monitor screen. The stylus is my "brush" or "pencil" and the monitor is my "paper" or "canvas". Because I can't display and sell my computer monitor in a gallery, I have these art pieces printed out, so that they can be framed and displayed in the traditional way. You can read a further explanation of giclée printing here.
Lightfastness tests have been conducted by Wilhelm Imaging Research, Inc. in Grinell, Iowa at the request of the International Association of Fine Art Digital Printmakers. Tests are ongoing, as demand is strong for long lasting, fadeproof inks that can be printed on a variety of papers, canvas and other materials. The tests released October 1, 1999 give dyebased inks a lightfastness rating range from 10-22 years on canvas, and from 32-50 years on Arches cold press paper.
The pigment-based inks developed for inkjet printers are much more lightfast; they have a life expectancy of 18-100 years on canvas (depending on the canvas used), and between 75-150+ years on Arches cold press and some selected other fine art printmaking papers. I USE ONLY PIGMENT-BASED INKS for my prints, and print them on papers tested to last in excess of 100 years.
My prints are also treated with a UV filtering coating, but you can increase their life expectancy by hanging them in a place that will not receive excessively bright light, especially direct sunlight (as is true for any work of art on paper), and/or by using UV filtering glass or sheet plastic glazing when framing them. In other words, care for them just as you would for any fine artwork on paper. Canvas giclée prints do not need glass.
RETURNS:
If you purchase
online (using PayPal), you have thirty days from the day you receive the art
to make a decision about returning it. The thirty days start from the day the
art is delivered to you (as verified by the tracking number). If you purchase
your art through PayPal, your purchase price (minus the shipping charges and
transaction fees that PayPal charges me) will be refunded into your PayPal account
once the item has been returned to me in saleable condition. If you don't
wish to handle the refund in this manner, I will send you a check.
Should you decide to return the art, it must be in saleable condition (i.e. the same condition it was in when I sent it to you). Please pack it as carefully as I did, ideally using the same packing materials. Send it back insured for the purchase price, and either delivery confirmation, return receipt requested, or using another method that gives you proof of delivery to me. Do not send it COD. If you do, the COD charges will be deducted from your refund. All returns should be sent to the following address:
When I receive the art and have determined it is in saleable condition, I will return your purchase price, less the initial shipping charges and the fees PayPal charges me.
Thank you for supporting a working artist!