ART TIP OF THE WEEK

PRODUCT VS. PROCESS

       When a painter paints it is process . When a printmaker prepares a plate, it is process. When that same printer inks and prints that plate, it is process. What comes after proofing, re-inking, proofing again, hand pulling the prints, signing and numbering them is still process. The product is the finished print, hand pulled, hand signed, and ready to frame, each one an original print.

        The painter, having completed the work, having waited for the paint to cure, and for the varnish to harden, is ready to turn it over for framing. This is process.
The completed work is the product, the original work of art.
When the painter then takes a photograph of the work, turns it over to some commercial printing house and lets them turn out 10,000 copies of the painting, not in oil paint, not in any painting medium, and not touched by the artist's hand, this becomes a commercial product.

        The product that the painter creates is the original painting. The creative act of putting the paint on the surface, feeling the brush or knife in the hand, this thrill of the mark, the smell of the paint, all the wondrous things that happen when you create, are in this painting, this personal product.

        These products, these works of art, speak to the person who buys them, who goes to the museum or gallery to look at them, who wants to have them as part of their life, even for a short visit. This art is formed not just from the colors used or from the marks made. These works of art are about the surface as well as what lies beneath that surface. They are informed by what went on while the artist worked, by the bird that flew by the window, by the sound of someone talking, singing, or being still, by the ache of a heart or the joy of a soul, all these thing are in every original work.

        They are not in a reproduced copy of a photograph of an artwork.

        Yes, it is nice to have a pretty picture on your wall, and yes, it is out of most peoples price range to buy the original from which the copies are made, so why not buy an original work by someone who is not famous, whose work has a soul, who tries valiantly to support their art in times of overpriced copies that fade and are worth nothing in a few years.

         You can find an original print or an original painting in most art galleries and some commercial galleries, except for the ones dealing only in copies. Go to the student art shows, the markets, ask around, look at what your friends have up.

         Think about it from a monetary standpoint. When you buy an original work from an artist or from a gallery your money, in most cases, stays in your community. When you buy a reproduced painting you may as well mail your money out of town, as you will never see it again. It will not be spent by the artist's family to buy the products that your family sells or helps create. Yes, some will stay from the sale but not the amount that would if you bought from the regional economy. Even when you travel the money you spend on original work directly benefits that community.

        When you buy a reproduced painting, then a week later see it advertised on QVC for less than you paid for it, it should give you some idea of the value of this inked up paper you now have in your life. The frame that is worth more than the copy ever will be.