A Giclee (pronounced “zhee-clay”) is an ink-jet printing method that relies on computer technology to provide the most precise reproduction of an original painting currently possible. Giclees are known for replicating an artist’s original painting with similar brilliance of color, variety of color, attention to detail, and contrast between colors. In many cases, it can be hard to tell the original painting from the Giclee. Giclees can be produced on paper, canvas or board. They are produced one at a time, and depending on their size each piece can take up to one hour or more to be created. They are done with very special color-fast inks. The end result is something that looks very much like an original painting.

In the early days of printmaking, printer's plates would wear down over time. Because of this, the first prints off the printing press were the highest quality and were designated “artist’s proofs”. The artist’s proofs were considered to be the best prints within the edition and often the artist kept them. Technology has changed quite a bit since the early days of printmaking. Today, all prints within a run of offset lithographic prints or Giclee prints will be identical in quality. However, the tradition of having a special edition within the edition has stuck around. Today the value of owning an artist’s proof does not relate to quality, it relates to the importance of owning a rare portion of an edition. Most offset lithographic editions and Giclee editions include less than 20 percent artist’s proofs. Because the art world loves rarity and since there are fewer artist’s proofs than regular prints, they are preferred by many collectors. Artist’s proofs are clearly notated on the reproduction. If there were 50 artist’s proofs, they will likely be numbered 1/50 A.P. to 50/50 A.P. Most often they will cost between 20% and 50% more than a signed and numbered print from the same edition.

S/N is a designation that stands for Signed/Numbered. This lets you know that this is a signed limited-edition reproduction.

A remarque is an original sketch or watercolor painting normally found on the border of a print, but also occasionally offered on a separate sheet of paper.

A publisher’s proof is basically the same as an artist’s proof except that there are even fewer of them produced. They provide an even more exclusive opportunity for a collector to own something very unique. Publisher’s proofs usually sell for the same price as artist’s proofs or perhaps slightly more. Traditionally, publisher proof edition sizes are very small - usually 20 prints or fewer. They are usually numbered in the same format as the artist’s proof, (example 1/20 PP).

A publisher’s proof is basically the same as an artist’s proof except that there are even fewer of them produced. They provide an even more exclusive opportunity for a collector to own something very unique. Publisher’s proofs usually sell for the same price as artist’s proofs or perhaps slightly more. Traditionally, publisher proof edition sizes are very small - usually 20 prints or fewer. They are usually numbered in the same format as the artist’s proof, (example 1/20 PP).

Primarily brought on by the resurgence of our country’s awareness of conservation issues, conservation editions are occasionally created to raise funds for non-profit organizations. These editions are generally seen with wildlife art, and the beneficiaries are organizations like The World Wildlife Fund or International Wildlife Federation. Conservation editions are generally smaller in edition size than the regular edition of the same print - often fewer than 200 prints. Occasionally they sell for a premium, but most of the time they are offered for the same price as the regular edition. They are printed with exactly the same image size and with the same quality replication as the main edition. The prints are generally donated or sold to conservation organizations for exclusive sale and profit making. Conservation organizations market these editions to their members through direct mail catalogs and benefit auctions, to raise money to fund their related causes. Conservation editions are normally signed and numbered just like other prints from within the edition. The only difference is the addition of the words “conservation edition” or the symbol “C/E” found immediately after the numerical designation.

Occasionally, the edition size of a print will be determined by the number of orders placed during a time-frame. These are known as Time-Limited prints or Commission Prints. The procedure to determine the edition size of a time-limited print begins when collectors are advised of a new image scheduled to be released in the future by an artist and/or publisher. The collectors are given a set amount of time to place their orders for the print — often 30 to 90 days. When the time frame expires, the ordering opportunity is halted. The orders are tallied and the edition size is set. Each print is then numbered as with any limited edition print. Occasionally a publisher will number each print sequentially as the orders are received. In these rare cases the numbering does not indicate the total of the entire edition. In other words, the designation for these prints is simply “x” instead of the usual, “x/y” designation.

An open-edition print is any piece of art that is not limited to a specific number of reproductions. Most posters would qualify as open-edition prints. Open edition prints can be produced both signed and/or unsigned.

"The secondary market" is the name used to describe the various sources where old and rare collectibles can be found. A piece is considered on the secondary market when it’s sold out from its main source. In the art world, this is when the publisher or artist who initially issued the print has no more to sell.

We do occasionally buy art from private individuals. However, the art must be in mint condition based on our examination. If you have something that you’d like to sell, start by sending us a list of the item(s) by Email. Please indicate whether the items are framed or unframed, and please include your name and phone number on the Email. If we have an immediate need for the piece, we may contact you to discuss the various opportunities and then arrange to have the piece either delivered or shipped to us for an examination. If need be, we do occasionally provide shipping boxes or crates for safe transit. If we do not have an immediate need for the item(s), we will still keep the list on file and contact you if the need arises.

We guarantee that every work of art purchased through our company is100% authentic. And we provide that guarantee for the lifetime of the piece. To guarantee authenticity, we examine each piece carefully before we send it to you. We consider everything including the color intensity, paper quality, image size, artist’s signature, accompanying paperwork, and more.

We are the most finicky art establishment you’ll find. The front, the back and even the sides of each piece are carefully inspected by our expert staff under the best lighting when the art arrives at our gallery… and inspected again before we pack and send it to you. Each piece is inspected for handling marks, fading, flaws, odors, mold, mildew, bends, creases, and more. If it isn’t perfect, we will replace it for you, refund your payment or work with you to consider other options.

Most of the art shipped within the United States and Canada is packed flat and sent in our state-of-the-art boxes. These boxes have a minimum of two layers of double-wall corrugated cardboard and a minimum of four layers of single wall cardboard. In addition, the boxes have been designed so the corrugation is running both directions for extra strength and stability. We try to use these same boxes to ship internationally, though due to size restrictions in some countries we offer shipping in extra-wide extra-thick fine art tubes as well. Even though our boxes are extremely resilient and we have a .0001 damage rate, all packages are sent fully insured… just in case.

Art can be a great investment, but we strongly encourage all collectors to purchase art that they like. There is no guarantee that the art you select will be a good investment. But, what we can guarantee is that you’ll have years and years of enjoyment from works of art that you select out of love.