In the beginning…When you want a print of your art, it’s a process. First, you need to have the painting photographed, then have the digital file calibrated so it matches the painting, run test prints, and then finally you will arrive at the ability to print your art and have it resemble the original piece. I’m blessed in that I have an in-house photographer, in the form of my husband, Mr. D, who just happens to be a retired photographer.
Mr. D has been photographing my paintings recently and what a job it was with polarization mumbo jumbo that I do not understand, but he did end up with files that he was happy with. Then I tasked him with getting Elle print ready. Now here’s a story within a story…
The story of Elle
Elle is a 10X20″ painting that hangs on this fabulously orange wall that is the back wall of what will be our new kitchen (once the reno is complete). She was done as part of a collection that I prepared for a group show this past Spring. I didn’t enter Elle in the show as she had been painted on an old canvas that had two previous paintings (yes, two distinct paintings are under Elle), which were NOT successful. Now this show was a really big deal for me as it was the first time I shared my work with the public. It was also when I found my voice as an artist (But I’ll save that story for another day).
So to commemorate the event I took a photo of Elle, cut it in half, loaded it onto Zazzle and had two china mugs and two large coffee mugs created, with one half of Elle on each style. I kept one of the china mugs for me as I like my tea in a china mug with a thin curved lip. The two coffee mugs went to the kids as they are coffee drinkers. And the final china mug sits on my studio desk waiting for me to bestow it upon someone.
Now No. 1 Daughter uses hers at work and this mug has created a bit of a stir with lots of oohs and ahhs about Elle. Elle, the painting, is definitely not for sale; I absolutely love her and where she hangs in our home; but prints of Elle, that’s a different story. So Mr. D was tasked with getting me a print-ready image so on Thanksgiving weekend we can send No. 1 Daughter back to the city with a print. OK, that story complete. Onto this weekend.
Back on Track…
Now here’s the planned story…We have a special Epson printer with archival inks and papers that I have used for my digital art. Since I started on my journey to learn to paint my printer had been neglected. Other than to turn her on occasionally and ensure her print heads were good she hasn’t been used. (Not even to print pictures of our grandaughter, which means Mema had no framed photos of Little Miss – I have since rectified this.) So the result is that when opened the paper box it had these fabulous digital illustrations I had printed off – three years ago.
What an exciting discovery! The first pages were part of a Village series that I did while we were living in Fort Erie. The original plan was to print the various buildings on fabric, (yes, I can print on fabric) turn those fabric prints into pillows, and then use these as the back cushions on a bed cubby we had built in the guest room of our Fort Erie home. Great idea eh? There was a Tim Hortons included in the shops section of my illustrations. There are a number of Fort Erie houses that have architecture that I liked, and there was even a light house. I loved them; all of them. What fun to find them again.
I had also spent hours creating these pretty pineapples in various colours. Pineapples are the symbol of hospitality. So my original thoughts had been to create a sign printed on poster paper that I would mat and frame and put in one of the entries to the Fort Erie house. It didn’t happen though. These were created during the confusion of the early days of Covid; before we made the decision to move back to Nova Scotia. And for some reason when I was staging our house for sale I lost sight of these pineapples and using my sign idea to welcome house hunters to our home. It was just as well; the first family through the door offered and while we were waiting out their financing condition, another couple made and even higher offer, in case the first fell through. So I guess in retrospect we didn’t need the sign. I slipped the Welcome print under a mat, added a frame and it now has a place of honour in the front entry of our Nova Scotia home.
Then I remembered that around the same time I had also designed laundry signs that I had illustrated for the old house’s laundry room. They turned out really well and are framed and currently in a box in our basement. I’m going to have to ensure that I remember to pull them out when I get around to renovating our laundry room.
Well, what a delight to find all these gems. I may have forgotten about them in the confusion of Covid, but if I hadn’t I wouldn’t have had the pleasure of seeing my creations with fresh eyes. As an artist I don’t do this enough. I need to remember that sometimes it’s best to put a piece away and view it later from a new perspective.
True Story!