Norval Morrisseau Prints

Norval Morrisseau Prints

UNDERSTANDING ART PRINTS

Art print reproductions fall basically into two categories:

1) Open Edition prints
2) Limited Edition prints.

An open edition print is never numbered and may be produced in unlimited quantity.

In the case of limited edition prints,  the artist and publisher have committed to produce only a certain number of prints called the "edition size."   Because of the limited number of pieces personalized by the artist, limited editions, are, by their nature, desirable, collectible and exclusive. Limited edition prints, when "sold out" in the primary market (retail outlets) will often trade in the secondary market while open edition prints do not generally trade in the secondary market. Limited edition prints are almost always numbered with a fraction that indicates the number of prints in the edition and the number of the particular print, being the numerator in the fraction.

ARTIST PROOFS
Within an edition of limited edition prints,  there are often special prints designated as "proofs", the most common of those designations being the "artists proof". They are generally limited to a percentage of the total print run (generally less than 25 %) and are labelled "AP" in the margin of the print.

Traditionally these were the first prints that were produced through the printing process. The artist would scrutinize them and would refine the printing medium by making colour adjustments, etcetera, being the prints that the artist would "proof" before the other prints were run through the printing press > They were generally considered more desirable and to have more value.

REMARQUES
An artist would, in some cases, add a small original work of art in the margin or on the back of a print or would embellish the print with hand-painted brush strokes. A print on which the artist has added an original drawing or painting is often referred to as a "remarque". These special prints would generally comprise a very small portion of the total edition of prints and would often sell, at both wholesale and retail market levels, for several times the value of the "standard" signed and numbered prints. Remarques tend to increase in value, at a higher rate in a secondary market.

Limited editions are printed on top quality paper using expensive, long-lasting inks and are often run through a press multiple times using touch plates to print small corrections on each print, being, usually a minor colour correction. Open edition prints use lower quality paper and inks that do not last as long.

OFFSET LITHOGRAPHY
The most common printing method used in the reproduction of limited edition art is offset lithography. A modern offset printing press is a motor-driven machine with a computer brain that can cost several million dollars. That process is called "offset" lithography because the paper never actually touches the printing press. In the press, the image is transferred to a roller which then prints the image onto the paper and hence the image is "offset" before printing.

SERIGRAPHY SILK SCREEN PROCESS
The silk screen process involves placing a stencil that is made of tightly stretched silk or other fabric over the substrate (most often paper). The stencil blocks the areas where paint is not to be applied to the substrate. Due to the labour and skill necessary to create a serigraph, they typically sell for significantly more than offset lithographs.

ETCHING
An image is etched onto a stone or other medium and the print is created by covering the medium with ink and impressing the medium onto the substrate.

EDITION SIZES
Edition sizes for limited edition art prints vary widely. Some artists will release prints of an image on more than one substrate (e.g. on canvas and on paper) and in different sizes, each type of print forming its own edition.

PRICING
The retail pricing of a print is usually a product of the cost of producing it, the cost of bringing it to market and the market demand for it.  In determining costs, the selection of print size and the edition size and the establishment of wholesale price which must be sufficiently high so that the publisher can recoup its costs and make a profit. Other factors that influence the pricing decision include competitor pricing for similar prints, popularity of the artist, the subject matter and the success that the artist has had selling previous prints etcetera.