Old Town Editions ~ Potomac Artworks

10.19.2009

Old Town Editions

I recently saw a presentation by Old Town Editions, Alexandria, VA, at the Springfield Art Guild. Not only were the printmaking partners personable, they were incredibly passionate about printing. One is a professional photographer with a business degree and the other is a MFA painter. They aim to get it right.

When they grab the image of the original, they aren't scanning on a flatbed. They call it "capturing," creating an image over about 25 minutes. They explained many of the technicalities and bragged in the best way about their equipment, particularly when compared to traditional commercial printers. They even gave paper swatches to the attendees and we, amazingly, each can have a painting captured for free. Whoa!

So, if your printer makes files small enough that they can be emailed, you need to find another printer. Visit the Old Town Editions website for more educational reading.

Now to decide which one I want to be captured. Better yet, you tell me.

3 comments:

Unknown said...: "if your printer makes files small enough that they can be emailed, you need to find another printer. Visit the Old Town Editions website for more educational reading."

We here at Old Town Editions would like to clarify this statement.

What we were trying to say was that if the only file of your artwork that you have is small enough to email, then chances are it has lost detail from compressing the file and therefor is too small to print. Files need to be sized down and/or compressed when emailing or preparing the file to add to your web site. When a computer compresses a file it throws out information. Most high quality art scans can not be sent through an email without some form of compression or downsizing.

Double check with your printer or the person that photographed your artwork. They could have just sized your file down for use on the web or through email. If the only file that you can still find is small enough for email then chances are it is too small for limited edition printmaking unless you are making tiny prints. But, it is always worth checking with a professional to confirm whether the image is too small for the sizes you are trying to print.

Thanks,

Pat; November 12, 2009 at 8:14 PM
Bonnie said...: Of course, any file can be made for emailing, but the primary file should not be. Sorry that didn't come out as clearly as I'd intended.

And you're quite welcome for the exposure and the rest of the article!; November 13, 2009 at 8:43 PM
Unknown said...: We greatly appreciate the opportunity to come and talk to the group and the exposure from the article.

Thank you.; November 13, 2009 at 9:06 PM

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The Charm of en Plein Air

Much of my work is done en plein air, French for "in the open air." People often associate it with the Impressionists, but the move to paint outside preceded them by a number of decades. The trend to appreciate landscapes as a genre at all was new for the time.

Several characteristics contribute to the distinctive beauty of en plein air painting. They are generally smaller in size in order to be able to capture a scene in a single sitting. Because of the time limit and environmental factors such as the sun and shadows moving, they often lack extensive details and might appear slightly fuzzy or unfinished. Lastly, they tend to have a freshness and spontaneity which makes them impossible to compare to traditional and methodological studio work. That said, my own studio work tends toward the same feel as en plein air, which then identifies my overall style: softness with an edge.

My aim when painting en plein air is for alla prima paintings, which roughly translates for me as "what happens outside, stays outside." It adds another level of difficulty to the work.

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10.19.2009