A. What is a Giclee
Print?
B. Who does our printing?
C. How long will a
Gicleé last? Is it Archival or not?
D. What is a digital
original?
E. What is a digital
reproduction?
F. How do the
collaborations work?
G. How are AL and Owen Related, and
are there any other Lostetters who make art?
A. What is a Giclee Print?
Giclees are highly sophisticated ink-jet prints representing a
milestone in image reproduction and archival longevity for fine art
prints. Giclees implement the latest technological advances
in print head design, delivering large format, ultra-high
resolution (2880x1440 dpi), images on archival fine art media such as
canvas and
heavyweight fine art paper. A Giclee is a collectible-quality art
object in itself. Giclee is an ideal medium for reproducing
original watercolors on paper, like Al's, becuase the copy can so
convincingly capture their look and feel. The technology is also
absolutely integral to the fine art printing of digital originals (see
below), as it transforms light and pixels into pigment and surface.
B. Who does our printing?
All printing at Lostenart is done in house on professional equipment by
Al and Owen Lostetter. By cutting out
a commercial printer we have complete control over the printing
process from start to finish. We
maintain the ability to proof images in accordance to our own exacting
standards of color reproduction and image proportion. In house printing
is
also particularly invaluable for special orders, as all the tools
and technologies are at the direct disposal of the artists.
C. How long will a
Gicleé last? Is it Archival or not?
Giclee
prints are currently the most archival fine art reproductions on the
market today. We use only media that
is guaranteed archival: Ultrachrome K3 pigmented ink and fine art paper
specifically designed for giclee printing. After properly
curing, we also take measures to
ensure the longevity of our product. All prints
are fixed first with a polymer/acrylic sealer to protect from moisture
and scuffing, then second with a UV protectant to shield harmful UV
rays, which can cause fading. Framing images behind glass is always
recommended to ensure the highest degree of archival longevity. However
because the aesthetic nature of framing behind glass applies better to
works on paper, and less to canvas, our canvases are treated with
generous coats of the aforementioned substrates, and will perform as
well as any origianl acrylic or oil painting would.
D. What is a digital
original?
Digital original implies that the image was created and
conceived digitally, that is from the manipulation of light and pixels
within a digital imaging software. A digital original may include input
image files from any one of the following: a digital photograph/scan
of a painting or drawing, a digital paint program, an image editing
software or even a fractal generator. The amazing thing about digital
originals is that they ARE original works of art, they have no real
world predecessor. All digital originals at Lostenart are issued in
series of either Open Editions or Limited Editions according to size and media, and are signed and
numbered by the artist(s).
E. What is a digital
reproduction?
A digital reproduction is a faithful facsimile of an artwork that was
created non-digitally through a traditional means of art making,
ie… water color and acrylic painting. The original artwork is
either digitally photographed or scanned at a high resolution, and then
it is uploaded into the computing environment to be optimized for
printing. All digital reproductions at Lostenart are issued as Limited
Editions or Open Editions according to size and media, and are signed and numbered by the
artist(s).
F. How do the
collaborations work?
Lostenart collaborations integrate the two aforementioned forms of giclee prints: digital
originals and digital reproductions. The result is an exciting new
digital original. Al Lostetter’s skillful paintings are
digitized and prepared as if to become a digital reproduction. This
image file is then imported along with one of Owen’s digital
originals into a brand new image file. AL and Owen then participate
together in integrating their respective artwork into one cohesive
whole, making test proofs along the way. These collaborations further
exemplify the advantages of in house printing, as it would be nearly
impossible to collaborate in this manner with a middle man between
them. (see Who does our printing? above).
G.
How are AL and Owen Related, and are there any other Lostetters who
make art?
Al, Kathie, Owen and Antony Lostetter are a family of talented artists.
The Lostenart website is particularly dedicated to the father and son
team of Al and Owen Lostetter. However there are other websites
dedicated to the artwork of Al and his wife Kathie. At
www.lostettergallery.com visitors are treated to examples of
Al’s original watercolor/Acrylic paintings and
Kathie’s Spirit Animal Art. Kathie also has a site of her own dedicated to her sculpture: www.spiritanimalart.com. Antony Lostetter is a
videographer for KNME-TV, Northern New Mexico’s local PBS
station located in Albuquerque, and is also a talented visual artist in
his own right. Visit the about and the links page for more information
about where you can see and/or purchase the art of this talented
family.