Exceptional Prints Last Several Lifetimes
 About Prints and the WEB
You are viewing my work on a web site. You may see exactly what I see on my calibrated monitor but it is more likely that you are seeing an image that is slightly or perhaps sharply different then what I created in postproduction. Your images may be warmer, cooler, more or less saturated, perhaps have a different level of contrast, which is due to the quality, color gamut range, and other setting of your monitor.
Why is this?
Fine Art Photographers create work for the print medium. In order to make consistent and finely crafted prints we work with color-calibrated monitors and a wide color space or gamut. This calibration allows us to produce prints with millions of colors and fine gray scale ranges for Black and White. Print images by design hang on walls. In fine art galleries, we view them under a light temperature range that is roughly equivalent to daylight. In our homes, we generally view prints with warmer tungsten light used to illuminate a room or perhaps a combination of light sources.
When we upload prints to a web site, we convert them form the wide color space to one that is considerably narrower. It is much like trying to pour 2 gallons of color into a one-gallon color can. Some of the colors are going to spill out or overflow and not become captured in the one-gallon can. Thus, not all of the fine color and gray scale tones we create make it to your screen, because most home and business computers have a standard profile that is great for average internet and application work but it will not deliver the quality that we can on our screens or with our prints.
Yes, screen tech is improving, so are image compression standards, and software for web color corrections, but there is nothing like the quality of the print. Depending upon the substrate and pigment on paper print process, prints deliver exceptional quality, and a tactile sense of personal connection. Because of the disconnect that occurs between web site viewing and the actual print I do the following:
“I guarantee all my prints. If for any reason you are not satisfied with a print return to us without damage and we will cheerfully refund your investment.”
Authenticity— In order to guaranty the authenticity of my work I do the following:
- All prints signed recto (front border)
- All prints titled and numbered as limited edition, open edition, or special edition
- Signed Certificate of Authenticity with capture and production details
- All prints shipped in archival, acid-free materials
Editions— I utilize two edition methods, special editions, and limited editions.
Special Editions are for task specific projects such as the Artist in Residence program for the Mojave National Preserve. Special Editions can number up to a 150 and print profits often go to support the mission of the Mojave National Preserve and the Mojave National Preserve Conservancy. All Special Edition Prints are signed and numbered and can be purchased via our web site or through the Mojave National Preserve Artist in Residence Program.
Limited Editions prints are the result of individual prints or a series of images that form a body of work around a theme. You may purchase some limited edition images via our web site or from a gallery that is handling that edition.
Purchase/Investment— Purchase prices vary with the editions and often with individual images in the edition. You may receive advantageous pricing on multiple image purchases. We price our prints for affordable enjoyment as well owner/investor value. If you wish to receive news of last purchase price on limited images please register with our studio office. We will send you confidential information as it becomes available.
Archive Life— Today’s pigment-on-paper images are sufficiently archival to last without deterioration for your lifetime — at least. Tests by Wilhelm Imaging Research have shown Epson Ultrachrome prints to have an anticipated life of more than a hundred years when framed under glass and longer when framed under UV protection glass or acrylic, to over 300 years in ideal or museum display situations. Careful handling, proper presentation, and protection from UV light sources (direct sun, for example) help preserve your images lifespan.
My belief system holds that you should find my prints of value today, not 300 years from now and enjoy them from the moment you hang them. I strive to produce prints that can achieve the archival maximum a number no one knows for sure— but the major goal of the work is provide satisfaction today as well as in the future.
For print inquiries please contact:
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, Associate Director at Bob Killen Fine Art
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