You will be able to check out my new series of mono prints in April at the Cathedral Coffee shop in collaboration with Green Door Printmaking studio. So where did the name come from? Well it comes from the process I have used – mono printing. But in the case of these works I have printed on both sides of the chinese paper, and the colour shines though, hence the Duo, becasue they are kind of Duo prints.
I have been exhibiting my Character Art and Fine Art in Derby hospitals for some time, becasue I think hospitals can be a gloomy place, and artwork can really cheer people up. The exhibitions have been a real success and I have had some really nice comments about my work. Its all part of the AIR scheme, using art to promote well being.
I felt it was time to give something back to the community, so I have donated 8 framed prints to the Derbyshire Children’s Hospital. Having a little one of my own, and another one on its way, I am very fond of the Children’s hospital, and wanted to give them my work to brighten up the children’s day. Its never very nice when kiddies are unwell. Fingers crossed it will bring a smile to some little peoples faces, and perhaps some old ones as well.
I think art can be a really powerful tool, to bring happiness to people, and if anything should be much more accessible rather than being in elitist galleries. Power to the people eh 
Its funny really because most artists just want their work seen and often the commercial gallery side of things prevents that. Fingers crossed there will be lots more schemes like Air where there is easy access to art, but where quality control still exists. Yay.
Have you ever wondered why traditionally artist prints are always signed in pencil? Well there is a good, and simple explanation – the graphite in the pencil doesn’t fade. If you signed the print with a typical pen, in the not too distant future the signature would fade and eventually disappear.
In terms of position of the signature and edition number, many artists sign below the print on a white border, or on the print itself. I prefer the latter option because I like the mount to come to the edges of the print.
Something I see time and time again is artists signing the mount. This is a big no no, the reason being if the owner of the piece wants to re-frame the artwork, they will lose the signature, and the print will potentially lose any value it had.
So what do you do if you want to sign on the actual artwork and pencil won’t show up? The solution lies with archival ink pens. These pens should not fade and will stay visible on the print. Simple. 
So in summary, if you are an artist or a print buyer make sure the signature is in pencil or pen with archival ink.
Limited edition or open edition, this is always a difficult question to decide upon when you are an artist. I personally love open editions because they are affordable, accessible and available to the masses. Also from an artists perspective they are great because you can use the artwork in lots of different ways. Why should it just be an art print? A piece of art, especially graphic art can be used for so many mediums, for example a bag, a t shirt, wallpaper, the side of VW camper (watch this space) you name it the possibilities are endless. Check out this image for Oakley Sunglasses packaging I did, which was adapted from the “All you need is rock” open edition. Its not exactly the same as the original print, but I would’nt have been happy to use it if it had been originaly a limited edition.
In terms of the open editions I sell, I am always happy to sign them, they are printed on the same high quality art paper, and its not like I intend to make 1000′s of prints of a piece (unless a great offer comes along ). So to a certain extent they are similar to a limited edition.
With all that in mind, the reality is when you start selling you art, a lot of buyers will only buy limited editions, and the smaller the edition the better. In fact quite a few people ask me to do one off commissions for them, where there will only ever be one piece in existence. I totally get that, its nice to own something special and unique, especially by an artist you really like. I have a few limited editions by Julie West which I totally adore. They feel even more special because they are limited edition.
I guess the bottom line is, I just want people to see and enjoy my work. So I will continue to do both open, limited and one off commisions, so anyone can own my work.
Mob:
07775 758131
Tel:
01332 890333
Office Address:
Weyland House
58 Smalley Drive
Oakwood
Derby
DE21 2SQ
Studio Address:
Studio 4.10
Banks Mill Studios
71 Bridge Street
Derby
DE1 3LB
