Media Types


Original Oil or Acrylic_
Original Colour Pencil
Original Water Colour
Giclee
Prints
Commissions
Microsoft® Paint
Others


Original Oil or Acrylic
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These are usually oil-based or acrylic-based works that are painted on canvas. There is only ever one original, and it will always have the deepest colour and most pronounced brush strokes, which is important to collectors, or such as when viewing under halogen lighting, etc.
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Original Colour Pencil_

As the name implies, color pencil is used to create most or all aspects of the work. Originals can be drawn on many surfaces. The actual may or may not be special paper (i.e. acid-free), but the framed work may include a UV resistant coating to greatly increase longevity and color.

Color pencil can be breathtaking, with deep colours similar to that of oil or acrylic originals. This is due in part to the type of pencil used, which are often pigmented with the same types of paint. Those commissioning originals may express a preference for the brand of color pencil used, whether it’s pastel or bright colour, fine or wide strokes, etc.
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Original Water Colour_

These, of course, are painted with water-based paints, and can give either a dazzling or an understated look. The work can be done on regular paper, although acid-free is also used if determined during a commission.
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Giclee_

This popular technique effectively prints copies of original works with thicker, high-quality paint droplets. You can make a giclee copy of virtually any type of original.

Depending upon the options used when making a giclee, the result can look almost as good as an original, yet they are often priced lower. Giclee quality and pricing can still vary significantly depending upon the size of the copy, it’s quality, and the type of finish used. Finishes can be matte, glossy, thick or thin-film, and also be made with UV-resistant inks or coatings.

Note too that the quality of the giclee is largely dependent upon the quality of the original photograph of the original, and also of the printer used to print it. Our giclee prints are amongst the highest quality available anywhere in the world, made with extremely high sampling. For example, it takes over 3 hours to digitally sample a 10x12” painting! We also have them printed on some of the most advanced printers available to industry, which offer an incredible 50 million paint drops per square inch. (ask for one of those when shopping for your next home printer and see the reaction you get from the salesperson!)

If you’re curious, you can learn more about giclees here.
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Prints_

A somewhat all-encompassing phrase, a print can be printed on poster paper or a flat, matted heavy paper. We tend to take a little extra care when making them by using acid-free paper that resists color change and chemical decomposition of the work. Prints are much less expense than originals or giclees, but they also do not provide quite the same depth of colour or any sense of the brush strokes. However, they look terrific in a frame or on their own on, and provide an easy and economical way to get a copy of a work that may not otherwise be available in original or giclee form.
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Commissions_

Commissions are original works performed by-request. All aspects of the work can be requested by the purchaser, including the exact subject matter, size, colors, and media used. They may be based on pictures, drawings, plein aire (out in the field!), or even just a basic mental concept. We offer several popular canvas sizes for commission work, although if you wish us to paint the ceiling of your local Chapel, you will have to supply that on your own! Prices are negotiable, and depend largely upon what end result is desired, but our regular gallery works are a good guide to typical costs. We would love to hear your special request, although we appreciate your understanding that commission work must be offered as time allows, and for this reason, it is not always possible to accept each request.
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Microsoft® Paint_

One of Catherine’s specialties is Microsoft® Paint where she uses the common software utility to make postcard-sized images. You have to really see this to believe it.
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Others_

There are many other techniques used to print a work on a substrate. For reasons of brevity, we will not describe a separate category for each, but pastels, charcoal, silkscreen, ink impressions, collage, and others are all common. We do not always offer every one of these formats in the gallery, but Catherine has used them all. If you think you might be interested in a work based upon one of these methods, let us know.
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