Hope Relentlessly; 2013; mixed media: watercolor, pastel, acrylic.

Artist’s statement for Hope Relentlessly: There are times in life when hope must come from a place beyond what we can perceive with our physical senses, beyond our tumultuous circumstances. Then, like a sunflower turning through the day towards the light, we cling to the promise that there is more than what we can see and touch. There is a God sovereign over it all, a God who works all things for the good of those who love Him, beyond what we can ask or even imagine. We cling relentlessly to the hope that a day is coming when the sun never sets.

It used to be that off-set lithography was the only means available to artists for creating limited edition prints of their work. A skilled artist/printmaker created a printing plate from a substrate such as limestone and every attempt was made to create an exact replica of the original artwork. The entire limited edition was printed at the same time. Prints created earlier in the run were of higher quality as the plate deteriorated through the process. Once the pre-determined total number of prints in the edition was complete, the plate was destroyed. Artists fronted the money for the printmaking process and for the entire run and also needed to access storage space for unsold prints of the edition.

Untitled; 1991; 14″ x 21.5″; hand-colored lithograph. (c) Colleen Briggs

(On a personal note – I took a lithography class in college and barely survived it! The long, convoluted, incredibly technical process to pull just one print consumed eight hours of my time and probably shaved a couple years off my life. I walked out the door at the end of the quarter and never looked back.)

Technology opened many new possibilities for art reproduction through the process of giclee printing. The term giclee was coined in 1991 from a French word meaning “squirt or spray” and references the modern ink-jet process of spraying color onto paper to create an image. Artwork is photographed or scanned and then printed with large quality printers on archival paper with archival ink. Artists determine the set number of the full edition from the beginning, but can print just a few at a time as needed.

For the buyer, the intrigue of a limited edition is that there are only a certain number available and the prints are signed and numbered by the artist. I also include a signed and numbered “Certificate of Authenticity” that describes the original painting and identifies print details.

I stumbled upon all of this information quite by accident! I happily created artwork in 2009, not even concerned about selling, much less reproducing my work. A friend surprised me when she asked to purchase a piece, and then a friend of hers saw it in her home and asked if I sell prints of my paintings. Through talking to other artists and internet research, I learned about the giclee process and located printing services. I continue to learn how to produce high-quality images while keeping the price as friendly as possible for a potential buyer. I’m excited about a new partnership with Young Life printing services. I appreciate both the quality and price of their work, plus I love supporting their ministry.

Below are the specifics for my newest limited edition print, Hope Relentlessly which can be purchased for $35 through Pamba Toto by clicking here:

Hope Relentlessly fine art print

Original Artwork
Date of completion: 2013
Size: 12” x 9.5”
Media: Watercolor, acrylic, pastel

Print
Printer: Young Life, Colorado Springs, CO
Ink and paper: 100 year archival ink on archival fine art paper
Print size: 12” x 9.5” (plus 1” deckle-edge borders)
Date printed: 2014
Edition size: 100