Canvas, Aluminum and Paper Giclee - Understanding Fine Art Reproductions

 What is the difference between a canvas giclee, aluminum and paper giclee?

If you’re looking to buy an art reproduction there are a couple options available and the more you know about the different giclee options the better you will be able to make a decision on what style of reproductions you will enjoy for your home or office. In this article we will discuss the three fine art reproductions you can collect: Canvas giclee, aluminum giclee and paper giclee. Lets dive in…

First, let's talk about the word giclee and what it means, and how to pronounce it… G-clay.

Giclee simply means the highest quality fine art print using the best ink jet printers to make art  reproductions. The word was adopted in 1990 by Jack Duganne when he was producing new prints on a modified Iris high resolution printer. Giclee prints use fade-resistant archival inks that are pigment based. Basically giclee means the highest quality inks and resolution available. This is why so many artist use giclee printing for their fine art print reproductions.

Canvas Giclees by definition is a fine art print on canvas. These reproductions are more traditional looking and fit a lot of artist styles as they are stretched over stretcher bars and look just like a canvas that an artist would paint on. One of the great aspects of the canvas giclee is that the artwork can stretch around the edges providing a wrap around look. This style allows for the collector to bypass the frame process if they choose and hang their artwork directly on the wall. These canvas giclees can be framed as well, which is great to have options. Another great aspect to the canvas giclee is that they can be ordered un-stretched, meaning they can be rolled up and not tightened over stretcher bars. This allows for easier shipping and or storage. It also allows the artist to order more prints at a time to save money without having to fork out the extra cost of stretching until the art piece has sold.

Aluminum Giclee is a fine art print on aluminum panels. This medium allows for a very modern look and has the highest resolution of 300 dpi. Most often photos will be printed on Aluminum. This format has a shiny finish and is most often frameless. These aluminum giclees can be hung traditionally with wire and hook, or with a more stable french cleat that allows for the painting to always stays level. Here in Maui we have lots of wind so we like to use french cleats on all our artwork. Aluminum giclees will hang about 1" off the wall. They have a 1" square frame on the backside which can accept screws to attach your hanging mechanism. 

Paper Giclee is a fine art print on your paper of choice. Paper comes in so many options and colors, but these fine art prints can be a lot cheaper to reproduce than an aluminum giclee. All our matted prints and paper giclees and printed on acid free archival paper which help make sure the quality of the print can last decades. When you are creating paper gicless make sure to use paper that will help translate your art and colors in the best way. The paper I use for my prints helps make the bright colors really pop off the paper. 

Wether you are a collector looking to find the right type of print for your wall or a young artist trying to figure out what type of fine art reproduction to start experimenting with, feel free to reach out and ask a question. We are here to help.

Stay inspired, Aloha

Welzie

What its Like Being an Artist on Maui

What Its Like to be an Artist on Maui

Maui is a magical place where artist from all over the world come to visit and absorb the inspirational and creative energy. The Valley Isle offers everything a creative person needs to express theirselves through art. You will find every type of fine artist here on Maui from painters of all mediums, like myself, ceramics, glass, muralists, wood, traditional Hawaiian mediums, sculpture, photographers, reclaimed art, and so much more. 

I want to dive into what its like to be an artist here on Maui and why so many artists choose Maui as their place of creativity and refuge. For myself, being an artist here on Maui is a relatively new experience. I spent all of my professional art career on Oahu, Hawaii, where I went to UH Manoa, started out in the art markets and developed my career with other amazing Oahu artists. In 2010 I had my first experience showing my work here on Maui and got a little glimpse into the Maui Art world. Read more about that experience here. 

In June of 2019 we opened our first Maui art gallery at the Andaz Resort Wailea, The Welzie Art Gallery. This was a giant step for me as an artist and changed the course of my art career. After 3 months of being here on Maui, my wife and I fell in love with the slower pace and the bustling art scene. Running our gallery from Oahu just didn’t seem like the way to go. Once we found a warehouse space to create my studio, We were ready to make the move to an outer island.

Its been 4 years since making the transition to Maui and I have come to realize Maui is an amazing place to be an artist. 

Here are my 5 Reasons Why Being an Artist on Maui is Amazing

Reason 1

 The pace of Maui is slow, which makes everything not stressful, but at the same time it is not so slow that time seems to stand still. For me, I need a little tempo to life and Maui Has the perfect balance. Its so convenient to be able to get to all the art stores, hardware stores, galleries and everything you need all within a short 20 min drive. With no traffic. The mellow pace of the island just reinforces a mellow and happy artist, which is exactly what I need to create my happy art.

Reason 2

There are so many galleries on the island with so many towns being little creative hot spots. This is great for any artist because it allows them to show their work in multiple areas close to home. 

Hana, which is out on the east side of the island is very secluded and lush, where you will find the artists who need to get away from it all and create in their own little jungle world.

Paia is the small surf town on Maui’s north shore where you will find the surfing artist from all over the world who balance their creativity with their passion for riding waves in the world class surf surrounding the area. Yogis and hippies help contribute to the art scene in Paia, giving the area a very rootsy vibe.

Wailuku is getting brighter and brighter everyday as the small town nestled around Iao valley has created Small Town Big Art, an organized effort to seeing the community grow through art installations and outreach. STBA brings artist from around the islands and around the world to show their work and inspire the local community.

South Maui, where my studio and art gallery are, seems to be quickly becoming a major arts center on the island. In Kihei near my studio you will find artist, photographers, framers and creators starting to gather. There are now over 5 art galleries in South Maui, as well as a 3rd Friday event which shows artist works. The Four Seasons has artists showing their work daily in the lobby, The Andaz Wailea has created the Artist in Residence Program where I am the resident artist (I don’t live on site) It’s safe to say South Maui is definitely becoming another strong art hub in the Maui art community.

Makawow/Upcountry

In this upcountry town you will find a handfull of galleries with a country vibe. Nestled on the slopes of Haleakala, you can look out over the island while wearing a jacket and cowboy boots. You will find beautiful landscape painters such as Jordanne Gallery and others. It's such a different vibe up on the mountain and is a great example of the diversity in culture on Maui.

Lahaina,

The art Mecca of the Hawaiian islands, The gathering place for all Hawaii artists. With so many galleries and art culture in Lahaina, its hard to say there is a more artsy town than Lahaina. As Lahaina rebuilds I think and hope that all of us Maui artists know how important it will be to make sure the art scene of Lahaina town comes back and shows more local artists than ever before.

Reason 3

Like all the Hawaiian islands Maui is absolutely beautiful. If you’re an artist that gets a recharge from nature and getting away from it all, then Maui is like a constant reset button. Jumping into the clear, warm blue waters or looking out over the edge of a massive cliff on a hike, Maui can recharge your soul every single day. For myself as a creator, the ocean has always been a big source of inspiration. A good surf, snorkel or ocean swim would always get me in the right head space to create something happy and fun in the art studio.

Reason 4

Now this may be a controversial topic but one of the reasons why Maui is great to be an artist isa because so many people come to visit Maui every year and Maui is known for its art culture. As an artist you always want more people to see your artwork, and having new people come and visit every week allows for the artist to spend more time creating artwork and less time having to travel around showing their work. It is more like a “If you build it they will come” mentality. We as Maui artist get to make what we want to make then have the ability to show it to lots of new people right on our door step.

Reason 5

Maui has so many programs embedded into the Maui community to help facilitate the Arts. For example the Maui Arts and Cultural Center that shows artwork, theater and music. The Hui No'eau Visual Arts Center in Makawow which has art programs and gallery space. Maui Open Studios which organizes Maui artist to open their studios for art collectors to visit their creative space. Small Town Big Art, which I have mentioned before that brings artists of all kinds from all over the world to help bring creativity and inspiration to the Wailuku area. Maui truly is truly an art island paradise.

There are so many reason why Maui is an amazing place to be an artist. For myself, anywhere in the Hawaiian islands is an amazing place to be an artist. Hawaii breaths energy and mana and for someone who needs some creative energy, Hawaii is the place to thrive. Any artist in Hawaii with the ability to make a living here is truly fortunate. I am so fortunate to call Maui my home and to be a part of this Maui Art Community.

Aloha,

Welzie

 5 tips for Making Art Prints for beginners

Once you dive in to the world of selling your artwork you will want to start selling prints. It’s like a musician selling albums.  A musician doesn’t want to perform live overnight, they want to see a recording of their best work. This is the same for an artist. You want to make artwork that is awesome, then sell prints of that artwork so you can continue to get financial gains from that artwork. If you are going to start doing prints of your artwork, here are a few tips I have from my experience selling prints of my artwork online and in my Maui Art Gallery

Tip #1 Quality Art Scans

Get high quality Images of your artwork. You’re looking for the highest resolution possible without breaking the bank. Can use a professional, or rent a camera, or try your phone depending on budget. Use natural light if doing it yourself, best on a lightly overcast day.

Tip #2 Use Standard Sizes

Plan on using standard sizing, 5x7, 8x10 and 11x14 for your artwork. Not only will this make your prices for making prints the most affordable, they will fit in standard frames, matts and bags etc. Start making your originals the sizes that can scale down to these sizes. Remember that 5x7 is actually an 8x10 Matt and bagged. And 8x10 is 11x14 and a 11x14 is 16x20

Also stick to one size at first. Variety is great, but it is a total hassle. I basically just do 11x14 to keep it simple. Id not have to have excessive inventory, or too many variants on pricing.

Tip#3 Choose top selling Designs first

Choose your prints based on what has sold or got the most attention. By doing this you can narrow down what you need to get printed. It is really frustrating having 400$ in prints that are not selling. Order or print 2-3 prints of a new piece if you’re unsure what the print response will be.

Tip#4 Package your art professionally

Put a bio sticker on the back of your print with a brief bio, picture of you the artist. Your website, email, and social media, so the collector can easily contact you if needed. My stickers are black and white 4’x4” and placed in the center of the back. No need for title etc on back of matted print.

Also Sign your prints. I sign mine on front right corner in black Posca pen. Sign your prints how you want but make sure that the artist name is visible to the person viewing the artwork.

Tip #5 Price accordingly

Paper prints have a lower price point than originals. Generally between 20-55$ for an 11x14 matted paper print. If you retail for 20$ that means you will only get 10$ wholesale if you sell to a gallery or boutique. Be conscience of your price. Also this is an affordable product so don’t give away too much value. For these small prints you don’t need to do a limited edition. Save those for the canvas or aluminum reproductions. 

Bonus Tip: Print your own prints. This will cost you some money in the beginning but you will save so much more by doing it yourself. You can do smaller print runs, try get the colors right before printing hundreds of dollars only to find out the colors are off. You can sell online and print to order. You can have a stack of paper ready to print. Its so much cheaper to do it yourself.

If you’re wondering what printer I recommend the Canon Pixima Pro 1000

The ink is the same quality ink used on the commercial printers, but it's a desktop. You only need to print 8x10 anyway so don’t pay for your prints to be done on a big expensive printer when you can get the same quality for cheaper. A printer won’t fix a bad scan or bad art, so make good art, get good scans, print it write, package it right and then get out there and start to show your work. Stay inspired. Aloha

Make sure to check out my artwork here in my Online art gallery 

Or See my artwork at the Welzie Art Gallery at the ANDAZ RESORT in Wailea Maui Hawaii

What Lahaina Means to Me as a Maui Artist

Lahaina has been the arts center of the Hawaiian islands for decades, with more art galleries in one square block than anywhere else in the archipelago. As a young artist going to the University of Hawaii at Manoa and trying to navigate the art world, showing my artwork in Lahaina seemed like a pipe dream. Lahaina is where the top artists show their work, and I still had a lot to learn. This is my experience as a young artist getting to show my work for the first time on the famous Front Street of Lahaina, Maui.

As my art career began to take off in my late 20’s I was able to get into a group surf art show at the Wyland Gallery in Haleiwa on Oahu.  This was a huge step for me as I had spent most of my 20's being denied wall space. The Annual Surf Art Show was a success and I was fortunate to sell a lot of pieces (They were very affordable then) . Getting into the Wyland Gallery was a giant leap for me as an artist as the Wyland art gallery brand is in my opinion the most prestigious art gallery in Hawaii.
After a year at the Wyland Haleiwa location, the owner of the gallery decided to try me out at some of her other gallery locations on Oahu. This was great for me as I was fully committed to make the art business work and wanted to get my art in front of as many people as possible. As was being coveted by many new art collectors, the owner of the gallery decided I was ready to be shown in Lahaina.

Everything always felt surreal when working with the galleries. I could not believe it when the offer was presented. A gallery director would say something in passing as I was dropping of new artwork and then next thing you know I would be packing art to deliver to the next gallery. With Lahaina, the gallery that I would be showing in was the Signature Gallery. A gallery that represented Jim Carrey, Dr. Seuss, Nano Lopez,  Heather Brown and more. This was a great stepping stone for the 30 year old Welzie, a surfboard building resin artist from the North Shore, Oahu.

I created a small body of work for the Front Street Lahaina art gallery and sent it over a couple weeks prior to my art show and I got lucky, a couple pieces had sold in the first week. I was so excited. I really felt like my art career was taking off and that I was finally doing something right, after feeling like I had been doing everything wrong for so long. Before I island hopped over to Maui, I packed a few more pieces and headed to the Valley Isle.

When Arriving on Maui it was hot and windy, I had a box of art, a backpack and a smile. I had hit the big time. Inter island travel as an artist. waiting to be picked up by my represented art gallery for a big art show in the art center of the Pacific Ocean. I envisioned all my art selling off the wall and spending the rest of the evening buying rounds of drinks for everyone at the local bar. It was going to be an amazing night.

I didn’t notice my chauffeur pulling up to the curb at Kahului Airport because it was a sketchy white Astro van, not exactly what I was expecting. The gentleman yelled "Welzie!" and I hoped into the passenger seat, eager to get out of the heat. Here we go I thought. As we headed west to Lahaina, Mike my driver and I talked art the whole way. He ran the warehouse and kept all the galleries supplied with art and packed paintings to ship all over the world. As we made to 30 min drive out to the westside I got a much better understanding of the art scene in Maui and how lucky I was to be showing my art work on Front Street. 

I had only been to Lahaina once before on a trip with my family in the early 2000's. The little narrow street was glowing with energy and I looked in awe at each of the art galleries like a child seeing real life dinosaurs. It was magical. Me, an artist, arriving on Front Street for an art show, being escorted by a driver (though in a sketchy van) to show my artwork with Hawaii’s top Artists. Wow, it was like a dream, and it still is to be honest.

I jumped out of the van and went straight into the gallery as Mike took off to another gallery to pick up a few pieces that had sold the previous day. Wow I thought, this is where art is happening. Entering the gallery no one noticed me and I couldn't find my art. Not the red carpet experience I was hoping for a North Shore surf artist with 18x24" originals selling for 350$ would expect. As I approached the sales team, and introduced myself, “Hi, I..am…uh…Welzie” 

Greeted with Aloha, I soon found my work on a back wall and started talking story with the sales team. They were so nice and helpful, suggesting pieces that might work well in Lahaina. Once I got a few more pieces hung up, I headed to my hotel to get settled and have a bite to eat.

Walking Front Street is such an experience. Being right on the water, watching surfers ride waves while tamed parrots squak at you for pictures. An old hippy asks if you need some pakalolo, while locals are throwing shakas to all their friends and family. Lahaina is a magical place and you can feel the energy and aloha strolling the old narrow streets of Lahaina town. 

After checking into the historic Pioneer Inn I think about all the artists who have stayed in the same hotel before me. Showing artwork in Lahaina is a right of passage for many Hawaii artist. Lahaina is the most well known art town in the state and was once one of the highest selling art towns in the country. As the sun started to settle over Molokai I was filled with gratitude that I have the opportunity to share my work in such a historic Hawaiian art town.

As the art show began I got to visit with the art dealers and watch Front Street come alive. So many people from all walks of life passed by the small gallery space. For someone like me who loves people watching it was so entertaining. The night went on and not too many people stopped into the gallery. I got to chat with a few interesting people but it wasn’t till the end of the night when my first piece sold. A small 12x16” shave ice art piece. The family was really nice and their kids favorite part of the trip was the daily shave ice after the beach. 

It was a humbling experience showing my art work for the first time in Lahaina. It was so much more than I expected. Though I didn’t sell as much art as needed to make the trip profitable, I did get to experience the Lahaina art scene. I knew this was a place important for me to be showing my artwork and that even though it wasn’t a perfect evening, I had to improve. This is where all the top dogs are. This is where you need to have representation. This is Hawaii’s art mecca.

Over the years my work got better and I eventually got my artwork into the Wyland gallery on Front Street. For me this was a major accomplishment. In my opinion the Wyland gallery is the top gallery and to have any wall space in the ocean front gallery is truly a blessing. Lahaina makes artist step up their art game, become better and more professional at their craft, and keep them humble at the same time. Thank you Lahaina for all that you have taught me. I will pass the lessons you taught me to the next generation of Maui artist striving to show their work in the historic art town of Lahaina Maui.