Okay, so im new at buying "fine art" and i have a few questions..help please?

Question

So about 7 months ago i bought a painting called A New Day at the Cinderella Castle by Thomas Kinkade. It was at a gallery. I was told only a certain amount were made. It is so very beautiful! And was pretty expensive. A couple grand. So the artist came out with a new painting that goes well with the painting i already bought. I go into the same store to take a look at it. And yes of course its beautiful. Well i see the painting that i bought on his wall, and i said, i thought you said you werent getting anymore of these in because only a certain amount were made? And he said he was holding it for somebody while they were moving from there house and they didnt want anything to happen to it. He said he dosnt mind doing that for people. Which i can understand. OR he can be ripping me off..

I dont want to buy another painting from him if its all a rip off?

So i go online to check out to see if i can get the painting i already bought...and i find it on a website..

http://www.shopartofthesouth.com/p-2034-a-new-day-at-the-cinderella-castle-by-thomas-kinkade.aspx

And you can order one...now my question is..when you choose the "edition choice" What is the difference between, RENAISSANCE EDITION, AND STUDIO PROOF? Besides price difference.

Is there anybody that can clear this up for me? Im confused. I was told i have number 66 out of something paintings, but then im finding theres more online? Or are they just print offs and not really a painting?

okay thanks to anybody that can answer my questions :)

Answer 1

A giclee on canvas, or on any substrate for that matter, is still just an ink jet reproduction.  Kinkade is known for enhancing prints. . . meaning he adds some real paint over the print to make it look more exclusive.  

Personally, your taste is your taste. . .it is just too bad you paid so much for a reproduction  . . .  when you could be buying original paintings from artists in your own community, supporting the local artist and proudly hanging real, original artwork. . . for far less money.  A really good, framed watercolor landscape can be purchased for less than $1,000, and pastels, oils and watercolors can all be purchased for less than you paid for your enhanced reproduction.  

Kinkade's value in the future will totally depend on collectors continuing to like his kitschy greeting card and inspirational book style of art.

If you are unhappy with your purchase because you feel you were misled, I would contact the gallery and ask if you could return it.  However, you must be aware that artists have the right to sell reproductions of any of their works, sold or not.  That said, they don't have the right to represent them as something they are not.  I don't think you fully understood what you were purchasing.  

Answer 2

There are prints and there are 'prints'.  It depends on the picture and how it was reproduced.

Glicee (sp?) prints are made directly from the original and done on canvas with true color representation.  The prints are considered fine art and they're expensive to make.  If there's a limited edition, limited run, that means the picture ONLY has that many made in that particular way.  Prints done to canvas, while not original, are still going to hold up to long term use, they're not done on paper or a paper textured surface.

There's a new print process that can put color AND texture (like brush strokes) onto a canvas backing now, available from the better printers who invested in the machine.  It's something like $20 a foot to print on it, so the size of a picture would be based on the reproduction cost associated with getting them made. I've seen some of these, they're way too expensive to do onto decorative bags, so it's usually very expensive banners (used in trade shows) or for 'art' at this point in time.  

What the artist did is probably the original--liked it so much he had different sized prints made using different materials, to be able to sell the art multiple times.  The original usually stays in his possession and he does print runs with the different canvas backing and has them stretched to frames and possibly even framed, for sale.  The gallery, remember, gets 50-60% of the purchase price.  That has to be figured in.  Buying directly from the artist would be lower cost but usually not THAT much lower because the gallery would not want him undercutting what they've priced his work at.

Were you ripped off?  Not if the artist sticks to only doing 66 prints in that particular format and does not do multiple print runs.  If you liked the picture you bought and were happy, it's ok.  If you feel you need to add the second print to complete the look on your wall, you do have the option of looking around and seeing what other versions of it are out there and basing your purchase on price alone.  

You can also email the studio and ask them what they mean by Renaissance Edition and Studio Proof.  Proofs usually are test runs to make sure color balance is correct and that the reproduction is looking as good as they can get it.  Proofs sometimes are sold, usually at reduced prices, but they can be donated to auctions or just destroyed.  However what the gallery means by it may be something different.  Contact them and ask.  Don't plunk down thousands if you're not going to be happy with what you get.  Art appreciation is in the eye of the beholder. Some of the purchase price is based on how popular the artist is--regardless of whether or not his actual art is 'fine art' or not.

Answer 3

dear, Thomas Kincaid is not fine art, he produces commercial art, you have been duped. his work is  mediocre  at best