Wyland Art Terminology
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Numbered Prints
Numbered prints have become an established custom. Two numbers such as 3/99 are written in pencil in the lower margin of a print. It is sometimes mistakenly assumed that the lower the number, the better the print. Although this may be true of dry point prints because the burr may wear down, it is not necessarily true of all prints. First, the prints may not have been signed in the order they were printed. Prints are not normally signed until the entire edition is printed, dried, trimmed, and stacked, and it is difficult to always handle the prints in the order they were printed. Secondly, as in any new project, the printer does not always learn to get the most from a plate until he has done several prints. Therefore, it is quite possible that the higher number prints are the "better" ones. The print number has little significance beyond the indicated the maximum edition of prints. It should also be noted that, although the bottom number indicates the maximum number of prints that may be pulled, it does not necessarily mean that they were all printed.
Offset Lithography
Offset lithography is a modern version of the old stone lithograph technique. Today the image is rendered photographically onto metal plates and treated so that only specific areas will retain the color. Next the paper is run through the press that picks up a different color at each plate. All Wyland offset lithographs are printed on the finest 100-percent acid-free paper the highest quality printing photomechanical process available. With offset lithography, there is virtually no variance from the first print or the last. In contrast, the old stone lithography method exhibits a good deal of variance between prints, with later prints losing definition. NOTE: Wyland Galleries does not sell original lithographs. Our offset lithographs are signed and numbered by Wyland and accompanied by a certificate of authenticity.
Oil Paint
A type of paint made of pigment mixed with a drying oil such as linseed oil.
Original
Refers to works considered to be authentic examples of the works of an artist or epoch, rather than reproductions or imitations.
Paper
All original watercolors by Wyland are painted on 100 percent rag paper. Offset Lithographs are printed on 100 percent acid proof paper.
Patina
A patina is a chemical coating that adds a colorful finish to metal sculpture. This is a particularly effective treatment for bronze, which can be given a wide variety of attractive green, brown, blue, and black patinas. Natural patinas, like the creative element of fine art, have a degree of serendipity. That is probably why artists and collectors for 500 years have cherished works of art with rich and deep patinas that developed over time. Art consultants may not be able to predict with exactness the rate which natural patinas develop but they can be knowledgeable about the factors that contribute to change: atmosphere, temperature and humidity.
An impression or proof taken from any master block or plate that has been prepared for that purpose.
Proof
A reproduction made from a single master image.
Remarque
A small sketch that an artist paints or draws in the margin of a print, generally near his penciled signature. The print is often an offset reproduction, but the artist's sketch, added after the fact, is an original. Historically, a "remarque proof" was the result of the artist's habit of trying the etching needle on the margin of the copper plate. By the 19th century, however, marginal markings were added intentionally to give the buyer an even more unique item. Remarques are a bargain when available, since few artists do them; primarily because they are time consuming.
Repligraphs
The repligraph reproduces art onto canvas using a high-tech oil-based canvas dye. This process transfers virtually all of the color pigments from the original to a canvas. Moreover, repligraph reproductions never separate from the canvas and are highly resistant to light, heat, and water. An artist occasionally will oil paint directly on the canvas to enhance the repligraph or to create a mixed-media original. NOTE: Repligraphs are not mass-produced and are not ink-screen printed. Repligraphs are not offset printing to paper and then mounted to canvas like canvas transfers or similar reproductions with artificially embossed textures.
