So recently, as I was thinking of what pieces I wanted to scan or photograph, to then edit, to then order prints of, to then promote and try and sell, it occurred to me... what if I removed the bottleneck? In this case, me. I am the bottleneck. Specifically, the time to paint and then document, prep, order, and market the prints.
In a former life I had a design/apparel brand, and I could take a piece from design to finished product fairly quickly. Why does painting have to be so different? To me it seems that so much of the perception of what makes something "fine art" is really just manufactured scarcity, elitism, and gatekeeping. There's real market forces at work that justify why paintings cost what they cost, and that's maybe an entry for another time, but past a point it's just saying it's better and more expensive "just because"
So here's what I'm thinking... I'm working on this series of paintings. But I have them designed, ready to go. What if I made them available as prints (a production of the design), not art prints (a reproduction of a painting) that you could buy now? Do these prints not being of a finished piece, not being signed or numbered, impact your enjoyment of them, especially if it means I can produce them and sell them at a price that's more attractive to you?
I have a feeling that for the majority of people it makes no difference in appreciation, but it may have a significant difference in making it a realistic purchase.
Long diatribe over, tl;dr - why not meet people where they're at and make it easier to share, and collect art?
Here's the series I'm working on. Should I go ahead and make these available as high quality giclee prints, and maybe art prints of the pieces down the road? Or does offering prints of my design cheapen the art print?
