Archival Arts Impressions

Happy holidays to all our loyal customers! We will be closed on December 26th but will be open Tuesday through Friday. Don't forget about our annual 20% off sale the whole month of January! Call us early before the scans pile up!

 The Schuler School of Fine Arts is having their annual Holiday Exhibition this weekend!   Several of our customers including Hans Schuler, Beth de Lioselle and Fritz Briggs will be featured in the show. In fact here are some of their recent paintings that you might see when you visit the show at 7 W. Lafayette Avenue in Baltimore. Their phone number is 410-685-3568. "Six Gourds" oil painting by Hans Schuler "Magnolias"  oil painting by Beth de Lioselle

The other day we were perusing our latest issue of "Artists' Magazine" where we read that   Carol Thompson received honorable mention in their 28th annual art competition in the animal category.  We contacted Carol to congratulate her and discovered that she had won three more finalist awards from the Art Renewal Center.   Decidedly so, Carol is quite proud of this achievement since only one other artist in the country received this honor in three categories. We've included images of her paintings that won these prestigious awards. Carol Thompson's oil painting"What Got Me Here" won a finalist award in the landscape category. Carol Thompson's " Waiting for a Friend" oil painting won a finalist award in the animal category. And the third finalist award for Carol Thompson was in the still life category for "Woven Heritage"

Maybe you think that the customers at Archival Arts are strictly  fine art painters and draftsmen but that is not entirely true. While we adore our distinctive group of artists, we also work on personal and fun projects such as photo composites. These range from basic background changes like the one below where we added a more interesting sky - to more lighthearted ideas such as restoring old family snapshots that have faded with time. So if you have a drawer with some faded or funny photos that you want to enhance or change or even add a person who was not in the original photo, give us a call and see what our creative staff can do. We are always ready to listen. 410-247-7771. BEFORE photo-where the sky was just not interesting that day AFTER photo where a blue sky added by staff at Archival Arts really makes the bright fall foliage sing! BEFORE photo -Just a gang of guys in a club basement...all faded and grey! AFTER photo - now we can see their shining faces ...

Artist Debbie Zwiebach We are continuously bowled over by the artwork of New York City native Debbie Zwiebach . Her elegant designs and intricate drawings display Debbie’s distinctive ability to unerringly focus on the combination of color, line and shape. It’s fascinating to know that, in the words of the artist, “these designs started as small doodles.” What an amazing evolution occurs from that modest but powerful scribble! Debbie has taken her stunning artwork in several directions from two-dimensional framed pieces to three-dimensional accessories which include home and personal adornment objects. Her most recent project is a one woman show titled "Black and White and Hue". The show, which includes the introduction of her aforementioned product line, opens at Fells Point's Dead End Saloon on Saturday, November 19 from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m.  "Black and White and Hue" November 19 - December 21, 2011 Dead End Saloon 935 Fell Street Baltimore, MD 21231 410-732-...

Maryland artist Clara Nilles.  Artist Clara Nilles has been drawing and painting since her early childhood in Baltimore, Maryland. Frequent visits to the zoo during her young life laid the groundwork for her obsession with both land and sea animal imagery. Following an 18-year-career in business and finance Nilles answered the creative call and took the plunge to pursue her dream of being a full-time artist. Around this time Clara began coming to Archival Arts with a series of  radiant, acrylic paintings and pastels for scanning and printing.  It is always a joyful experience for us to see what new creatures have flowed from her head onto her canvas. We recently completed a rather large job for her, printing over a hundred brilliantly colored animal paintings on canvas for a gallery show in Annapolis, MD.  Here’s to continued success, Clara! "Candy Sprinkle Spotted Seals" - giclée on canvas by Clara Nilles "Moody Blue Octopus on Sahara Gold" -  giclé...

Archival Arts is having a mat board sale this fall. It has been an inordinately busy summer here with an abundance of scanning, printing and framing all types of art. Now we find that we have some left over mat boards that just might suit your project and your budget. In our lobby we just installed a large rack that holds a wide assortment of sizes and colors of archival mat board. Next time you visit take a look and see if you can use a few pieces. They come in awfully handy for presenting your unframed prints, especially in  browse bins at art shows.  Presentation is extremely important. It gives your customer confidence in your art ---who does not want that! Stop by soon.

Artist Diana Voisin with a print from her "Barcode" series. Anne Arundel County resident Diana Voisin makes a trip with her paintings to Archival Arts a couple of times per month. We met Diana early this year when she arrived with her first in a series of large bar code paintings which we scanned and printed. It must have been a big hit because since then we have been busy not only filling additional print orders for this image but scanning more paintings for her as well. "Heart" giclée print by Diana Voisin A candidate for a degree in fine art at Anne Arundel Community College, Voisin also carries a major in graphic design. One can immediately sense the influence of her interest in design reflected in her paintings such as “Heart” and "Barcode" on her web site .  Busy with building her portfolio, the student artist tells us that she plans, upon graduating next year, to transfer to a university where she will continue her work to earn a Bachelor of ...

A sample of some greeting cards that a few of our artists have had printed. A  question with which we are frequently presented here is, "Does Archival Arts print greeting cards?" And our answer is, "Archival Arts can create the digital files for you to upload to the web site of your choice, but we do not actually handle the printing of your cards." We have found that this solution works best for everyone since we are primarily a shop which prints fine art giclées. And since the staff is trained to handle all types of digital files we are more than prepared to help you assemble what you need and point you in the proper direction. Just give us a call and set up an appointment so that we can get you started. Many of our clients have already had their cards printed and here is a sampling of their work. "Arabbers" by Mary Jo Kotwas. "Happy Birthday 2 You" by Cynthia Johnson  There are many, many on-line shops that will prin...

Many of our customers' phone calls concern requests for pricing quotes of our products and services.  Always searching for ways to streamline the business, we were able to create a pricing spreadsheet that allowed us, very quickly, to answer pricing questions for scanning and prints, including odd sizes.  In order to become ever more efficient we discovered a way to give our customers online access to this price calculato r enabling them to obtain answers about pricing 24 hours-a-day. This is a terrific tool for our clients who want to create customized price guides for their own website or gallery sales. It also allows you the luxury of endlessly entering various sizes when figuring price points for volume sales for art festivals or wholesale accounts.  For example, within the calculator you can easily enter the dimensions for a print size and it will instantly give you the price Archival Arts charges you for prints.  This handy spreadsheet includes pricing ...

Here's What our Facebook Page Looks Like. Are you a fan of Archival Arts and our premium, fine-art products and services? Have you seen our Facebook page?  Then, in the vernacular of the day we say please “Like” us on Facebook and you'll receive 10% off your next scan. If you are not sure how to do this, it’s as easy as pie.  Just long onto your Facebook account and type Archival Arts in the search box. This takes you to our page and once you are there just click on the “Like” button. Then you are an official fan of ours and will receive our updates on your Facebook news feed. We’d love to see you soon and give you the 10% discount on a digital scan of one painting,  drawing or photograph.  And by the way this is a limited offer - good for one scan.  We are looking forward to seeing you on our Facebook page very soon!

Laura Gardiner - Reproduction Expert Some of our customers have already had the pleasure of meeting Archival Arts’ Reproduction Expert Laura Gardiner. Others have only glimpsed the side of her face as she is absorbed in skillfully proofing artists’ digital files. She operates our Betterlight scanner, programs the large format printers, and even makes the stretchers and panels for mounting your art. She is equally adept at handling the final stage of framing and can answer many of  your questions about our services and products. A 2010  graduate of UMBC, Laura holds a BA in Visual Arts with emphasis on Photography. We’ve included here some of Laura’s artwork from her award-winning senior exhibit in the Center for Art, Design and Visual Culture on the campus of UMBC. Laura poses at her 2011 show with some of her models. "Jill" (12" x 18")  2010 photograph by Laura Gardiner "Saira" (12 x 18")  2010 photograph by Laura Gardiner. In ad...

Artist Kathy Thompson with "Paris at Sunset"  We are delighted to welcome one of our newest clients, painter  Kathy Thompson . She comes to us from Silver Spring, MD where she  paints all sorts of vivid, European influenced imagery.  Kathy finds the bulk of of her inspiration from French impressionists ranging from Monet to Matisse. In fact it was the paintings of these 19th and 20th century "revolutionaries" who spoke to her so loudly that she made the decision to seriously pursue her painting. A prolific painter, Thompson brought us at least a dozen works last week.  As we work scanning, proofing and printing  this series one could very well feel a connection to the allure of the provençal culture. On this side of the Atlantic you might find Kathy participating with a group at  Washington, DC's  International Art and Artists  where she is a member. Please join us here with a post in welcoming Kathy to  Archival Arts .  Bienven...

Call us for an appointment during our summer promotion. 410-247-7771 The decision of which family relation inherits the precious ancestral portraits no longer needs to be a source of dispute or rivalry within the family. In the past few years we have been scanning and reproducing these priceless paintings and, in some cases by request, have restored and altered the images as well. More often than not, following this creative procedure, the high-quality reproductions are distributed to many of the relatives allowing them to enjoy the remembrance of their fore bearers in their own homes. It can have a very unifying effect. It is up to you, the client, to make the decision how to proceed once we scan your original. Recently we scanned a portrait and faithfully restored and reproduced several stretched canvas prints. Once they were appropriately framed, it was very difficult to discern which painting was the original.  Currently Archival Arts is showcasing this service with a su...

Joan Gaither holding a print of her quilt "National Black Theatre"  Baltimore artist and educator Joan M.E. Gaither, Ed. D spent some time with us this July afternoon. On several occasions Dr. Gaither has brought the staff at Archival Arts an oversize project such as this very large quilt she made for the National Black Theatre. We love the challenge of scanning her big pieces and then printing them on smaller paper and canvas. One could spend hours studying the myriad of images she assembles to complete her quilts.  When discussing her work, the documentary story quilter says " As an artist, I’ve discovered that my voice is informed by an interest in mixed media, fibers, and photographic images that allow close scrutiny of surfaces and metaphors for personal meaning." "Black Watermen" quilt by Joan Gaither. "Trails, Tracks, Tarmack" by Joan Gaither.

Joe Krastel picking up his framed art here last week. When East Baltimore’s Joe Krastel  is not painting some of his favorite Maryland subjects he’s working very hard at his thriving design company called Just Extreme Graphix.  Located in East Baltimore for over 16 years, Joe’s business has grown into a very busy shop where they design and print T-shirts and apparel which are shipped throughout the United States. Over the past six years Just Extreme Graphics has demanded the bulk of Joe’s time and talent. He freely admits that his goal now is to rejoin the art fair circuit part-time where he will sell his paintings and reproductions directly to patrons. This objective is what brings Joe to our shop repeatedly for printing and framing giclées  of his work. We wish him much success as he begins to spend more time on his passion for painting. We’ve included a few images of his below. And if you’d like to reach Joe for business at his shop you may phone him at 410...

Annapolis artist Cheri Coulter has been with Archival Arts since our early days at the old South Balitmore location. It is interesting to see and chat with her when she is dropping off  exciting new work or picking up a series of giclée prints at our newest location on Benson Avenue in Halethorpe, MD.  A true artist, Cheri has spent her entire life devoted to painting as well as other creative disciplines such as sculpture and photography.  You can catch Cheri at the Whitehall Gallery in Annapolis where she is the part-time manager. Stop by and say hi to her next time you are down that way.  In keeping with the season we've included some of Cheri's colorful work below. "A Toast to Summer" giclée print by Cheri Coulter "Bonnie's Water Lily" giclée print by Cheri Coulter

 If you are reading this blog you're probably already selling prints of your art or are considering selling prints.  Either way, hopefully you have done  a little research on making prints or have found someone to make prints for you.  In my 10 years of printing experience, I have discovered one factor that is overlooked time and time again by both amateur and "professional" art printers.  This factor can greatly reduce the quality of your digital file, and ultimately affect your sales.  I'm talking about image   clarity . 1950's Brownie camera with plastic lens. I know I know, that's a no-brainer right?  If you make prints, of course you want them to be clear.  The problem is, due to our over-exposure to mediocre photo prints, we have been trained to accept blurry images as OK.  In my opinion it all started when Kodak came out with the Brownie camera .  Before the Brownie, photography was mostly limited to professionals who us...

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Beth and Hans at Archival Arts today picking up their work for the Schuler School Exhibition this weekend. Hans Guerin and Beth de Lioselle, artists and instructors at the  Schuler School of Fine Arts  in Baltimore, stopped by this afternoon to pick up their paintings and scans. The talented couple cut it close to the deadline for the internationally known school's painting and sculpture exhibition which opens tomorrow, Saturday, June 4. This event which runs through Monday, June 6 promises to continue its time-honored tradition of exhibiting the work of those who study and teach the traditional techniques of the masters. In addition to the work of Beth and Hans and many more artists, the show includes our clients Hans Briggs and Carol Thompson. Stop by and see their amazing work in person.  "Chickadee with Hydrangeas"-  oil on panel - by Beth de Lioselle "Mother Earth" - oil on canvas- by Hans Guerin "White Cat" - watercolor on paper - by Fritz...