Journal entry for August 22, 2001

Today's summary: Ranting about the continued non-acceptance of digital artwork.

On my favorite artist community site, WetCanvas, somebody posted about how they'd heard that you shouldn't call digital prints "prints", and that a limited edition couldn't possibly really be "limited" since you'd have to take the artist's word that it wouldn't be printed again, instead of (for example) a copper printing plate wearing out.

That kind of attitude (from other artists, not the innocent person posting) drives me CRAZY. So I had to post a rant in response... quoted it below...

That attitude you're referring to is such total B.S. (I know it's not YOUR attitude, I just have got to comment).

NOBODY prints a copper plate or a woodcut or whatever till the plate is actually worn out. At least, I've never seen anybody ever do that. Most of the time they choose an arbitrary number and then strike the plate. And you're taking the artist's word that they really struck the plate... just like you'd be taking the digital artist's word that they really deleted the digital version of the plate.

Plenty of traditional prints have turned out to be overprinted frauds (Salvador Dali prints, anyone?). And how about all those limited edition photographs out there? They still have the negative, don't they?

And how about all those sculptors who are supposedly having a "limited edition" bronze sculpture? How do we all know they REALLY cast only 150 and then broke the mold?

Acting like digital printmakers are somehow less trustworthy is just preposterously obnoxious. I was so sick of dealing with it, I haven't done ANY serious digital work in a loooong time. I'm just tired of having to constantly justify my process, instead of having people actually bother to look at the quality of my work.

Nobody bashes watercolorists for their original work's longevity or quality, and most modern giclee-type prints last a heckuva lot longer than an original watercolor... so why can't people just drop it already? Aaarrrghh!!!

Sorry, I know I'm venting. It just still really bothers me -- especially since almost all of this attitude is from other artists who should know better, still refusing to recognize digital work as valid.