Original Paintings or Gicleé Reproductions? Both have their appeal and both can fulfill their purpose of brightening up your room or being part of a growing art collection.

Pros for owning an original painting:

* An original painting would look great as a center piece in your home.
* An original piece is more personal than a print because it comes straight from the artist’ easel.
* You can see the technique and the brush strokes and every time you look at it you may discover more and more features like shadows and textures.
* Owning original art shows refinement.
* Only one individual or institution can own the original painting.
* The original is the most valuable product from the artist.
* An original painting is considered an investment that should appreciate each year as an artist continues to mature and expand their art career.
* Originals are more “collectable” and would offer a higher resale value than a gicleé.

The pros of owning a gicleé reproduction:

* Gicleé prints have become quite popular and are often hard to distinguish from the original.
* Art prints are great if you want to start a collection but you don’t want to spend too much money yet.
* Gicleés come in various sizes and you can frame them to your taste.
* With today’s technology, gicleé’s can look a lot like the originals.  Also the high quality inks won’t fade in time.
* Giclee prints are archival for 100 years.
* Gicleé’s on paper or canvas are sealed with a sealant to protect the giclee. On stretcher bars, the gicleé’s look just like an original painting on canvas while the cost is much more affordable.
* Gicleé’s offer a wonderful option for the collector who isn’t a serious art investor/collector.  This allows collectors to be able to start a collection of work, and purchase several of their favorites to quickly amass a grouping.

All in all, the decision basically boils down to the collector. Many  art collectors only prefer to purchase originals simply because they enjoy the unique quality of an original painting.

Others enjoy collecting gicleés on canvas due to the affordability. If you really like a painting that has already been sold, it is good to have the next best thing – a quality reproduction!

My career has been advancing and my work is becoming more valuable, causing higher demand. Of course, this also means the prices for originals increases as my career expands each year. Getting in on earlier work means you may be able to get a better price than waiting over the course of time, thus allowing you to snag a true jewel that will be worth so much more as time goes on.

My website www.LloydDobsonArtist.com