Signing Prints
Hi all
Just after some thoughts and advice on the signing of prints for gallery work. I recently had a show and one comment I got from a buyer was they did not like my signature and text on the bottom of the mat. OK I can do special editions for them but how else do we go about identifying our work and labeling our prints. I have seen a few around that have the tiltle on a card on the back and just the signature on the front mat.
What does everyone think? Please let me know.
Thanks Chippy
I think a sticker/label on the back of the print itself (the paper it's printed on) with the title of the print, edition information, artist information, copyright info, etc. is always a good idea because you never know if someone will re-matte your work. Light Impressions sells archival labels for this purpose. You can supplement that with a label or card on the back of the matte or frame, depending on how you sell your work. The last thing you want is for your identifying mark or information to become separated from the image.
As for signing mattes... that has always been my practice, in pencil or black pen. That's the "gallery method". Depending on how you matte your work though, you could switch to signing on the print itself... not on the image/photo (I'm not a fan of that), but underneath the image on the white part of the paper. Then you could overmatte, keeping a white border visible between the matte and the image and allowing your signature and print/edition info to show through. Or, if you want to matte to the edge of the image, you could still sign on the print itself under the image and then cover it up with the matte. At least the information is still there should anyone re-matte/re-frame the work.
I think we all prefer to have our information identifiable to those viewing the work on the wall, but for those buyers that are just concerned about decor for their walls, they probably don't like that being visible unless they truly are art collectors who value that information (particularly in the case of limited editions).
You could also take your cue from painters and find a way to hide a signature in the bottom corner of the image... that doesn't have the print title or anything, but it does put your stamp of ownership on the image. The other information can be on a card on the back.
Thanks Erin
Kind of where I was at with my thinking. As you rightly say my problem is I want people to see my titeling and the like. I will keep hunting for ideas and see what I can find and keep people posted.
Thanks again.