Chapter 3

Originals and Reproductions

An original piece of fine art is a work created

by the artist's own hands.  It can be an oil painting,

acrylic sculpture, watercolor landscape, mixed media wall

piece or any other expression of original work. "Original"

means the artist did all or a great majority of the work on

this piece; it is done in the artist's style and technique. The

term "original" in its core use for art means more than just

o n e - o f - a - k i n d , it means this piece is an "original"

expression of the artist and it's seen as a true

representation of the artist and their art.

A g a i n , in an original painting, everything on the

painting has been done by the artist and there is only one of

its kind.  However, in the last decade a relatively new

phenomenon called a "limited series of originals" has

become very popular with artists and the art buying public.

To create a limited series of originals the artist will

personally paint several pieces very similar to each other,

not identical, but similar.  Each work is considered an

original and it allows for several patrons, not just one

person, to enjoy the original painting in their home.

Most people on the other hand find originals,

especially by well-known artists, are beyond their

means or desire to afford. So artists will create a more

affordable version of their paintings or, if possible,

sculptures called a reproduction.

There  are  several  methods  for  producing

reproductions; however within all reproductions there is

a system of numeration commonly known as edition

numbers. For example, you may visit a gallery and when

looking at a painting notice somewhere on the piece (usually