Clive Meredith has been invited be part of the Artist in Residence programme at the Nature in Art Museum, near Gloucester. Artists are invited by Simon Trapnell, Direcotor of the museum, to be part of the programme - which runs every week from Januray until October. This is the 4th time that Clive has been invited to take part.

Clive will be at the museum from February 3rd until February 8th, 2009. He will have a studio where he can work on an artwork, and there will be fully hung collection of his work. This is a great opportunity for any collectors of Clive’s work to meet him, see him working and view some of his work.

We’ve just received word from Keith Sykes that he is intending to make it to this years CLA Game Fair no matter how the weather turns out. To that end he has been modifying caravan to deal with all eventualities.

Image capture is the first step in the process of taking an original work of art and producing a limited edition print. We have recently invested significantly in our state of the art image capture studio. All of our image capture is performed on our new Cruse scanner. This large-format, flat-bed scanner enables us to scan originals up to 150cm x 245cm - currently this is exclusively available in the UK at Collier & Dobson Limited.

The Cruse scanner offers unparalleled optical precision, ensuring that the scan quality exceeds that of any other scan at a comparable dpi and file size. Its large depth of focus ensures that images on rippled or curled paper or canvas remain in focus across the entire image area.

Its advanced lighting system eliminates over 99% of reflection from glossy or varnished surfaces. Even lighting or textured lighting allow realistic reproduction of originals. The evenly lit scan results in minimal visible texture, heavy impasto remains visible, but paper texture will be minimal. Textured lighting results in visible texture of both the medium and the substrate.

We believe that to produce a great print you have to start with the best image, this scanner gives us the images we need to take best advantage of current printing technology. If you would like more information about our fine art printing services please do not hesitate to contact us.

There are two sides to the business here at Collier & Dobson Limited. Many of you will be aware of the limited edition prints and original works of art that we sell - but we also publish many limited editions ourselves and have very busy in-house printing and framing workshops.

Our printing workshop is well established and we print on behalf of many artists and fine art publishers throughout the country. Our recent collaboration with Jack Vettriano on his recently unveiled triptych featuring Sir Jackie Stewart and his first victory at Monaco in 1971 is a great example of the work we undertake.

This is the first post in series of posts that will explain in more detail the various stages of the process of taking an original work of art and producing a great print.

Due to be unveiled in Monaco this Wednesday by HSH Prince Albert of Monaco. ‘Tension, Timing, Triumph - Monaco 1971′ is a collaboration between Jack Vettriano and Sir Jackie Stewart.

Over the last twenty years, interest in Vettriano’s work has grown consistently and he has had sell-out exhibitions in Edinburgh, London, Hong Kong and New York.

The triptych tells the story of Sir Jackie’s third victory at Monaco and commemorates an era in which the Scot became Formula One World Champion three times. Each painting in the Triptych captures a moment in time during the day of the race. ‘Tension’ shows Stewart prior to the start of the race, focusing on the great challenge ahead . ‘Timing’ shows Stewart’s wife, Helen, anxiously recording her husband’s lap times. The central painting, ‘Triumph’, concludes the story when the couple are reunited at the foot of the winner’s podium after the race.

Tension, Timing, Triumph - Monaco 1971, is to be published as a limited print in both a paper and a canvas edition, which will be available exclusively worldwide for order from Collier & Dobson Limited.

The paper edition is printed on 310g/sm fine art paper and printed with light-fast inks. The triptych is presented on a single sheet and each print is hand signed by Jack Vettriano and Sir Jackie Stewart. Prints are supplied double mounted to conservation standard and are available in a specially selected frame. Each print is hand numbered.

The canvas edition is printed on 340g/sm fine art canvas, printed with light-fast inks, and individually hand varnished. The triptych is presented in three hand finished frames, specially designed for this edition. ‘Triumph’ is hand signed by both Jack Vettriano and Sir Jackie Stewart, ‘Timing’ is hand signed by Jack Vettriano and ‘Tension’ is hand signed by Sir Jackie Stewart. Each print is hand numbered.

Some have tried to convince us of the demise of the limited edition print. However all the inexpensive originals in the world cannot convince me that I would prefer a cheap original of dubious provenance over a good quality limited edition, all things being equal. First and foremost the purchase must be because “I love the piece”. Price is a consideration but if I had the choice of a Damian Hirst print or an original by an un-known artist for the same price I would go for the Hirst limited edition.

Limited Editions offer a way to purchase an image by an artist whose work would otherwise be out of reach financially. Today’s modern printing techniques combining as they do the finest available light-fast inks with superb art paper or fine canvas, give a result that could only have been dreamed of just a few years ago and therefore mean you don’t have to compromise when you buy a limited edition.

Sometimes a limited edition is the only choice if one is ever be to own a piece by say, Tabitha Salmon, Terry Frost, or Damian Hirst. Of course, everyone would like to have an original but when that can cost anything up to between five and ten times as much as a limited edition it is simply unrealistic for most people. The problem with some editions is that the price is too close to that of the original work by a given artist. In these circumstances it is harder to make a case for the purchase of the limited edition.

It has been argued that limited editions are not a good investment. The answer to that is simple. No art, whether original or otherwise, is a guaranteed investment financially but is a great one if you calculate the value of the life-times pleasure it will give.

The limited edition will always find a place in our art collections while there are still artists painting. They offer quality, affordability and just a little democracy. An artist whose work we might only dream of owning could very well be within reach after all.

Hello and welcome to our blog! The aim of this blog is to have an open conversation with our customers about the things we are doing or plan to do with our business, our products and our artists - as well as anything else that takes our interest enough to write about. Of course what we’d like to create is some discussion and we value your input, so please make use of the comment form at the bottom of every post to let us know what you think of our ideas.