Original Prints vs. Reproductions

How do you determine a hand-pulled print as an original? Simply stated, an original print is the result of the artist’s efforts to create an image directly on the plate, i.e. stone, screen, block or, as in the process I’ve developed, a clay slab. A reproduction is achieved by using various means to copy the original artwork. The resulting set of reproductions (prints) is reprinted with very little creative effort. If desired, an edition of several hundred reproductions may be achieved with this copying process, none of which is an original.

Reproductions are easily recognizable because the artist’s name from the original artwork is often reproduced on the copy and therefore, usually appears twice on the reproduction. Signing and numbering a reproduction does not make it an original. A reproduced print should not be confused with the original, hand-pulled piece of artwork. The former is a copy and has no fundamental value: the latter is an original and therefore holds intrinsic significance.