Steendrukmuseum Valkenswaard—photo credit: <https://www.prepressure.com/printing/museum/steendrukmuseum-valkenswaard>

editions

  • Limited Edition (LE)

    a finite number will be printed in the original run and it's unlikely they will ever be reprinted.

  • Open Edition (OE)

    there is no limit to the number printed.

  • Variable Edition (VE)

    each print is in some way unique but still recognizable as the same, and part of one edition. it is possible to programmatically introduce differences in the output from the same computer program. in traditional printing, this designation referred to practices like the hand painting of prints.

  • Unique State (US)

    a unique print, one of one. whether because of the intervention of the artist or the significant differentiation produced by a computer program. the distinction between variable editions and unique state prints in a series is at the discretion and judgement of the artist.

  • Artist Proof (AP)

    a small number of prints, often just one, retained by the artist for personal use or for their portfolio. these are not usually sold.

editioning

i use the same editioning conventions that are used traditionally. in some cases, there are nuances introduced by the prints being computational.

editioning practices are an agreement by the artist to intentionally limit reproduction of the work. i try to be perfectly transparent about the edition status of my work. the print is marked (in the margin or on verso) with a signed digital chop which specifies the edition status, the print number and edition size. the signature is drawn by the machine, though in some cases i will initial them by hand. a QR code links to a certificate of authenticity.

pen plotter drawings are drawings in that they are made by moving a pen across paper to leave marks. they are prints in so far as they are a mechanical reproductions of art—in a different form, in this case a digital file that can be reproduced indefinitely. they are similar to photographs, lithographs, serigraphs, or wood cuts in that regard.

since the medium is as much computational as material, there is the ability to introduce changes to the print programatically. but, also as in older print technologies, individual prints can differ because in each instance the physical interactions of pen, ink, and paper will be unique.

pen plotter drawings are original artworks created by the artist using the tools of the trade: a computer, a drawing machine, a pen, ink, and paper.