If you’re looking to sell or collect art, you need to find a way to store your art prints and canvas paintings. Learning how to store art prints could be the difference between getting paid and throwing away a valuable piece of work. All decent art collectors know how to store their prints and keep them safe from outside influences.

If you want to store your favorite exquisite western landscape paintings or Monet prints, you can take a few steps to keep them safe. Let’s look at them now!

What Damages Art Prints?

Art prints are not original art pieces, and the types of paper used are susceptible to various external forces. Developers designed acid-free paper, archival grade paper, and archival ink to be durable, but these materials will fade over time. If you don’t take good care of your prints, the fading will worsen quickly.

Things like high or low humidity, sunlight, dust, oil, dirt, and general movement will cause the most damage to prints. You should store them in collector boxes, but that’s not all you have to do. Let’s look at the four things you can do to put art prints in your storage space.

Keep Away from Direct Sunlight

When you learn how to store art prints, the first thing people tell you is to keep them away from sunlight. Like furniture and clothing, direct sunlight can bleach the ink on an art print. This damage is because of the intense UV rays from natural sunlight.

If you have to store them in a lighted area, ensure you only use artificial light.

Keep Away from Heat

Like sunlight, heat is a quick way to destroy art prints. Extreme temperatures cause the paper to twist and warp, leading to cracks and misshapen prints. In addition, heaters reduce humidity in the room, causing the paper to dry and crack.

Store Prints in Areas of Moderate Humidity

High humidity is not just damaging to furniture and walls; it can also horribly damage art prints. You should avoid places like attics, kitchens, sheds, and outdoor storage areas, which are all likely to have high humidity.

Too much humidity will cause brown spots on the print or mold growth. Also, don’t wrap them in plastic or anything that traps moisture.

Store Prints in Collector Boxes

Collector boxes are the best way to store your art prints. These boxes keep the prints in a stable, sealed environment that will protect them from the above killers, air pollutants, dust, debris, and skin oils.

Learning how to store art prints is a valuable skill that will save you plenty of heartaches. If you’re a burgeoning art collector, you should also learn the difference between a painting and a print to know what you’re buying. We can teach you what you need to know in our Fine Art blog.

Call Fine Art Publishing at (520) 274-4992 to ask about our prints and canvases and to find one that strikes your fancy!

A piece of art can add beauty, style, and elegance to your home. Before you spend any money on paintings or art prints, it is essential to know what you are buying. Paintings by famous artists can command high prices, while prints can provide much of the aesthetic benefits of paintings at a fraction of the cost. 

You might ask, “What is the difference between a painting and a print, anyway?” If you are considering adding artwork to your home décor but aren’t sure where to start, the experts at Fine Art Publishing are glad to introduce you to the captivating world of fine art. We are premier dealers of exceptional landscape paintings, prints, and other high-quality art pieces.

What Is a Print?

So, what is the difference between a painting and a print? A print is a creation of modern printing technology. It lacks the brushwork of an artist’s original oil or watercolor painting, and the colors are printer ink rather than paint pigments.

Some types of prints have features that allow them to capture some of the feel and uniqueness of original paintings. For example, stretched canvas prints add texture to the print surface. Original, limited, and open edition prints set limits on the run for each print, allowing artists to strike a balance between making their art collective and accessible.  

Original prints are exceptions to the rule that prints have less value. Artists produce original prints from a woodblock, plate, or other surface called a matrix. Artists typically create a limited number of prints and then destroy the matrix.

Limited edition prints have a defined print run and often have a print number. The artist might sign each one individually. Open edition print runs have a large print run but might cease production after a few years.

Distinguishing a Print from a Painting

A clear difference between a print and a painting is the texture of the surface. Paintings typically have raised brushstrokes. The dots of ink on the print are flat.

You can also find signs of the artist’s work on original paintings. If the artist sketched the painting in pencil before painting it, some of the pencil work might still be visible, especially at the edges of the painting that the frame typically covers.

Find Affordable Fine Art for Your Home or Office with Fine Art Publishing

What is the difference between a painting and a print? Now that you know the answer, we look forward to introducing you to our artists, their paintings, and their prints.

At Fine Art Publishing, our authors’ collections of framed prints include landscapes, natural scenes, and portraits. Their dynamism, adept use of color, and keen eyes for natural wonder will fascinate your guests.

We appreciate the cultural and historical significance of fine art. Talk with us to know the influence of landscape paintings on the conservation movement by calling 520-274-4992, or shop our website to discover what we have to offer.

“The Old Stagecoach,” painted in 1871 by Eastman Johnson, is a rich and dynamic portrayal of post-Civil War life in America. It highlights forward-thinking ideals while acknowledging the lasting, brutal impact of the Civil War in the United States.

Many of Eastman Johnson’s paintings depict “slice-of-life” scenes set in the United States before and after the Civil War. At Fine Art Publishing, we’re proud of our vast selection of painting and art from acclaimed artists like Eastman Johnson. Read on to learn more about his stagecoach journey painting.

Description of “The Old Stagecoach”

As you may notice, “The Old Stagecoach” solely portrays children, which is perhaps its most striking feature. The children are boisterously playing in and around an abandoned stagecoach while a schoolhouse looms in the background, suggesting the children have just finished their school day.

At first glance, “The Old Stagecoach” gives a light-hearted and charming impression. However, Eastman includes subtle social and ideological commentary through various aspects of this painting.

Childhood as a Theme

By showing the children engaged in play, “The Old Stagecoach” reflects a paradigm shift in American society. Before the 1800s, most people did not even acknowledge childhood as a developmental stage. Instead, parents expected their children to help them with household chores as soon as possible. As a result, they treated them like miniature adults, discouraging any notion of play.

“The Old Stagecoach” sharply contradicts this earlier American attitude. Its rendering of lively children at play highlights the new societal perception of childhood as a precious, idyllic stage of life.

Reflections on Post-Civil War Life

“The Old Stagecoach” also acknowledges the nation’s struggles to adjust to post-Civil War life. Specifically, the painting depicts a Black child standing among three other children pretending to pull the carriage.

However, unlike the other children, the Black child has the reins around her neck. It seems as though Johnson used this child to comment on the violent racial tensions of the post-Civil War era. Nonetheless, Johnson likely intended for all the children to symbolize hope for the country’s long road to recovery following the war.

Furthermore, the stagecoach itself quite tangibly evokes the Reconstruction era. The old, collapsing stagecoach is a relic overrun with children. This poignant image conveys a new generation of Americans moving on from the past.

Background of “The Old Stagecoach”

Before Eastman Johnson painted “The Old Stagecoach,” his career was at an all-time low. One day, while hiking in New York, he stumbled across an abandoned stagecoach. Moved, Johnson sketched and measured the stagecoach. He then returned to Nantucket, where several local children posed in his studio and helped him finish “The Old Stagecoach.”

Legacy of “The Old Stagecoach”

“The Old Stagecoach” revived Johnson’s dwindling career. Many consider the painting his second masterpiece following “Negro Life at the South,” which he painted in 1859. “Negro Life at the South” depicts the day-to-day life of Black slaves in the South. Like “The Old Stagecoach,” its images are open to interpretation.

Interested in the style and themes of Eastman Johnson and other similar artists? Like Johnson, Morgan Weistling’s paintings tell compelling narratives of early American life. Learn more about Morgan Weistling and our Fine Art Publishing collections by visiting our blog or contacting us today at 520-274-4992.