Inaugural Landscape Photography Conservation Award

Sharing the world’s beauty is what nature photographers do, but it comes with inherent risks. As images of a beautiful area become popular, the area itself can see an increase in visitors, and not all visitors are respectful. Over-crowding damages flora and habitats in ways that can take decades or even centuries for nature to recover.

Nature Photographer and podcaster Matt Payne, founder of the F-Stop Collaborate and Listen “Landscape Photography Conservation Award” has this to say:

Diasec Face-Mounts Have Arrived!

Your Success as a Creative is Important to Us

Reed Art & Imaging has a long-standing commitment to helping you maximize your artistic output by providing the absolute best reproductions and presentations that we can.  

An extension of that commitment is our recent acquisition of North America’s very first Diasec Producer’s License.

If you’ve never heard of Diasec, you are in the majority. Until now, this premier mounting process has never been done in North America.

Some of you might be aware that leading art museums around the globe prefer Diasec over all other acrylic print mounting systems and is the preferred  process of successful fine artists in Europe. You might also know that North American Museums and Galleries who offer authentic Diasec prints have been importing them for years at great expense.

It’s More than a Face-Mount

Diasec Acrylic Face Mounts Denver Colorado USA

Diasec is a presentation AND a preservation process.

A very specific silicon gel, in combination with Diasec’s proprietary catalyst, results in a permanent bond that is superior to the pressure-sensitive adhesive technology that you might be familiar with. This bond is so effective, that it preserves your artwork by sealing out damaging elements — even in extreme environments.

It Has Real History

Face-mounting was patented approximately 50 years ago in Switzerland by Heinz Sovilla-Brulhart, who held the patents on several forms of print-to-acrylic bonding methods. He started out using varnishes and film-based adhesives before improving the system by developing a catalyst-activated silicon gel. When his patents expired, the simpler and less expensive processes that Sovilla-Brulhart had already discarded were adopted by the rest of the industry worldwide, leaving only a few producers of the silicone/catalyst process. To this day, it remains a closely guarded secret available only to licensed companies.

A few copycat processes have come along, but without the special catalyst, they lack the half-century track record of consistency and excellence that define the genuine Diasec product.  While a silicon gel alone will temporarily bond, it will also readily peel away. Only with the catalyst is the bond to acrylic permanent.

Go Deeper for the Difference

On the surface, Diasec is a high-end face-mount. Go deeper and the differences add substantial value:

The Diasec gel provides UV filtering greater than 99%, when used with even the most basic of acrylics. Acrylics suitable for fine art can provide additional protection nearing a total of 99.99%! When cured, the resulting permanent bond will not de-laminate, bubble, peel, or otherwise separate — even at temperatures high enough to damage the acrylic.

A typical shipping container or truck can reach summertime temperatures in excess of 130°f.  At those temps, pressure sensitive optical adhesives (PSAs) begin to soften, and when combined with shaking and vibrations during transportation, can fail. The last thing you want is for your buyer to excitedly open their expensive print only to find that the adhesive has separated.

As the first Diasec producer in North America, Reed is committed to ending this problem.

The Diasec process protects you and your art and, in turn, protects your reputation with collectors and galleries.

Pigment Papers You Ask?

Pigment papers, with the occasional exception, are quite compatible with the Diasec process and look amazing!

The wider gamut and significantly longer expected display lifespans of a proper Pigment Giclée print are a huge selling point for your collectors. Chromogenic papers often advertise a moderately good rating of around 70 years (estimated) under proper conditions. With the right combination of inks and papers, a pigment print may reach over 200 years (estimated) under proper conditions.  We think it’s pretty clear which option your buyer will prefer.

And the textures!

We were stunned by the beauty of fine art-textured papers within a Diasec mount. This dimension can be the visual turning point when it comes to convincing your clients to make the jump to this process. The print actually looks as if it’s “floating in acrylic” — an effect that must be seen to believe!

A Lifetime of Protection

Your image and the acrylic effectively become “one”.

Your work is sealed from 99%+ of harmful UV light and the humidity that can accelerate aging. Air borne pollutants that yellow and stain, and cleaning vapors that can prematurely fade the print are a thing of the past. The sealed print is also protected from the threat of mold, mildew, bugs, and other nasties that never rest.

And finally, a proper backer behind the print protects it from careless impacts to the verso once it’s in the hands of your collector or gallery.

  • The preferred face-mount system of major art museums.
  • Protection from over 99% of harmful UV.
  • Sealed from humidity, pollution and other contaminants.
  • Texture pigment papers are now possible for longevity and a unique look.
  • Not prone to the typical failures of pressure sensitive optical films.
  • Looks amazing, lasts a lifetime, and keeps your collectors happy.

High end galleries and world class museums demand the very best in facemount-to-acrylic protection and presentation. Reed is proud to be the first licensed dealer in North America to offer Diasec’s state of the art technology in this very specialized field.

Giclee Pigment Fine Art Printing – Getting a Great Print Part 2 – Photography of Artwork

copyroom lighting

Traditional 4-light copy setup

In this series we are covering the steps to get the optimal reproduction of your artwork, from capturing the digital image to refining, testing and then final printing. In this, Part 2, we will delve into the importance and how-to of proper copy lighting. and exposure.

A Ten Dollar Word

Spectral Power Distribution (SPD) is for our purposes a way to represent how much of each spectrum (color) of visible light is produced by a given light source.  This is critical to fine-art reproduction because a lack of a given wavelength means it is not available to be reflected back towards the camera and thus be captured for printing. Too much of a given wavelength leads to an excess of that color that could lead to falsely over-saturated colors in that zone. A lack or insufficiency could result in the color appearing closer to grey, or even black in severe cases.

Spectral Power Distributions of two man-made light sources

In the examples above we see SPD histograms of a common household incandescent lamp and an industry standard 5000k (50D) fluorescent lamp. The former being extremely weighted to the warmer colors and quite deficient in the cooler colors could lead to a reproduction where your cooler hues present nearly grey and your warmer hues present quite saturated when compared to your mid-range colors.

The 5000K fluorescent, while spikey in areas is significantly more balanced, but by no means linear (meaning all spectra would be equal).  In this scenario, your blueish and redish values would appear somewhat less saturated when compared to to the mid-ranges.

Another way to look at this is through Color Rendering Index (CRI). This is a 1 to 100 scale that represents how accurately a light source will present colors when compared to a standard. The higher the CRI, the better suited the light source is for both photography of your art and for color corrected viewing of your art. Most household and office lamps such as cool white and incandescents have a low CRI of around 62.  The fluorescent bulbs we use to view art and color correct reproductions has a CRI of 92 or higher.  Some high end tungsten halogen bulbs can reach into the high 80s.

 

 

 

Fine Print Imaging Closed their Doors November 01, 2017

On November 01, 2107 Reed Art & Imaging was officially activated as the preferred print partner for the Fort Collins, Colorado based Fine Print Imaging. Mark Lukes, owner of Fine Print Imaging closed their doors and retired after many decades serving that area’s art community.  “I can think of no better print-maker to continue supporting the Fine Print customers than Reed” Mark offered.

Notifications to Fine Print’s clients went out several weeks in advance of the closing, with information on the options available to collect their files prior to the closing date. Files that were not collected but were stored on CDr were mostly corrupted due to age and destroyed by Mark and his team.  All remaining image files  on hard-drive and all uncollected camera films were transferred to Reed Art & Imaging in Lakewood Colorado for the convenience of Fine Print’s customers.  

Reed’s prices are highly competitive and often lower than Fine Print, while offering a boutique printing experience that artists around the world have come to enjoy.  All of Reed’s products are produced in-house; ensuring complete customer satisfaction for their clients.  Nothing in their catalog of services is outsourced and it’s all under one roof.   Reed Art & Imaging’s primary clientele are seasoned professional creatives who have grown to understand that high-volume print-houses do not offer the same level of fine art print that one can get with a finely honed team such as Reed’s

Fine Print clients were offered a copy of their files free of charge until January 30, 2018.  After that date, a nominal fee is charged to cover the costs of locating the files and transferring them to disk, plus shipping charges where applicable.

 

 

James Milmoe Doesn’t Miss a Beat

Jamming at the Cactus Club/Photo by Bob Reed

Reed Art & Imaging would like to extend belated happy birthday wishes to Denver photographer, teacher and lecturer, James O. Milmoe, who celebrated his 90th birthday at the Cactus Club in LoDo on April 21st.

“Jim was playing the drums when we walked in — I had no idea that he was a drummer!” said longtime friend, Barb Pullin “…and he was pretty good!”

Although the party wasn’t a surprise, the drum kit that Milmoe’s daughter, Robin, had waiting for him, was. It didn’t take any coaxing on her part for James to sit down and start jamming with the piano player. “I haven’t played in years!”, he told Betty Reed “It’s just like riding a bike!”

James Milmoe is good at a lot of things. Known for his trademark bolo ties (handmade by the man himself!) the photographer is equally well known for his outgoing personality and easy sense of humor and, of course, his many roles in the Denver creative community. His body of work is well-represented in practically every facet of modern media, including books, catalogs, magazines, newspapers, calendars, note cards, postcards, motion pictures and television.

In addition to being recently named as one of Westword’s 100 Colorado Creatives in Denver, Milmoe is a Fellow of the Photographic Society

At the Hal Gould Vision in Photography Awards/Photo by Sara Milmoe

of America, a recipient of the Colorado Governor’s Award, and a member of the American Society of Magazine Photographers. He also helped found the Colorado Photographic Arts Center (CPAC), so it should come as no surprise to anyone that he was honored this year with the 5th Annual Hal Gould Vision in Photography Award.

James is still working and exhibiting, with two recent shows, Up Close and Far Away: The Photographic Art of Jim Milmoe at The Pattern Shop Studio on Blake Street, Denver, and Stop/Look/See Photography by James Milmoe, at The Arvada Center.

Don’t forget to catch Jame’s appearance on the Arts District show on RMPBS, where he talks about what ‘Stop, Look and See’ can mean to the experience of looking at, not just the art of photography, but art and life in general.

Congratulations all around, James!

 

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Reed Art & Imaging’s New Space Has Been Acquired in the 40 West Arts District.

After much searching, we have found a new home.

Due to expansion of Federal Blvd., we are losing our entire front parking lot. To maintain an environment of safety and convenience, we have to change locations. That’s the not-so-great news.

But the amazing news is that we will be relocating to the 40 West Arts District in Lakewood, Colorado. The new location is a mere five minutes west of our current

40 West is one of the fastest growing art districts, and we will be proud to call it home.

location in Denver, Colorado.

We are eager to start a new chapter in a city that fully supports the creative arts, and in an art district that is rapidly growing its ranks. The historic building, located at 8000 West Colfax Ave., was once the Lakewood Movie Theater. Listed in the Film Daily Yearbook of 1951 as seating 900. The Lakewood Theater was still open in 1955, but had closed by 1956. Eventually the theater housed a Volkswagen dealership, a furniture store, Yamaha motorcycles, then Harley Davidson motorcycles. We’re excited to bring the vibe of visual creativity back to this building.

As of the date of this post, the Harley Davidson dealership still resides in our soon-to-be-new location at 8000 West Colfax, Lakewood, CO while the finishing touches are being applied to their new building in Golden, Colorado.

We cannot begin our tenant improvements until the HD dealership vacates, and city permits for our changes are taking time. We’ll broadcast our grand-opening date as soon as we have it locked-in. Stay tuned by subscribing to our newsletter and following us on our social channels.

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Westword Article by Patricia Calhoun

Patricia Calhoun of Westword penned a great article about our upcoming move to the 40 West Arts District:

http://www.westword.com/arts/reed-photo-moving-to-west-colfax-as-lakewood-snags-another-arty-enterprise-9099173

Stay tuned by <a href=”https://reedphoto.com/receive-our-e-info-newsletter/”>subscribing to our newsletter</a> and following us on our social channels. [social_web_link][/social_web_link]

We Have Moved!

For the last four decades, Reed Art & Imaging has owned and occupied the building at 888 Federal Blvd., in Denver, Colorado. That is about to change for us.

Due to a roadway widening project, by the City and County of Denver, we will be losing our entire customer parking lot.

“Staying was simply not an option. Our customers often need to pick up large and extremely valuable prints. Without on-site parking , and little street

Soon to be our new location at 8000 West Colfax Ave., Lakewood Colorado.

parking available, there was no way we could accommodate them safely and conveniently,” said Owner Bob Reed, who in 1976 founded Reed in the basement of his Lakewood home with wife and business partner, Betty Reed. “Our goal now is to turn this challenge into an opportunity that will better serve our customers and increase our contribution to the local art communities.”

With this in mind, we are excited to introduce our soon-to-be location in the heart of the fast-growing 40 West Arts District in Lakewood, Colorado. Given their own Lakewood beginnings and love for the arts, Bob, Betty and the rest of the Reed family feels like the move is a coming home of sorts.

Board Chairman and Executive Director of the Lakewood West Colfax Business Improvement District, Bill Marino feels likewise: “We are thrilled to have Reed join one of the state’s fastest growing arts districts and help us continue our mission of revitalizing West Colfax.”

Added one of Reed’s managers, John Harris: “We are eager to start a new chapter in a city that fully supports the creative arts, and in an art district that is rapidly growing its ranks. The historic building was once the Lakewood Movie Theater and we’re excited to bring visual creativity back to this building.”

40 West is one of the fastest growing art districts, and we will be proud to call it home.

At over 20,000-square feet, our new home will have room for a gallery area that will allow us to display work from our amazing family of clients, like renowned fine artists Kathy Beekman, Carrie Fell, Karmel Timmons, and photographers such as David Muench, John Fielder, and Jeff Mitchum. There are just too many to mention.

We also plan to use the parking lot along the front of historic Colfax Avenue for pop-up galleries or art markets, where artists can set up booths to sell their work. The new building will also be an ideal space for hosting fundraising events for arts and culture-focused non-profits.

To best serve our clients, we plan to stay open at the 888 Federal location throughout the transition to our new home, less than five miles

We are working closely with the City of Lakewood to preserve the historic signage on the building.

and just a few minutes away. Minor renovations are being made to the new site and we’re currently working with the City of Lakewood to keep the building’s important historic signage intact.

Through the many chapters of Reed’s history, we’ve seen a great deal of change, but we have always been a team of artists and creatives who have striven to bring success to our client’s endeavors. As ‘Artists Working for Artists‘, that will never change.

As we near our move, we will announce our grand opening event. Stay tuned!

Family-owned and operated Reed Art & Imaging is a nationally recognized fine art printmaker based in Lakewood, Colorado. Established in 1976 to create elite-level photographic and fine art prints, the company is dedicated to helping professional artists grow successful careers by providing the finest quality editions and reproductions. To better realize this goal, Reed has developed the “TrueArt Process,” a methodology focused on maximizing the creative equity that artists of all skill levels invest in their work. Reed also provides mounting and lamination services, large format pigment, metal and photographic prints, graphic design services and final installation.

Reed Art & Imaging Announces Move to Lakewood’s 40 West Arts District

NEWS RELEASE
June 13, 2017
For more information contact:
Lu Stasko, The Stasko Agency
303/477-9902 (Office)
720/404-4507 (Mobile)

For Immediate Release

Reed Art & Imaging Announces Move to Lakewood’s 40 West Arts District

— Long-running printmaker has acquired a new home on West Colfax Avenue —

DENVER, CO – Reed Art & Imaging, one of Denver’s oldest fine art printmakers, has purchased a new home in Lakewood’s 40 West Arts District. The company will move later this summer into an historic former movie theater at 8000 West Colfax, which currently houses a Harley-Davidson dealership. The move will provide Reed with more space and the ability to better showcase the work of their extensive client base.

Reed has operated out of its current location at 888 Federal Blvd. since 1979, but changes caused by the City of Denver’s Federal Boulevard Improvement Project, prompted the move. The project, which will add a third northbound lane between 5th Avenue and 14th Avenue on Federal and widen both the northbound and southbound lanes in that corridor, will eliminate Reed’s front parking lot, leaving it with insufficient parking for its customers and more than 30 employees.

“Staying was simply not an option. Our customers often need to pick up extremely valuable large format prints, so without on-site parking and with little street parking available, there was no way we could accommodate them safely and conveniently,” said Reed Owner Bob Reed, who founded the company in 1976 with his wife and business partner, Betty Reed. “Our goal now is to turn this challenge into an opportunity to better serve our customers and increase Reed’s contributions to the local art communities.”

At over 20,000-square feet, Reed’s new home has room for a gallery to display client artwork, some of which include such renowned artists and photographers as Karmel Timmons, John Fielder and Jeff Mitchum. Reed also plans to use its new parking lot along Colfax Avenue for pop-up galleries or art markets, where artists can set up booths to sell their work. Using the new building to host fundraising events for arts and cultural-focused non-profits is also a possibility.

“We are thrilled to have Reed join one of the state’s fastest growing arts district and help us continue our mission of revitalizing West Colfax,” said Bill Marino, Board Chairman and Executive Director of the Lakewood West Colfax Business Improvement District.

Reed plans to stay open throughout the transition to its new home, which is less than five miles from its current location. The company will be making minor renovations to the new site and is currently working with the City of Lakewood to keep the building’s historic signage intact.

“Many of Reed’s employees are artists and are passionate about pursuing their craft, so moving to an area that is focused on advancing artists and creative entrepreneurs feels like coming home,” added Bob Reed.

Family-owned and operated Reed Art & Imaging is a nationally recognized fine art printmaker based in Lakewood, Colorado. Established in 1976 to create elite-level photographic and fine art prints, the company is dedicated to helping professional artists grow successful careers by providing the finest quality art editions and reproductions. To better realize this goal, Reed has developed the “TrueArt Process,” a methodology focused on maximizing the creative equity that artists of all skill levels invest in their work. Reed also provides mounting and lamination services, large format pigment, metal and photographic prints, graphic design services and installation.

For more information visit www.reedphoto.com/moving

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Featured Project – Liz Hickock Outdoor Art Installation – Month of Photography

Client Need:

Non-Profit looking for recognition

Solution:

The Photo-Art Wallpaper was the only choice for this job, a short term graphic with bright high energy colors. It also needed to be budget friendly, easily applied to the exterior of a building and removable with no visible damage to the structure.

The Story:

This non-profit client that we have worked with for many years came to us with an idea to wrap an art piece around an empty restaurant building. It was meant to be a promotion and needs to stay up for at least 4 months during a bi-annual celebration called ‘Month of Photography’. Due to some of the windows being boarded up the graphic would need to be installed on the outside of the building and be able to hold up to the weather and sunlight.  After receiving the artists original digital file we sized it up holding as much detail as possible and sliced it into separate varying sized panels to fit the 15 window sections. A mock-up was created for the installers who then did an amazing job getting everything to flow nicely over the undulating wood, glass and metal surfaces.

The Takeaway:

This art installation was a huge hit with the staff, members and general public who got to see it. It more than did it’s job as this particular piece got more press than most of the featured exhibits. Being not only an affordable and great looking public art piece that fit their budget, it actually has lasted over 19 months and at the time of this article is still going strong! Whether for short term or permanent installations our line of Photo-Art Wallpaper products can help you look like a hero with big custom art graphics. How can this solution possibly help your business?

Have a question about how this solution can take your space from boring to stand-out impressive?

Give us a call to speak with one of our TrueArt Professionals about this or any of our other Photo/Graphic products. Consultations are always free as is our personalized behind the scenes tours.

Co-Creating with clients is our way of life. The TrueArt Experience is the result.