Happy Winter - snowman holding bird - by Barbara Ann Kenney

Happy Winter by Barbara Ann Kenney — View Larger

Here we have a happy snowman wearing a red and snowflake scarf and santa hat. He is also wearing green mittens. he is holding a yellow star with a bird resting on top. In the background, there are many white snowflakes. A caption reads: Happy Winter!

Tags: Barbara Ann Kenney, Happy Winter, Imagekind,

What is a Giclee?

A Giclee is a printing technology used to make fine art prints from digital images. This is the technology used by Imagekind to print ALL of its Member Art. Giclees are great because not only do they give a very high quality print, they also use inks that are designed to last for many years. Your print if protected from harsh UV rays could easily be inherited by your grandchildren.

Compare that with your typical ink printers we use everyday? They use cheaper inks, papers and a different process that make them last only years not decades. I know that there are some works of art given as gifts that I'd like to later pass on to other relatives, and with each generation it becomes more dear to us.

The Tennyson Gallery defines Giclee as:

A giclee (zhee-CLAY) is a high-resolution, superior quality reproduction done on a special large format printer. Giclees are produced from digital scans or photographs of existing artwork. Some artists produce only digital art, so there is no "original" that can be hung on a wall. Artists can produce infinite images without degrading the quality of the production and reproduction. Many artists confine themselves to limited editions, however. Giclees create a new, vibrant medium for art as well as an affordable way for some art lovers to collect.
Giclees can be printed on many media, such as canvas, watercolor paper, and transparent acetates. Giclees are superior to traditional lithography because the colors are bright, last longer, and are of such a high resolution that they "paint" the medium in a continuous tone, rather than tiny dots.
Lithography uses tiny dots of four colors--cyan, magenta, yellow and black--to fool the eye into seeing various hues and shades. Colors are "created" by printing different size dots of these four colors.
Giclees use a sophisticated inkjet technology. Six colors are used--light cyan, cyan, light magenta, magenta, yellow and black, and the inks resulting in colors that are more true to the original art. The ink is sprayed onto the page, actually mixing the inks on the page to create true colors.

Therefore Giclees are the best way to get a piece of digital or digitalized art onto your walls with the best quality possible. Imagekind offers a way to see samples of their use of the Giclee method through samples on different paper types. You can use this sample kit to choose the type of paper your fine art prints use.

The Giclee system uses 8 colors to give the greatest depth possible

Your prints will bring you joy for many years with proper care

Using the Ultra- Chrome K3 pigmented inkset, from Epson, Imagekind's fine art printers will allow users to print outstanding color and neutral black & white prints on a variety of media including glossy, satin, matte, fine art and canvas. Without hesitation, the quality and shine of a pigment giclee on canvas, watercolor or satin paper is unmatched.

Epson Print Permanence Rating Chart

Media	Framed w/ UV Filter	Framed Under Glass	Unframed Rating
Enhanced Matte	110 years	76 years	45 years
Premium Photo Glossy	98 years	85 years	60 years
Somerset Velvet	128 years	62 years	34 years
Ultra Smooth Fine Art	175 years	108 years	57 years
Premium Photo Lustre	165 years	71 years	48 years
Premier Art Gloss Canvas	100+ years	100+ years	100+ years

Conclusion

You can buy fine art prints at Imagekind knowing that you'll receive the highest quality printing available for all member art. All of the wall art shown on this website is available from Imagekind, so shop with confidence and if you aren't sure which paper is right, buy the giclee sample kit and get a coupon on your next wall art purchase!

Outside of the Star Caves (Grutas de la estrella) Part 2

You can see photographs of the Caves: {{post id="photographs-from-the-grutas-la-estrella-estado-de-mexico-star-caves-mexico-framed-print-art" text="Part 1"}}, {{post id="photographs-from-the-grutas-la-estrella-estado-de-mexico-star-caves-mexico-part-2-framed-print-art" text="Part 2"}}. You can see {{post id="outside-of-the-star-caves-grutas-de-la-estrella-part-1" text="part 1 of Outside of the Star caves here"}}.

These are photographs from the area surrounding the Grutas de la Estrella, or Star Caves in Estado de México, Mexico. These photographs are available as high quality prints with optional framing. A wide variety of paper types and frame colors are available to match your home or office decor.

If you are looking for calendars, mugs, magnets, shirts, etc. using these photographs go {{post id="outside-the-star-caves-calendars-mugs-shirts-magnets-etc" text="here"}}.

A Green Bromeliad by Christopher Johnson

A Green Bromeliad by Christopher Johnson — View Larger

Bromeliads will grow in the trees in warm but not dry parts of Mexico. They'll be often found in places at and near the base of a mountain by a river or stream. Hot weather is not needed, but they won't grow where it freezes. This green bromeliad is typical. You can find many of them growing in the trees in the lower part of the path to the Grutas de la Estrella in Estado de México (State of Mexico), Mexico.

A Cluster of Green Bromeliads by Christopher Johnson

A Cluster of Green Bromeliads by Christopher Johnson — View Larger

Bromeliads will grow in the trees in warm but not dry parts of Mexico. They'll be often found in places at and near the base of a mountain by a river or stream. Hot weather is not needed, but they won't grow where it freezes. This clustering of bromeliads is really funny looking but it happens when more than one start growing close to each other and eventually form a ball. That is really a disadvantage for each one. You can find many of them growing in the trees in the lower part of the path to the Grutas de la Estrella in Estado de México (State of Mexico), Mexico.

Large Green Bromeliad with flower stalk by Christopher Johnson

Large Green Bromeliad with flower stalk by Christopher Johnson — View Larger

This is my favorite photograph in the gallery. It highlights the beauty of Mexico with great lighting, contrast, and shapes. I wish I had a framed print of my own! Bromeliads will grow in the trees in warm but not dry parts of Mexico. They'll be often found in places at and near the base of a mountain by a river or stream. Hot weather is not needed, but they won't grow where it freezes. This green bromeliad is blooming. You can find many of them growing in the trees in the lower part of the path to the Grutas de la Estrella in Estado de México (State of Mexico), Mexico.

Bromeliads on branches by Christopher Johnson

Bromeliads on branches by Christopher Johnson — View Larger

This photo is not one of my best, but it shows bromeliads of different sizes. Bromeliads will grow in the trees in warm but not dry parts of Mexico. They'll be often found in places at and near the base of a mountain by a river or stream. Hot weather is not needed, but they won't grow where it freezes. You can find many of them growing in the trees in the lower part of the path to the Grutas de la Estrella in Estado de México (State of Mexico), Mexico.

Bromeliads on a Branch by Christopher Johnson

Bromeliads on a Branch by Christopher Johnson — View Larger

This is a nice clear photo of several green bromeliads on a branch. Bromeliads will grow in the trees in warm but not dry parts of Mexico. They'll be often found in places at and near the base of a mountain by a river or stream. Hot weather is not needed, but they won't grow where it freezes. You can find many of them growing in the trees in the lower part of the path to the Grutas de la Estrella in Estado de México (State of Mexico), Mexico.

Yellow and black wild flowers by Christopher Johnson

Yellow and black wild flowers by Christopher Johnson — View Larger

Yellow and black wild flowers blooming along the path to the Grutas la Estrella caves in the Estado de México. This photograph was taken in the second half of October 2007.

Tiny white and yellow wild flowers by Christopher Johnson

Tiny white and yellow wild flowers by Christopher Johnson — View Larger

These tiny white and yellow wild flowers were blooming along the path to the entrance to the Grutas la Estrella caves in Estado de México in the second half of October 2007. Although at first glance they don't seem special, just take a moment to look at the larger image and you'll see the details of light, shadow, and form that make this image one of my favorites.

Tiny yellow wild flowers by Christopher Johnson

Tiny yellow wild flowers by Christopher Johnson — View Larger

These tiny yellow wildflowers were growing along the path to the Grutas la Estrella caves in the Estado de México (State of Mexico) in the second half of October, 2007.

Nopal also called Pricky Pear Cactus - close by Christopher Johnson

Nopal also called Pricky Pear Cactus - close by Christopher Johnson — View Larger

This is a closer shot of a medium sized nopal plant. Nopales are called Prickly Pear Cactus in English. Their fruit are called tunas, (tuna in singular form) The large 'leaves' can be eaten and are a traditional food in mexico. The needles are scraped off with a long knife and the leaves are either grilled, sliced and fried (with out oil) or chopped and boiled. They are sometimes put in a blender raw as a health drink. Nopal is high in Vitamin C and carbohydrates so it is great for a diet. Nopal is great with chicken or tacos.

Nopal also called Pricky Pear Cactus - entire by Christopher Johnson

Nopal also called Pricky Pear Cactus - entire by Christopher Johnson — View Larger

This is a medium sized Nopal plant. The Nopal is called Prickly Pear Cactus in English. The plural for Nopal is Nopales. The fruit is called tuna, or tunas for more than one. See the other Nopal photograph for information on how it is typically cooked. I have seen many Nopal plants before, but I think this plant near the top of the path to Grutas la Estrella, the Star Caves, was especially attractive. It is growing under a small tree so it is in the mid-afternoon shade.