Why Art Prints So Expensive?

If you have ever purchased prints of original artwork, you have probably noticed that they is a range of prices, and generally sold at higher costs than you expect. This may leave you wondering: why don’t artists sell their prints for cheaper prices?

We are immersed in a culture of cheap, abundant, and infinitely accessible things. We have grown used to places like Walmart and Macy’s, where walls of house décor and mass-produced artwork can be found with ease. Not only do we have an abundance to choose from at replaceable excess, but most times, we can even attain them at fairly low prices. Just like anything that is cheap and mass produced, there is a time and a place when it is convenient and useful; sometimes you’re running late and you really just need a quick McDonald’s burger. I get it.

The Cost of Beauty

But ease and efficiency come at a cost that is beyond money. The cost of our mass produced culture is one of ethical, moral, and even spiritual value, and unfortunately, this culture of efficiency directly contradicts the culture of beauty.

As consumers, we know that the mass produced items we purchase are usually the result of labor that is unethically compensated; whether that is the clothing industry, the fast food industry, or any other systematically developed merchandise. We know that the products are usually produced under long hours of fast assembly under relatively low wages. Like I said about McDonalds, in this day and age, sometimes these systems are necessary for practicality’s sake, but the loss we experience goes even beyond ethics. 

Especially when it comes to buying art, the highest stake that is lost in lowering its value is when something is of high value it transforms the way we view it, the way we treat it, the places we put it, the people we show it to. There is a great internal reality we experience in relation to an object’s value and it’s cost. It is particularly important to recognize the value of artwork when it comes to Sacred Art.

Kate’s prints here at Visual Grace are created at Brilliant Studios in Exton, which employs the use of Giclée printing, which is a method for fine art digital prints that uses the closest type of ink to an original painting, leading to a much higher quality print. The colors are much more true to the original work, when compared to other kinds of prints.

They are also archival prints which are long lasting, museum-quality pieces that used refined particles of pigment to create these high-resolution works. Furthermore, they are printed onto textured paper, which gives them a much more “real-art-feel” than regular prints. A lot of great attention to detail and care go into creating these prints, which is reflected in their quality and price!

These are some things to keep in mind when searching for the next special artwork for your home!

SHOP PRINTS

Hanna Briley, the creator behind MangioArts, is a pyrography / multimedia artist and musician local to Chester County PA. She specializes in Catholic woodburnings, charcoal portrait commissions, and watercolor churches. She also enjoys cantering for weddings or leading worship at conferences & retreats. If you wish to view her work, purchase artwork, or commission a piece, visit @mangioarts on instagram & Facebook or MangioArtsStore on Etsy, or contact her at hm*********@***il.com