Q&A

You might be wondering about the nature of the pieces you see at the Cork. I create and exhibit three forms of art: original oil paintings, giclées of those oils, and digital paintings. Most of the pieces available at the Cork are digital paintings. I will attempt to answer a few common questions in this Q&A for those considering a purchase.

Are These Originals or Giclees?

I sell original oil paintings at my Boulder studio, and sometimes at the Cork. If investment is your aim, oils will suit you best because there is only one original, creating the ultimate scarcity premium. For this reason, original oils cost more. If you are considering an investment in such a painting, I encourage you to come and see them at my studio. My original oil paintings are surprisingly affordable.

I do sell Giclees of my oil paintings, so if a piece simply captivates your heart, a giclee provides that joy at a kinder price. Derived from the French for “to spray,” these are fine art prints crafted via advanced inkjet methods, using pigment-based inks on archival paper or canvas. They promise enduring vibrancy and detail, often indistinguishable from the original save by an expert’s eye.

Digital Paintings are a new hybrid art from. These are works born entirely on screen, through software that mimics brushes, oils, or watercolors—the colors blend, spatter, or glaze with uncanny realism. Using a stylus and tablet, I can wield pastel, ink, thick paint, watercolor, or charcoal, exploring creativity unbound by physical limits. For a traditional painter like myself, it’s a realm of expanded possibility, free from the limitations of material properties, yet calling for the same artist’s touch and training.

Is a Digital Painting an Original or a Giclee?

The term "giclee" merely describes a mechanism of reproduction. For an oil, this means photographing or scanning the original to digitize it first, then printing it—rendering it akin to a digital file in essence. The key distinction: the oil boasts a physical original of greater worth than the giclee..

With a digital painting, however, the “original” dwells as a pristine pixel file from its very genesis; no exalted physical version exists. In order to manifest physically, the artist can create a giclee of the piece. Each giclee print of it is equally “original,” identical in every manifestation.

There are people who might say "a print is a print is a print," and can’t be an original. In the way the term is commonly used this is true, but there is actually a nuance here that needs to be acknowledged. A new paradigm has emerged, needing a place at the table.

Inspired minds invented "NFT”s (non-fungible tokens) to crown one digital instance of a digital painting as the “original.” Under this system, an artist uploads the file to a platform, pays hefty fees in cryptocurrency, and “mints” a token on the blockchain—a tamper-proof digital ledger. This certifies ownership, authenticity, and history. Copies can abound unchecked, but the NFT holder claims sole “original” status, perhaps with perks like resale royalties.

In the early 2020s, NFTs surged, with collectors parting with millions of dollars for the right to claim ownership of the original—leaving many traditionalists bemused, like spectators at an emperor’s naked parade. Even crafting this explanation taxes me; pursuing it feels a folly too far.

Thus, I keep it simple: my digital paintings emerge as premium giclees, each an “original” in spirit, with no hierarchy among them. They are priced well below the cost of an original oil painting, and are released in limited physical editions of 25. I furnish a hand-signed, numbered certificate of authenticity for each digital painting, sealing the record and closing the edition upon sell-out.

Does this settle whether they’re originals? Not entirely—philosophers might debate it still. I merely urge: if the piece speaks to you and the price feels fair, let it find a home with you. Creating these paintings has been a wonderful adventure on my creative journey, and I am very proud to be working in a new medium despite my traditional art background.

To see my current catalog, please take a look in the "Inquire" collection of the website. If you see anything you like, give me a call or text me. I would be delighted to meet with any collectors who are interested in seeing my paintings, digital or oil, in person. I have many paintings available in the studio that are not on display at the Cork. Call or text 303-522-3048 to make an appointment to come to the studio.