Artist's Proofs

What is an Artist's Proof?

An Artist's Proof is the terminology that Ivan Clarke uses to describe his Lonely Dog Collection Masterworks. He usually sets aside 35 per painting in his Lonely Dog Collection.

As you may be aware, he has chosen at this stage, not to sell the original paintings of this Lonely Dog Collection, so an Artist's Proof is the only way you can purchase an image that is similar, and as close to the original as possible- hand re-touched and textured by replicating each original brush-stroke onto a giclee if the image, issued with a numbered certificate of authenticity. These highlights accentuate the painting in certain areas; to match the original painting. It is then finished with heavy bodied impasto medium which also gives the painting a final protective coating and the texture of an original oil painting. They are hand-finished by Ivan Clarke; personally signing and numbering each work by brush. Artist's Proofs can be identified by a smaller edition number appearing along with "A/P" (Artist's Proof) next to the artist's signature. When compared to an original painting it is otherwise nearly impossible to tell that an Artist's Proof isn't the original painting.

Artits's Proof (A.P) is also terminlogy used to describe the special copy of a lithograph that the artist has chosen to make available for sale. It may be the only one or the last one of a run that had been kept as a sample. In the case of Philip Beadle's work, where he uses a drypoint colour brushwork on the lithograph after it has been printed, he could use his artist's proof to copy his colours from for his future limited editions. Once the artist's proof has been sold, that is likely to be the end of that series.