West Africa Images
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| Fire and Thunder in Accra Signed Originals. Unsigned Open Edition Prints |
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| Drilling for Form Signed Originals. Unsigned Open Edition Prints |
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| Painting the Streets of Kayar Signed Originals. Unsigned Open Edition Prints
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Saturday, October 28, 2023
West Africa Images
Wednesday, November 30, 2016
Purchasing Art - A Guide to Decision Making
Purchasing Art - A Guide to Decision Making
by Wayne D. King
People purchase art for many different reasons. Understanding those reasons can help you to hone in on the specific investment you want to make. This short piece is written to try and simplify the decision making process while giving you enough information to assure your long term satisfaction.
Original Art or Reproduction Prints?
Aside from the obvious choices about what specific pieces you are interested in, the first choice that needs to be made is whether to purchase signed original art or reproductions.
Original Art
Original art is often seen as an investment by purchasers because the value of original art often increases over time. The trade off of course is that purchasing original work is bound to be more expensive because only a limited amount of it exists. For example, a reproduction of Van Gogh’s “Starry Night” will cost you about $50.00 while the actual artwork is now worth well over $100 million dollars. In another 50 years the original will be worth considerably more while the reproduction will likely be only worth what it was purchased for initially, unless there are other factors that enhance the value.
Fine Art prints, or Reproductions
Fine Art prints, or reproductions, are the more affordable alternative. They are the logical choice if you are purchasing them purely for the love of art and not for the investment. The cost of purchasing Fine Art Prints or reproductions are likely to be only slightly more than it cost the artist to actually create the piece. With the advent of “on-demand” printing it is now simpler for artists to offer these reproductions. Before on-demand printing an artist had to contract with a printer to do a print run of multiple copies in order to be able to offer reproductions. Now websites like Fine Art America, Zazzle and Red Bubble allow them to offer individual prints at a very affordable cost without the high costs of printing large numbers of individual images.
Print Quality
When purchasing Fine Art reproductions it is also important to know that the quality of the print can vary wildly. If possible it is best to purchase prints made on high quality paper or canvas with archival (long lasting) inks. Any colors will fade if displayed in direct sunlight, even archival inks, though the archival inks will last much longer. Other new innovations like metal prints offer an interesting alternative but require you to decide whether the print surface adds or detracts from the image itself.
Purchasing Photographic Art
Purchasing photographic art is only slightly different than purchasing any other art. Original art is determined only on the basis of whether the print is signed. A purchaser should always look for photographic art where the signature is on the image itself and not on the mat. Mat board can become damaged and if the signature is on the mat and the mat is discarded it will be far more difficult to prove that it is an original. Often original photography is sold in a limited edition. This means that the number of original prints is limited only to the edition number and the artist pledges not to sign any more than the number of prints in the edition. The edition number may be included on the print or simply included in a separate “Certificate of Authenticity” signed by the artist with or without a specific edition number. The edition number is usually in the following form: 1/100, where the first number is the number of the specific print in the edition and the second number is the limit of the edition.
Purchasing my art
The images that I create are usually limited to only 5 or 10 original prints of each image. Rarely editions will be as high as 100 and sometimes as low as 1 single piece. Higher number editions are usually made to allow me to sell the art at a lower cost.
Original prints are available only by purchase directly from me directly or from my personal Website. Not all images are available on my website but can be added by request.
Fine art reproductions can be purchased at any of the sites listed below. I place a digital initial on each image that gives the buyer the closest approximation of an original without the premium cost of purchasing an original. Years from now, when I am long gone, appraisers will be able to tell an original print from a reproduction based on whether it is initialed digitally or signed by my own hand. Such are the possibilities in the digital age!
I have carefully chosen the sites below to be sure of the reproduction quality and the options for choosing special paper, matting and framing. I order my own prints made at these sites so I recommend them highly.
Of course I would rather have you purchase originals but I would be honored to have my work hanging in your home or office in any form. If you want original work you can use the sites listed below to choose the images and sizes that you want and then contact me by email, phone or through my facebook page with your specific request or even to make an offer. Generally I sell the originals unframed so that you can choose framing based on your personal needs but I am happy to provide a price for framed work as well.
Fine Art Reproduction Sites
Personal site: bit.ly/wdk_mindscapes
Contact information:
Wayne King
PO Box 500
Rumney NH 03266
603-786-9378 Tel
603-515-6001 Cell
waynedking9278@gmail.com
Thursday, December 3, 2015
King Images chosen for "Fauna 2015" International Exhibition
King Images chosen for "Fauna 2015" International Exhibition
Los Angeles-based Linus Gallery recently announced the winners of a call for artists in a juried competition titled "Fauna". Among those images chosen were two images by New Hampshire-based artist Wayne King. Chosen for the exhibition were "Pelican Mindscape" and "Knee Deep in Zebras".
"Pelican Mindscape" is a mixed media image combining elements of photography and painting. The image was printed from a negative through textured glass, hand-painted using Marshall oils and then scanned for output using archival inks in an edition of 100 16" x 24" prints, signed by the artist and available at an affordable $195. Unsigned images are also available from RedBubble.com: http://rdbl.co/1M4cPky
"Knee Deep in Zebras" is a composite monochrome image created from a series of images of Zebras. Three editions of 10 prints each are available, two edition are toned in Blue and Brown respectively with the final a straight monochrome. Original prints are available from the artist at a cost of $495.00 for a 16"x24" signed print. Unsigned open edition prints are also available from Fine Art America: http://bit.ly/1XK6mia.
"I am honored to have had two images selected in this prestigious competition" said King. "The Linus Gallery is one of the most active and progressive galleries on the Web. It may also provide an opportunity for a visit to Lost Angeles where my sister resides - a great added benefit!"
Los Angeles-based Linus Gallery recently announced the winners of a call for artists in a juried competition titled "Fauna". Among those images chosen were two images by New Hampshire-based artist Wayne King. Chosen for the exhibition were "Pelican Mindscape" and "Knee Deep in Zebras".
"Pelican Mindscape" is a mixed media image combining elements of photography and painting. The image was printed from a negative through textured glass, hand-painted using Marshall oils and then scanned for output using archival inks in an edition of 100 16" x 24" prints, signed by the artist and available at an affordable $195. Unsigned images are also available from RedBubble.com: http://rdbl.co/1M4cPky
"Knee Deep in Zebras" is a composite monochrome image created from a series of images of Zebras. Three editions of 10 prints each are available, two edition are toned in Blue and Brown respectively with the final a straight monochrome. Original prints are available from the artist at a cost of $495.00 for a 16"x24" signed print. Unsigned open edition prints are also available from Fine Art America: http://bit.ly/1XK6mia.
"I am honored to have had two images selected in this prestigious competition" said King. "The Linus Gallery is one of the most active and progressive galleries on the Web. It may also provide an opportunity for a visit to Lost Angeles where my sister resides - a great added benefit!"
Monday, August 24, 2015
Woman Carrying a Basket, Lagos Nigeria
A Nigerian woman with a basket of cleaning supplies walks through the crowded area of Ikoyi in Lagos Nigeria. Manipulated color image.
This image is available in a signed limited edition of 10 prints or in an open edition signed with a digital stamp.
Limited Edition
Edition of 10
20x24x.1 unframed
$695
Contact Artist
Open edition
Various sizes
Unframed
Click here
Sunday, June 8, 2014
Big Milly's - Kokbright Beach, Ghana
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| Glass Fresco at Big Milly's Zazzle Cards of this image Fine Art Prints of this image |
25 Kilometers west of the capital city of Accra in Ghana is the village of Kokobright and the Kokobright beach where sun worshippers, snorkelers, surfers and fishermen and women shares the beaches.
The village is a collection of thatched huts where the cooking takes place outside.
Also adjacent to Kokoright Beach is a resort called Big Milly's which over a two decade history has grown from a singly room for visitors to more than 20 rooms and a restaurant serving up the fresh fish caught just offshore.
A walk along the beach gives the visitor an opportunity to view the brightly painted dugout fishing canoes and if you decide to just take a seat, eventually someone will come along and offer you something to eat right there on the beach.
Learn more about Big Milly's by visiting the website.
Friday, June 6, 2014
Phoenix Project Aims at Cleanup and Job Creation in Niger Delta
Creating Multiple Positive Outcomes from Spill Cleanup
Brief:
The Phoenix Project proposes to create a pilot "Enterprise Recovery and Empowerment Zone" in the Niger Delta of Nigeria to test an innovative approach to oil spill cleanup that includes creation of an enterprise community generating electricity, jobs and research opportunities for the people of the region.
You’ve probably seen the photos of the devastation in the Niger Delta. They were likely a sidebar story to coverage of the Gulf Oil Spill. As cleanup commenced here in the US within days of the accident, an equal amount of oil was being spilled in West Africa’s most fertile valley and richest fisheries and little was being done by anyone. Further, on an annual basis the Delta has experienced spills equivalent to two Gulf spills every single year.
Oil Companies find the inconspicuous nature of drilling and harvesting oil in Africa an attractive alternative to doing so in the West where consumers are more organized and unforgiving. Many of the local Nigerian politicians find that oil money makes a very tempting and large target for illicit proclivities. Add to all this a spill cleanup funding mechanism that suffers from a complete lack of transparency, further tempting even aspiring “honest” politicians and distancing oil companies from the assumption of responsibility and you have a recipe for an amoeba-like environmental catastrophe - growing and spreading as it devastates the economic and social fabric of the region.
Enter Project Phoenix, the conceptual brainchild of former NH Senator Wayne King of with the help of his Nigerian counterpart Osita Aniemeka. King began going to Nigeria in 1997, shortly after an unsuccessful run for Governor, Leading a team of social entrepreneurs on behalf of the Ford Foundation, King’s team, which included Santa Barbara-based Philip “Kip” Bates of the University of California, Santa Barbara who was the technology guru of the Team. Rounding out the team was the late Dr. Chidi Nwachukwu a native born Nigerian and US Citizen and CEO of Sameday Express and a unique startup called UConnet that was one of the nation’s very first companies to use the Internet for telephone services, now referred to as “Internet Telephony”. Since 1997 the team has continued to return to West Africa for Ford Foundation, USAID and the World Bank among others. Dr. Nwachukwu died from Leukemia in 2000, when the idea for doing something about oil spills in the Niger Delta was little more than a glimmer in the eyes of the trio, and the team has dedicated this pilot project in his honor.
The Phoenix Project officially has been in the works for more than four years when King got the idea that it might be possible to build an “Enterprise Community” around the oil spill cleanup process where the cleanup and associated funds - if they could be accessed - would drive the development of both cleanup jobs as well as jobs related to the bi-products of the cleanup, specifically electricity, biochar, and biofuels. The more the team began to explore and research the components they envisioned the mmore they came to realize that there may be a way to make the effort sustainable, replicable and taken as a whole - carbon-negative. The Kyoto accords, that took effect in 2005, also spurred the idea that there might also be an opportunity for Carbon Credit trading based on the Carbon-Negative
In most circumstances today the end results of an oil spill cleanup are hidden from the public, quite possibly because the companies want the problem and its accompanying bad publicity to simply go away. “This means” said King, “that the opportunities to generate revenues from the cleanup of the oil and the treatment of the oil contaminated absorbents - like booms - go unnoticed and and untapped. Our pilot project recovers and recycles as much of the oil as we can, using a patented cellulose absorbent from MOP Environmental Solutions for the cleanup on both land and water (MOPenvironmental.com) then using the remaining biomass (the cellulose after oil removal) to generate electricity with a small, mobile, pyrolysis power plant manufactured by EcoReps of Adelaide Australia (www.Ecoreps.com.au). In addition to the electricity, the plant will also produce biochar a highly acclaimed soil amendment that has properties that make it both a fertilizer, a water storage element and a carbon sink - capturing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and sequestering it for decades and perhaps centuries, releasing it only when called on for plant growth.”
In addition to the jobs and opportunities created by the obvious products and processes The Phoenix Project - Niger Delta expects to seek out additional research and entrepreneurial opportunities that coincide with, and take advantage of, synergies that arise within the process. For example, research on biochar is at its very early stages and the use of it for bioremediation of oil spills is postulated but not thoroughly researched. Osita Aniemeka, Director of Nigerian operations, believes that the emphasis on research is consistent with Nigeria’s new emphasis on its agricultural sector and provides opportunities for the Phoenix Project to create jobs and ventures that empower women and young people who are particularly vulnerable to the economic woes brought on by these devastating and continuing oil spills.
Depending upon their ability to access oil spill cleanup funds and the extent of those funds, the Phoenix Project team believes that they can generate sufficient revenues to allow them to fund all or part of the cost of designating and cleaning up the next zone.
“We see this pilot project as our opportunity to develop an Open Source solution to the challenge of oil spills. Once we have tested the various aspects of the Pilot we will make the model available broadly to others who are seeking a solution to oil spills that creates a “Phoenix Effect” within an area devastated by a spill.” said Aniemeka.
The Phoenix Project is seeding the project with a crowd funding campaign on Indiegogo to raise the funds needed to bring together the communities, the experts and officials from both the government and the oil industry in the Niger Delta. They will also be carefully choosing the first site taking into account the long term needs of the community after the Enterprise and Empowerment Zone is turned over to a local governing body. “With a little luck”, King says, “we can move on to the next zone with most of the funds needed for the next cleanup, leaving a 1 megawatt electricity plant in the control of a local governing body to continue to provide badly needed and reliable electricity to the businesses and homes of the community.”
The total cost of the pilot will be in the range of 12 million dollars but the companies participating as partners in the venture have all agreed to discount their costs in order to create the model. The net cost is likely to be closer to 8 million dollars, most of that for the capital equipment like the mobile power plant. “Once we have the model down right,” King continued “the net cost of each succeeding Zone should be somewhere in the range of $2 million dollars per zone, before calculating in revenues from most of the bi-products. While only the real thing will allow us to be sure, we are confident that after Zone one the process should be self sustaining - as long as there are funds available for the cleanup.” and in the Nigerian environment . . . that seems to be the biggest question mark.
To learn more about the Phoenix Project you can visit the Project Phoenix Blog at nigerdeltaphoenix.blogspot.com
The Crowd funding effort can be viewed at http://igg.me/at/PPND
Friday, December 12, 2008
Shopping in an African Market
One of the joys of visiting Africa is the opportunity to shop in an African market. There is nothing quite like it. Often crowded, always colorful and interesting and filled with friendly folks who see the fun of bargaining as a vital part of the process of selling their products. It is a fantastic spot for taking pictures as well as buying gifts for your friends.If you pay the first price they ask you'll surely be paying too much.
Here are some tips on shopping in an African market.
NEVER pay the first price. It's not that anyone is trying to rip you off, its just the tradition. I usually will respond to a first offer by jokingly saying that the craftsman is a robber. Be sure that he understands you are joking. If he looks at you in a puzzled way, he has not gotten the joke. Make sure you laugh and he will then understand.
ALWAYS assume that a supposedly valuable commodity is bogus (gold, gemstones, antiques, etc). Again, this is not necessarily because someone is trying to put one over on you, they may have been fooled by someone as well. If you are not an expert in distinguishing between real vs fake of whatever you are buying, either pay a price that would be acceptable if it turns out to be faux or find someone capable of distinguishing. I've come home with more than my share of beads I thought were gemstones only to find out they were fake.
Don't show too much interest. The more that you can take a disinterested posture, the more likely you will get a good price for it. The more interest you show, the less they are willing to bargain on the price.
Don't be afraid to walk away. Chances are they will follow you; if not right away, at some point, you'll turn around and they will be there with the item trying to get you to purchase it before leaving.
Have fun! Be loud, be silly, enjoy the experience and the vendors will enjoy it with you.
The Mask
Purchase this as a card, print, poster
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