Museum Quality original images made & Signed by the Artist Double Matted Ready to Frame

Museum Quality Fine Art Minature Prints: Each image is individually signed by the artist and is made with archival 100% acid free paper and double matting. Printed with long lasting pigment ink, they offer a lifetime of enjoyment and value.

Quality vs. Quantity:

Gail Russell images are not mass produced. We choose to produce small quantities of high quality work right here in our Taos, New Mexico studio.

The Value of Art:

Art is a visual feast that lifts the spirit and warms the heart. Our modest pricing encourages individuals and collectors alike to purchase several of the Fine Art Miniatures at one time. They make a striking presentation when hung in groupings.

Gail Russell is a photo artist living in Taos, New Mexico.

Her expressive images span continuing interests: Native Peoples, Spiritual Sites, Nature’s Beauty and the Joy of Life

Creating images of Southwestern culture, landscape, ancient sites and inspirational themes, Russell’s work has been in private collections, museums, galleries, and in the pages of national and international magazines for the past 30 years.

Her work spotlights colorful ceremonials, contrasting with the simple everyday activities of peoples living in tradition. Striking images of ancient sites and landscapes, her usage of light sometimes transmits a spiritual message.

MINIATURES-FAQ:

A Brief History of Miniatures

This unique art form, based on a minute scale, traces its roots back to the book paintings and illuminated manuscripts of the 7th century.

In the Middle Ages, monks often embellished manuscript pages with delicate illuminations and bordered them with a red lead pigment called “minium” from which “miniature” later evolved.
Miniatures are found all throughout history, from the delicate paintings of Persia to Carved tusks from Alaska. Elizabethan England was noted for its miniature portraits on vellum and later ivory, which served much as small photographs do today. Miniatures became very popular during the time of Queen Victoria, having miniature portraits done of friends and family members by the Artists of the Court.

The end of the last century and the early years of the twentieth century witnessed the “revival period” in miniaturism followed somewhat later by the current resurgence of interest. Today’s practitioners of American Miniaturism reach far beyond the portrait field, embracing a wide variety of subject matter, media and techniques.

Why are Miniatures Sought after by Collectors?

On the practical side, miniature art, with its minimal space requirements and favorable cost comparisons, places original fine art within the reach of both art lovers and collectors. A series of visual themes by a favorite artist are easily displayed.

What is a Giclée or Archival Fine Art Print?

Archival Fine Art Prints and Giclée are names given to the same type of art reproduction process. Giclée, pronounced gee-clay, is a French term meaning to spray or squirt, As applied to printing, it refers to the application of pigment in continuous fine droplets. The images are generated from high resolution digital scans of original art work, and printed with archival pigment inks onto canvas, fine art, and photo-base papers. Today the giclée printing process provides better color quality and longevity than other means of reproduction. What is Pigment Ink?

Archival Ink is made of 100% pigment ink. It is the highest quality ink that can be used that offers longevity and a wide, accurate color range. Artists often will use an Archival Paper or Canvas for their pigment reproductions

What is Archival Paper?

Newspaper, for instance, will become a brittle and discolored artifact in a very short time as a result of acids which remain in the paper when it is made. Acid-free paper, by contrast, is a permanent and more stable medium. When a giclée is produced with Archival Museum quality Acid Free Paper and framed using UV Conservation glass, the collector can be confident that the art is a permanent and stable legacy for future generations to enjoy.

What is UV Conservation Glass?

Museums, Galleries and Art Collectors prefer UV Conservation Glass for it’s ability to help protect the color and quality of original art works and prints from the Sun’s harmful UV rays.

How are Gail Russell Miniatures Reproduced?

These images are reproduced by making Giclée prints on 100 % acid free, tree-free archival paper, using a Professional wide bed printer with eight colors of archival pigment inks. This method has shown to produce an image permanence against fading of over 100 years by the recognized authority, Wilhelm Imaging Research, Inc.

All the miniatures are created from original photographs, including sepia toned, black and white and/or color images. The original hand colored work is truly hand colored, not something created in a computer. The black and white or sepia toned originals are painted by the artist, with oil colors directly on the surface of the photograph.

Each image is reproduced from the original photograph, and printed and signed by the artist.