Fraudulent Signed Reproductions Decorative Reproduction Prints
Original Digital Art vs. Reproduction Giclée Prints? How to Identify Fake Giclée Prints: Industry Context: Other Sources:
My Limited Edition works of art are **not reproductions**. They begin as **original digital paintings**, conceived and executed directly on the computer specifically for production as Limited Editions of no more than 75 Fine Art Giclée prints. They are original works created in a digital medium, and the only way to experience them as physical works of art hanging on your wall is after they have been printed as their intended Limited Editions.
This is fundamentally different from a giclée reproduction of an existing painting or other original artwork. A reproduction begins with an artwork that already exists in a physical form—such as an oil painting—which is then photographed or scanned, converted into a digital file, and reproduced as a high-quality inkjet print. The original artwork can be viewed and appreciated without producing the reproduction.
The distinction becomes particularly important when such reproductions are marketed as supposedly rare, hand-signed and numbered Limited Editions. A photograph or digital capture of an existing original artwork does not become an original work simply because it is printed on fine art paper, hand-numbered, hand-signed, or described as a "Limited Edition." Nor does adding simulated texture or other embellishments transform a reproduction into the original work from which it was derived.
The term **"ORIGINAL REPRODUCTION"** is therefore an oxymoron: a reproduction, by definition, reproduces something that already exists. Calling it an "original reproduction" attempts to blur that fundamental distinction.
Likewise, the phrase **"FINE ART REPRODUCTION"** can be misleading when it is used to suggest that a reproduction itself is an original work of fine art. Fine art encompasses original paintings, drawings, sculptures, genuine Limited Edition prints, and—today—original digital paintings created specifically to exist as Limited Editions.
Curtis’s digital paintings belong to that latter category. They are **original works of digital fine art created specifically for Limited Edition production**, rather than photographic or scanned reproductions of pre-existing physical artworks. Each edition is deliberately limited to no more than 75 prints. Once the 75th print is signed, numbered, titled with Curtis’s unique seal printed on the lower part of the 1 inch border all around, the exclusive .tif file used for printing is destroyed and securely deleted into cyberspace.
Curtis’s digital creations are classified as paintings due to their exceptional individual craftsmanship and artistic complexity. Hand-drawn-painted using a computer mouse, each piece features a rich spectrum of colors, intricate linear and textural effects, sublime form and subtle blending techniques that elevate them far beyond standard flat fine art prints. Masterfully commanding a mouse—a tool arguably more challenging than a traditional brush or pencil—Curtis combines innovative late-20th-early-21st-century Giclée painting and printing techniques with high technical expertise to push the boundaries of fine art.
The problem with fraudulent or misleading Limited Edition practices is not the quality of the giclée process itself. Giclée printing can produce exceptionally detailed and visually convincing prints. The problem arises when a reproduction is represented as something it is not—particularly when hand-numbering, signatures, simulated texture, or other techniques are used to create an impression of rarity or originality that the underlying artwork does not possess. Reproductions are often produced in runs of 1,000 or more, and in some cases hundreds of thousands or even millions, depending on the market and printing method.
A high-quality reproduction may be an excellent print, but **quality does not make a reproduction an original, and a signature or edition number does not change what the artwork fundamentally is.** The distinction between an original work created for a Limited Edition and a reproduction of an existing original should remain clear to collectors and buyers.
Key Fraudulent Tactics and Red Flags:
Giclée prints are legitimate reproductions if clearly labeled as such, but they rarely hold significant investment value unless they are indeed legitiment limited edition Giclée Prints of Original Digital Paintings created to be printed in limited editions. Many, however, are sold as investment pieces in shady, high-pressure environments, such as cruises or on online marketplaces like eBay. The market is particularly prone to scams targeting high-profile artists like Picasso, Dalí, and Chagall.
My works of art are NOT reproductions but begin as Original Digital Paintings conceived and executed directly on the computer specifically to be printed as Limited-Edition Fine Art Giclée Printed Paintings. The fraud surrounding hand-signed, so-called limited edition reproduced giclée prints is infuriating. They are not works of art; they are simply pictures of paintings. I use all the artistic resources I have accumulated over the past 50 years to compose and execute every one of my digital paintings. Computer generated art is only as good as an artist's skill and knowledge of aesthetics, color theory, composition, life experiences and literary background. The computer is merely a tool just like a brush or a pencil albeit an incredibly sophisticated tool. To guarantee exclusivity, the high-resolution source files (specifically the .tif files) I use for printing are permanently deleted once the 75th painting in a series is printed while some of these charlatans go on printing hundreds or even thousands of so-called limited editions and keep right on signing them. To hide the flat, microscopic dot-matrix nature of a print, scammers may apply a gel coating or, in some cases, hand-paint over the print to simulate brushstrokes, selling them as "original paintings". The kind of texture I use in my painting technique is visual texture (or implied texture). It is the illusion of 3D surface quality on a 2D plane, created through artistic techniques like shading, color variation, and pattern, rather than physical touch. It adds depth, realism, and emotional connection to my paintings allowing me to simulate textures of an abstract nature and I make no bones about it! I'm up front about all my techniques and I make certain my patrons are fully aware of exactly what they are buying. This is a subject that has been simmering in my subconscious. One more thing that irks me no end are people who insist that computer paintings are invalid and not paintings at all. My digital paintings require a 50 year background of artistic study and hands on execution of paintings in every medium including oils, pastels, gouache, watercolors, acrylics, stained-glass and computer art.
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1.717.797.9337
Send Color Samples to:
Curtis R Doll Jr
127 John Street
Hanover, Pennsylvania
17331.3350
USA