CEANS EVENT AT DITTO EDITIONS

Susan Fader Talks about Giclée Process

CEANS's Fall Networking Event at Ditto Editions was a great success, as over 40 CEANS members and guests explored the spacious Marblehead studios and made new friends and professional contacts.

Ditto Editions, owned and operated by Nick and Susan Fader offers over 50 years of combined experience in painting, graphic design, marketing, print production and color management. Ditto Editions helps artists succeed by giving them a way to reproduce their artwork accurately and affordably.

Art & Technology
CEANS Vice President and Board Member Susan Fader took everyone on a tour of their technically sophisticated facility and explained the fine art of reproducing fine art. She demonstrated their state-of-the-art cameras and printers, which use a process called Giclee to produce copies of paintings on canvas and parchment that are so rich in detail, most found them virtually indistinguishable from the originals.

Food and Fellowship
Tasty hors d'eouvres, wine and soft drinks were served in the art-filled offices of Ditto, and following the awarding of a raffled piece of Giclee art (see separate story), a good networking time was had by all!
www.dittoeditions.com


Johanne Cassia shows her popular painting, "Hidden Harbor.

Lucky Raffle winner gets a Cassia Reproduction

" It was taken home by Raffle Winner Donna Goldstein Guest of honor at the Ditto Editions event was Johanne Cassia, a self-taught artist who paints wall murals and overmantels in homes in New England. Since her commissioned work is displayed in private homes, she now offers framed giclees of her large originals in various sizes.

A Ditto Giclee reproduction of one of her most popular paintings, "Hidden Harbor" was raffled off at the end of the evening. The lucky winner was CEANS member Donna Bartlett Goldstein, an Insurance Consultant who also serves on the CEANS Membership Comm. Congratulations, Donna!

TECHNOLOGY MARCHES ON

As everyone who has lived over the last 25-50 years, technology cannot be stopped! The "Giclée" print process, only first thought of in the early 90s, took major leaps forward just over 5 years ago with archival papers and inks and the introduction of better printers resulting in dramatically better quality prints. On this BLOG you will also see a piece about the 9800 Printers from Epson and the K3 inks that they run. But, it does not stop there...

Ditto Editions is excited about our current efforts experimenting with new printing surfaces. We are in the early stages of printing on some very unusual and unexpected surfaces which have recently become available. We are working closely with clients who are testing these sub-straights with us with thrilling results.

To learn more call Susan! 781-715-0464 or watch for future information on this blog and on www.dittoeditions.com

Salon Night Update

It is with great regret that we post the following announcement. As many of you know, Ditto Editions has experienced tremendous growth since our relocation to Atlantic Ave. in March. As a result we have made the difficult decision to end our monthly Salons.

As the growth of our compnay continues we struggle every month to clear our main studio for Salon Nights. This month was really worrisome, we are just full to the rim with new equipment including our 4th printer. We also now have a staff of 3 besides ourselves and 2 sales people. The increase in work load also has led us to face the fact that we just do not have the time available any more to arrange for speakers and properly promote the monthly Salons.

So many of you know that Salon Nights have been a real passion for Susan, and that the effort truly was one of love and devotion to artists in our community and beyond. This is so difficult, so it is best not to go one. Please know we are sad and will miss our monthly gatherings so much!

We cannot begin to thank all of you who have support and appreciated the monthly talks. Please stay in touch everyone!
Susan and Nick Fader

Marketing Thoughts

Here are some new ways to think about your marketing:

MARKETING IS A COMBINATION OF ELEMENTS that create an environment in which it is possible to meet your goals. Promotion and sales are marketing tasks.

MARKETING IS A CONVERSATION. Successful marketing must translate well to the interests of your audience. Think of it as good two-way communication, that continues to build awareness.

MARKETING FACILITATES an entree into your world. Reductive, or simplified marketing does not undersell your complex creation, it makes it more accessible to a broader audience. Share your passion and create passionate buyers through concise communication.

Shown: Example of Ditto Editions Promotion.

Another New Arrival

When we received our first 9800 last October we quickly became aware of how great this printer with the new Epson K3 Inks really was. In March we relocated and with the move came a really big growth spurt. We have added an additional 9800 making it our 4th printer! If you have not yet printed with us, or if it has been over a year, it is time to see what the new technology has added to our quickly growing business. You will be amazed.

FUND RAISING & GIFT GIVING

DITTO EDITIONS ANNOUNCES NEW HIRE
Beth Ferris of Marblehead joins Ditto Editions as Special Projects Coordinator

Marblehead- Ditto Editions, Fine Art Giclée Printmakers is pleased to announce that Beth Ferris has joined their team as Special Projects Coordinator. Ditto Editions, located at 74 Atlantic Ave., Marblehead, MA is a giclée printing company producing limited edition fine art prints using digital technology. Since 2002, Ditto Editions has worked on all types of fund raising initiatives for libraries, towns, civic and non-profit organizations.

Susan Fader, co-owner of Ditto Editions explains “We have found this work to be extremely rewarding. The success that these organizations have realized using fine art reproduction for fund raising has inspired us to bring the opportunity to more groups. To do this we have asked Beth to join us.” She brings with her over ten years of comprehensive professional experience in fund raising and event planning and has served in a volunteer capacity with numerous non-profit and civic organizations. Last year, Beth completed the Certificate in Professional Fund Raising program at Boston University, which strengthened her knowledge in this discipline.

“I look forward to cultivating relationships with clients interested in seeking diverse fund raising opportunities. My goal is to utilize my experience while guiding clients through Ditto Editions’ process to help them develop inovative projects that will address a variety fund raising needs.” states Ferris.

To learn more, visit www.dittoeditions.com.

Featured Artist, Joan van Roden White

Joan van Roden White has been a customer of Ditto Editions for many years, it has been really enjoyable working with Joan as she develops limited edition prints of her wonderful paintings.

In the past few months she has made the decision to place a lot of her time and energy into marketing her prints on canvas. That effort will also promote her original work through increased awareness.

Joan's approach has been to create collections, many of which appeal to niche markets requiring her to do some target marketing. This form of marketing can be very effective, the need to pinpoint an audience and to think of creative ways to reach that audience can ultimately lead to particularly successful selling. Joan's talents are ideal for this marketing approach, she has the ability to paint a group of pieces that tie-in to each other through subject matter, but when viewed (as a group, or individually) with her other work, or pieces from her other collections, they are still clearly done by the same artist. Keeping the style consistent across multiple subject matter is key to looking professional and focused. Joan is promoting her collections through beautifully and intelligently designed mailings, solo shows, hanging in unexpected venues and open studio events. Next she will be looking for increased exposure through painting demonstrations and media coverage.

Brushes in the air for Joan! Great art, focus, positive thinking and A PLAN will surely bring her much success and happiness.

Shown: 2 Paintings from "Costal Collection" by Joan van Roden White, www.beachstreetstudios.com

QUOTE

I hope with all my heart that there will be painting in heaven.
-Jean-Baptiste Camille Corot

CREATIVE ECONOMY OF THE NORTH SHORE

I have recently been elected by the members of the Creative Economy of the North Shore to serve as one of the organization's vice presidents. This will be my second year on the board.

I really look forward to continuing to serve on the board in my new role. The Creative Economy of the North Shore (CEANS) caught my interest more then two years ago when I was first invited to a focus group by Christine Sullivan, one of the associations founders. Since then I have learned much and enjoyed being involved in the development of the association. There is no question that creative businesses are important contributors to the economy and that their role will continue to be a factor in our nations economic future. Organizations like CEANS will pave the way for better understanding and awareness among other businesses and government agencies who need to recongize this vital business sector.

MORE ABOUT CEANS
The Creative Economy Association of the North Shore of Massachusetts is an association of creative and knowledge businesses and institutions in a region steeped in history, culture, the arts and international trade.

The Association supports economic growth in our industry cluster to grow the firms and their employment, and to promote business between creative conomy members and the broader regional, national and global economy.

Giclee PRINTS as FUND RAISERS

Over the years we have had many opportunities to work with towns and not-for-profit organizations producing prints for fund raising purposes. We have worked with The Town of Hingham to raise money for their library with giclée prints of an 1800's painting depicting the town's "Old Ship Church". Rotary Clubs have asked artists to donate a painting that we print for them to sell during their fund raising auctions. And, in 2005 and 2006 we printed for Hospice of the North Shore who, in addition to auctioning a donated painting at their annual auction, sell giclée prints of the piece before, during and after the auction. Each print is signed and numbered by the artist. It is real pleasure seeing the sums of money being raised by these organizations with giclée prints.

Our most recent project is for the town where our business is located. The town owns a cherished painting by artist Archibald Willard (1836-1918), The SPIRIT OF '76 which is housed in Abbot Hall, Marblehead, MA. The painting was created by the artist for the Centennial Celebration in 1876.

Fine art Giclée Reproductions of the famous painting depicting a Revolutionary War scene are being sold by the Town of Marblehead as part of a fund raising effort for a new monument dedicated to honor those who have lost their lives as a result of acts of terrorism. Additional proceeds from the sale of the prints will establish a new art preservation fund for the maintenance of other artwork owned by the town.

Framed prints are offered in two sizes, each size is being printed in a limited edition of 200. For information about purchasing a print contact the Selectmen's Office, Abbot Hall, 188 Washington St., Marblehead, MA 01945, or call 781-631-0000. Order forms are available on-line at www.marblehead.org.