Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, November 23, 1993 TAG: 9311230407
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: By ALMENA HUGHES STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
The system houses on a laser disc images of 26,000 pieces of art, cross-referenced and divided into 10 categories. Depending upon the viewing speed selected - anywhere from seconds- to minutes-long pauses between projections - the entire collection can be viewed within hours. Even more time can be saved if one wants to look at, say, only certain colors or styles, or works by a particular artist. For the time-strapped, this is all a very good thing.
But somehow, each new image that flashes across the monitor tends to further rouse the viewer's interest. The system enables artists from the little-known to internationally renowned to display, so it's tempting to spend more time than you'd planned scanning the screen in search of works and interpretations you've never seen before. Before you know it, the minutes have added up to those endless hours you presumably didn't have. A very bad thing.
Studios on the Square's retail manager, Claire English, credited a confluence of factors with bringing this high-tech capability to the upstairs art gallery in the downtown Roanoke City Market.
About three months ago, the studio and McFall's Framing and Art merged in order to offer at the studio professional framing to both the public and the studio's artists, as well as to make available framed print reproductions to buyers on limited budgets. At a trade show in Atlanta, former McFall's owner Barbara McFall saw the laser-system demonstrated and suggested that the studio acquire one. The studio did so about a month ago. In the process it became part of the nationwide art dealer association Art Information Inc., which carries most of the major print publishers and poster catalogs on its discs. The final factor was the recent affordability of laser-disc technology.
"Prior to that, there was no way to get an art-quality image out cheaply and in volume," McFall explained. "Slides are too unwieldy, and four-color printing is not approachable for the average person."
Basically, Art Information Inc. transfers high-resolution photographs of art works to laser discs.
"I'm real impressed with the way they put the groupings together," said English, whose background includes video production. "They've cropped them so there are no frames or anything to get in the way of the art; you just see the art itself."
"It's wonderfully retrievable, too," added McFall. "This gives clients an opportunity to sit down for 20 minutes or so and say yeah, yeah, nay, nay, and within a very short time, we can get focused on what it is they want or don't want."
Instead of flipping through catalog pages, which can be mentally and physically tiring, viewers often bring a brown-bag lunch and sit munching on a sandwich while exploring decorative-art possibilities.
"Nobody's really working at it. We're just sitting here observing and monitoring your reaction to the screen," English said.
The setup consists of a basic laser-disc player, a small monitor and a remote control, with which viewers can speed, slow, stop or reverse the action. The categories are originals, sculpture, contemporary limited editions, wildlife and realism limited editions, posters by artists, posters by subject, monotypes, photography, duck stamp prints and animation cells. Images also may be accessed by artist, subject and color or title. A viewer who is uncertain about what type of art he or she likes can watch an educational selection of samples.
Prices range from about $30 for posters to about $30,000 for some originals and one-of-a-kind works.
If buyers stand to benefit from the new technology, so, too, do local artists who, for probably less than $25 per image, can have their works included on the discs, which are distributed nationally and updated quarterly. McFall and English said that because of the way the images flip, a minimum of five are suggested.
"In terms of just the cohesiveness of the artists locally, this is one of the things that can help bring them together and certainly help broaden their base of potential buyers from coast to coast," English said. "Artists don't usually think of electronics as a cost-effective medium to help them get their images out there."
There is no charge for viewing the system. However, McFall and English said that since they often take the system out to clients, they recommend that interested people call first to confirm its availability. Studios on the Square's number is 345-4076.
by CNB