What Does Hand Embellishing Mean?

Galleries around the world, The Art Shop included, are seeing an increased demand for embellished limited-edition canvases.

What is embellishing and why is it so popular?

(Left) Click the photo to see a detail of the hand embellishing for Richard Johnson’s work.

Embellishing Techniques
The word “embellish” as defined by Webster is “to make beautiful by ornamentation, to adorn or to add fanciful details to.”  When we’re talking about art on canvas, embellishing refers to painting over areas of the image to enhance color and/or to add brush strokes to the finished work.  Embellishing techniques are as unique as the artists themselves – some use oil paints while others use clear gesso, some have a great deal of texture while others apply a thin layer of paint.

In either case, the canvas has more texture and dimension when it is embellished and looks more like an original. And both serigraphs and giclees can be embellished.

Looks More Like An Original Painting
Since embellished canvases involve greater involvement on the part of the artist than an unembellished one, art lovers can get a step closer to an original at a fraction of the cost. Embellished editions are usually considerably smaller than the regular edition.  The late artist, Pino, for example, had 295 in his regular edition for his limited edition giclees and only 95 in his embellished edition. The more limited supply and increased demand make for a more collectible piece of art.

Artwork On This Page
Close-ups of embellished Richard Johnson giclees are show on this page. Click here to view more of his work: Richard Johnson

Contact Us
Please feel free to contact us at the gallery with any questions on hand embellished pieces.