There are several series of prints that are or have been available from David Lindes. Here's a list:
Initialed Series
The "initialed" series of prints by photographer David Lindes are a limited (but not numbered; more below) edition set of prints which can be identified by the following features:- Printed on either 8x10" or 8x12" (depending on the image's aspect ratio, but never any other size) Fuji Crystal Archive paper.
- Matted in either 11x14" or 12x16" (respectively) double-opening mats, almost always black with white bevels (some white on white).
- Labeled in pencil on the back of the mat in the center near the bottom with the name of the image, the name of the artist.
- Inscribed (also in pencil on the back of the mat, in the lower-right corner) with my initials (DL), done in a sort of logo, where the vertical portions of the D and the L are shared, and where the stroke of the D extends to the left, especially on the bottom half, and the L extends to the right of the curve of the D. This mark is to be considered as tantamount to a signature. It is the mark of the artist, and a sign of authenticity.
- If the matting is dissasembled, you will also find:
- White acid-free artist's tape is used to hinge the mat on the left or top edge (depending on orientation of photo -- but always the shorter side), and a loop of tape is used on the opposite side to hold the mat closed.
- The photo is held in place against the back mat using transparent acid-free photo corners
- The name of the photographer is printed on the back of the print itself, along with some other identifying marks, including a unique ID of the photograph being printed.
- The image may or may not also have been placed within a frame by the artist. If framed by the artist, it will be a black wooden frame, with metal tabs holding the mat in such that the markings described above are still visible from the back of the frame. (Framing done other than by the artist will, of course, vary -- it may still be a legitimate print from this series.)
Regarding "limited" edition in this series:
It is common in the art world to have a numbered limited-edition series, where a buyer will know that a particular item is one of a fixed number of items within the series. When I sell completely hand-made works of art, the likelyhood is high that I will adopt this methodology as well. The actual photographic prints in my "initialed" series, however, are commercially printed, and could be reproduced ad infinitum without difficulty. However, they are placed into mats by hand, and labeled by hand, and there is a significant degree of care that goes into verifying that the prints made are as expected, that the mats are up to the high standards of the artist, and that the further preparation of the matting is done with care. The ability of the artist to do this is most certainly not unlimited, and thus, while there is no specific number of prints pre-decided, it is safe to assume that the number of prints of a particular image within this series will not be very much finite. I thus feel comfortable calling it a limited edition, without the numbering. If you'd like a numbered edition, you're welcome to contact me about it -- I do expect to do numbered editions of some works. In the mean time, please know that great care has gone into the preparation of any print in this series, and that there will not be an unlimited number of them to be found.
"Dot" series
The "dot" series of photographic prints by David Lindes are similar to the Initialed series, with a few specific exceptions:
- There may not be a label indicating the photographer's name or the image name
- In place of the initials/logo, there will instead be a simple dot, roughly 1mm or 1/8" in diameter, made in pencil.
These prints and/or the mats they're in are also considered by the photographer to be somehow "flawed" (though often the flaws are very minimal). As such, they were not deemed worthy of the signature-equivalent initials, and are deemed by the artist to be of slightly lesser value.
Other Possibilities
Any other prints either pre-date the creation of these series, are authorized reproductions from imagekind, or are unauthorized reproductions. Hopefully the latter category is an empty set, but if you don't know me personally, and you have something that doesn't fall into one of the above categories, please consider that it may not be a legitimate print of a David Lindes photograph. Feel free to contact me if you'd like my assistance in verifying authenticity, and/or getting hold of a legitimate print.
Merchandize with my images upon it may also be authorized, e.g. when purchased from my CafePress store.
