Fumiko Toda’s piece “Butterfly Away” is an Artist’s Proof

This week, I’m cheating a little bit. I’ve got a slew of vocab for you, and I didn’t prepare any of it myself. The nest recently posted a great article on how to buy affordable art, and I stole this list of important terms for buyers to know from them. Enjoy!

Artist’s Proof: A numbered print added to the prints created for a limited edition; signed “AP.”

Commission: When an artist is paid to create a work directly for you.

Lithography: A printing process in which an image is photoshopped and burned onto four plates. They are inked and pressed onto paper.

Lot: An object or group offered for sale as one unit.

Print: An artist-authorized paper reproduction of an original work.

Provenance: The life history of a painting — where it has lived, what collections or museum shows it’s been in.

Reserve: The minimum price a seller is willing to accept for a piece at auction.

Serigraph: A print made by the silk-screen process — color is pressed through a fabric stencil to produce an image on paper, ceramic, wood, or fabric.