Today we’d like to introduce you to Gerardo Gonzalez-Quevedo.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I was born in Cuba and immigrated to the United States when I was 16. I always loved art and wanted to be a painter. After finishing High School I was accepted into the School of Visual Arts in New York City. While there I immersed myself in the vibrant art scene and world-famous museums.
These experiences inspired my paintings and refined my skills in color theory and visual expression. Upon completing my Bachelors of Fine Arts Degree in Painting, I returned to Miami and exhibited my artwork in several galleries and alternative art spaces. At that time I was layering imagery into my art and purchased a large format printer. I fell in love with the digital printing process and explored the potential of its technology.
I also realized the possibilities it presented for the artist to reach a wider audience with the sale of high quality, limited edition prints, also known as “Giclee” printing. All of a sudden my artist friends were willing to pay me to produce Giclee editions of their work too… and Prints Giclee Shop was born.
Has it been a smooth road?
The biggest challenge has been to train me to think as a businessman and not an artist. When I first started I was a “one-man show”, I scanned the art, created print proofs, and made all the reproductions myself. With time I added other services such as canvas stretching, mounting photos onto plexiglass sheets, and framing.
As my business grew, I had to decide to either grow or stay very small. I had to hire people to help me, train them, and trust that they would do the job with the same attention to detail and quality as I did. Since then, amazing business opportunities have presented and I would not have been able to work on these projects without help from my growing work family.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
Prints Giclee Shop is a Fine Art/Photo Lab that brings together the ideas of traditional printmaking with contemporary digital imaging technologies. Our specialties are color accuracy and the use of archival, museum quality materials. We take pride in carefully examining and color proofing all image files we receive.
We encourage our customers to come and view their proofs in person with us prior to printing. Whether you are a professional artist exhibiting at a gallery or displaying your favorite photos at home, we devote the same attention to detail and fantastic customer service – assuring an end product of the highest quality.
At Prints Giclee Shop, we can print on a wide range of surfaces including aluminum, plexiglass sheets, bamboo, textured watercolor papers, metallic papers, canvas, backlit film, and self-adhesive wallpaper. We specialize in large-scale prints and murals for businesses and homes. For example, our plexiglass prints can be as large as 60 inches by 120 inches on a single sheet.
Canvas murals can be 40 feet or larger when printed in panels for a wall. We also offer art scanning and custom framing services, making us a “One-Stop Shop” for artwork. The creative possibilities to produce art/photographs are endless.
Is our city a good place to do what you do?
Miami is a great place for art, culture, and savvy artists/interior designers. The contemporary art scene has exploded with opportunities such as Art Basel week and the Wynwood Arts District. The Coconut Grove Arts Festival and The Ramble at Fairchild Botanical Gardens are historic outdoor events that showcase more traditional photography and art.
Furthermore, Florida’s mild winter weather hosts art festival circuits throughout the entire state.
Miami’s geographic proximity to the Caribbean and Latin America countries make it a great location to produce Giclee prints for those art markets as well. My online store PrintsGicleeShop.com is often contacted by customers both local and abroad to produce and ship their printing projects. I think Miami is a great city to do business in, and would definitely recommend it to anyone getting started.
Pricing:
- Original artwork scans start at $45 and include color correction and proofing
- Giclee Prints on Fine Art papers start at $9.10 for an 8″x10″
- Canvas Wraps start at $58 for an 8″x10″ (hanging hardware included)
- Acrylic Prints start at $60.50 for an 8″x10″ (hanging hardware included)
Contact Info:
- Address: 8747 SW 134 ST – Unit 1 Miami, FL 33176
- Website: www.printsgicleeshop.com
- Phone: 305-282-9154
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/printsgicleeshop/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PrintsGicleeShop
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/printsgiclee
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/prints-giclee-shop-miami
- Other: https://plus.google.com/+Printsgicleeshop
Image Credit:
Aida Tejada
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