In the past, I’ve had photographs in the gallery printed and framed with different levels of material without providing the visitor with an easy way to distinguish between them. That has now changed. All framed photographs in the gallery are now labeled as either a Digital Edition or Gallery Edition photograph.
Before I talk about the differences, I’ll discuss what’s the same. Both editions are printed using Epson’s K3 UltraChrome pigment inks. These are archival inks that are rated as having limited fading for 100-200 years depending on the paper being used. Both editions are also mounted and framed using 100% acid-free materials. For example, I use an archival framers tape that is not only acid-free but will also release when heated. If you decide you’d like to reframe one of my photographs, the tape holding the photograph to the mat can be removed with very little residue on the back of the photograph. From an archival standpoint, the worst mounting method is to permanently bond the photograph to the backing board.
The differences between the editions include paper type, glazing material, and edition size. Digital Editions are printed on Epson UltraPremium Presentation matte paper. This is a very good acid free paper used by many photographers. The Gallery Editions are printed on heavy weight 100% rag Hahnemuhle matte paper. The Digital Editions are framed using glass glazing while the Gallery Editions use lighter weight, break-resistent acrylic glazing. The edition size for the Digital Editions vary from 50 to 200, but the Gallery Editions are limited to between 10 and 35 depending on the photograph and paper size.
Now, when you visit the gallery, you’ll understand the the labeling and the differences in price points.
Gallery News
Below is the press release for the Acadia in Fabric exhibit. If you’re in Bar Harbor, plese stop in.
For immediate release
The Mason Gallery is very pleased to announce the fabric arts exhibit entitled Acadia in Fabric featuring the art quilts of Winona Cochran. The exhibit opens on August 6th with an artist reception from 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm. One unique feature of her art quilts is a painted fabric background. Cochran will be giving fabric painting demonstrations on Tuesday, August 10th, between 10 am and 11 am. Please stop in to meet the artist.
Cochran began sewing at the age of five to stretch the clothing budget for a new Barbie. During graduate school she discovered quilting and was hooked. Over the past 25 years she has make dozens of traditional quilts but recently has been experimenting with art and pictorial quilts. “When I saw the photographs of Acadia and Bar Harbor by my friend Stan Mason, I knew I wanted to try depicting one or more in fabric,” Cochran said. This exhibit is the result.
The Mason Gallery is located at 78 West Street, Bar Harbor, between the Alone Moose Gallery and the West Street Café. For more information, contact The Mason Gallery at 207-801-4002, www.MasonGalleryBarHarbor.com.
Gallery News
We’re having a joint gallery grand opening celebration. 
If you’re in Bar Harbor on the morning of July 16th, please stop in, see the art, and meet the artists. We’d love to chat with you.
If you’re not in Bar Harbor, consider a visit. The season is in full swing now.
Gallery News
Street View
It finally happened. After a few months of patching, sanding, painting, hanging molding, installing lights, and hanging signs, the new gallery is open. It’s time to put away the construction tools and get out the photography tools and I’m ready for the change! That said, I have a great sense of accomplishment in turning a nice small restaurant into a photography gallery with the help of a couple of friends.
Before view - inside looking back
Now that the new space is finished, I can get busy printing and framing new work to fill the space.
After view - inside looking back
Another after view - inside looking back
In addition to printing and framing work for the walls, I’ll be producing two folios based on the Faces project and I’ll be working on photographs for the wooden boat building project. I’ll cover those in more detail in upcoming posts.
Another overdue project is planning for the gallery’s first visiting artist! That is happening in August and again you’ll read more about that in upcoming posts.
Gallery News
A sandbar connects Bar Island to Bar Harbor for 2 hours either side of low tide. It’s always worth the walk just to see downtown Bar Harbor from the other side of the harbor. During the spring, usually early June, there is another great reason to make the walk. Bar Island has a small meadow in the middle of the island that explodes with lupines every year. Because of the warm weather this year the lupines are early. I’ve uploaded photos made on May 28th to my online gallery of the lupines. One of these photographs is the wallpaper of the month for June.
Blog News
I’m back in Bar Harbor for a new season and at a new location. Actually, it’s the same building, but instead of being on the second floor above the Alone Moose Gallery, I’m now on the ground floor between the Alone Moose Gallery and the West Street Cafe. It’s great being along side two well-established businesses with great customer loyalty.
Since the new location is on the ground level, the old name, The Gallery Upstairs, no longer works. The new gallery is called The Mason Gallery. Here is a preview of the gallery’s new sign.
It’s been quite an experience converting a vegetarian cafe into a gallery. I’ll be posting photographs in the coming weeks showing the before and after – so stay tuned.
One final note – The Gallery Upstairs continues with a new artist, Kathy Hall. I’ll have more information about Kathy and her art in upcoming posts.
Gallery News
I don’t usually get to spend much time in Bar Harbor during the winter. I typically arrive in Bar Harbor in early May, get the gallery ready to open by the end of May or early June, and stay until the end of the season in mid-October. This year I spent most of April in Bar Harbor doing some extra work prior to the season. (More on that in another post.) Of course, while I was there I took the opportunity to make some photographs in Acadia National Park. I’ve posted some of these on my online gallery.
Blog News
