Change the World?

"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed, citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has." - Margaret Mead

Sometime in my youth I came across one of those business posters where they take inspirational expressions and pair them with a stock nature photograph to create office art and that was the first I came across this quote.  Years later I find myself in roughly the same industry as the publishers of that poster - publishing inspirational art and wholesale picture framing.  We work in a small office and production facility tucked neatly away in American Fork, Utah.  We have a small group of committed employees who show up for work every morning at eight and leave every day around five.  Without really understanding the impact we are or are not having on the world we go about the business of designing, publishing, printing, matting, mounting, framing, packing, and shipping artwork, large and small, to destinations around the country and world.

Today I spoke with a gentleman in a remote area of Louisiana - he called in to get more information about a painting we publish by Simon Dewey - Why Weepest Thou.  It is a painting that he is familiar with and sees on a regular basis during his church service. He mentioned that he loves the picture and can't get it out of his head, so much so that he wants to have one in his home.  The painting tells the story of Mary Magdalene at the tomb as Christ appears to her to comfort her and announce His resurrection.  Its message is one of hope, faith, and testimony that there is more than just living and dying.

Within a few minutes and some back and forth conversations this gentleman had picked out the size and frame he wanted and had placed his order.  The product was one that we had in stock, by the end of the day it had been carefully packed for transit and was on its way to a nearby sorting facility.  Five days from now it will arrive on the front porch of his house and our work will be done.  We will move on to other orders and new products that we will be releasing shortly.

Change the world?  You betcha.  While the course of human events will largely stay the same from today to tomorrow morning when we wake up and go to work, I do think that our lives are better for the daily contact we have with wonderful people. I hope that the painting we shipped today will be of lasting value to this man and I hope that tomorrow I will be more mindful of the impact that small daily interactions with good people can have in mine.

http://www.altusfineart.com/home/afa/smartlist_128/why_weepest_thou.html

What is a Strata Design?

What is a Strata Design?

A Strata Design is a lithograph print, mounted on board, and sealed under a clear, scratch resistant, UV protected layer. This type of process allows us to frame the image without glass – the same way we would frame a canvas or original painting.

For some time we have wanted to create a more affordable canvas option for our customers. Even though our line of canvases are priced significantly lower than many other publishers, the costs associated with creating giclee canvases prevent us from releasing framed canvases for much less than $300.

With the growing popularity of canvases in the art and décor markets, we started out in search of a way to offer a canvas look for a lower price. After experimenting with some existing processes, none of which provided the cost savings or consistent quality we were looking for, we found a solution that would be able to provide both.

The process took a lithograph print, mounted it to a board, and sealed the print under a coating that would prevent the print from scratches and fading. Unlike other solutions that would discolor and dull the image, this process retained the original quality of the lithograph print and added a subtle finish.

After testing the process for ourselves and gearing up our production facility to be able to produce it, we were ready to launch the product line in the Spring of 2007. There was only one problem – it didn’t have a name. Even though our original intent was to provide a lower priced canvas option for our customers, this product was not a canvas – even though it looked like a canvas and follows some of the same methods as canvas transfers. We didn’t feel comfortable using canvas anywhere in the title for fear of misrepresenting the product to our customers.

After several brainstorming sessions we happened on the word Strata – meaning layers. Many will recognize the root of this word is Stratosphere. Layers was a good way to describe our new product. Starting with a hard backboard layer, we layered an adhesive for the print, the print itself, followed by the clear protective coating to finish the process.

At the same time we wanted to make sure that the framing for our new process was as new and exciting as well. We had just discovered a new line of frame mouldings that offered a classic elegant style that perfectly complemented the images we were framing and fit into a wide variety of home décor styles. To reflect this styling we named our new product the Strata Design.

The first Strata Designs started shipping in May 2007, and by the time we prepared our Fall Product Line in August, the Strata Design was already a booming success. Now, one and a half years later we look back on the success of the Strata Design with satisfaction. As worries of a weaker economy are present in many of our customer’s minds, we are pleased to offer a lower priced, high quality, framed art piece for $100.

click here to view our full Strata Design Collection