John Kraft has been selected for Apple's Featured Artist Program, which provides an in-depth look at a body of work by established artists. Primarily self taught, the San Francisco-based Kraft has been influenced by artists such as Keith Haring and Andy Warhol.
In 2003, he became intrigued by the process and promise of giclee print production, and he now offers signed, limited-edition prints of his work via his website. “I believe that a key aspect of the creative process is the desire to share one's work with the widest possible audience,” says Kraft. “Through the production of giclee prints and the use of the Internet, I hope to share my work with a larger audience over a wider geographical area.”
To digitize Kraft's original works of art, quadrants of the paintings are shot in natural daylight at high resolution with a 5+ Mpxl digital camera. The image is then stitched together in Photoshop to create a final image that is of high enough resolution to allow for the output of the print at 300 dpi at the full size of the original painting. Color corrections are made as needed; black may be punched up “to more accurately reflect the 'pop' and contrast of the original painting,” says Kraft.
Kraft outsources his print work to a creative partner that utilizes an Epson printer, archival inks, and fine-art papers and canvas for final output. The prints sell for $275 (16-3/4 x 20-3/4 in.) to $1250 (28-1/2 x 40 in.), framed. (John Kraft: www.johnkraft.com; Apple: www.apple.com)