About

What is a Giclee Print?

A Giclee print (pronounced ge-KLAY) is a fine art print made with a high-end inkjet printer. In the Giclee printing process the artwork is captured, proofed and printed digitally. These prints are reproduced using incredibly precise printers and archival inks. Giclee prints are quickly being recognized by the world’s leading galleries and museums as the finest reproductions available to date.

The word Giclee was coined by Jack Duganne in the early years of the digital printmaking business. Giclee was derived from the French word “Gicler” which means to spray or squirt a liquid. The term was developed so that artists, galleries, and dealers would not have to market their prints under the generic label of “inkjet” prints. The term Giclee is meant to be applied only to archival digital prints made with fine art paper or canvas.

THE ARTIST

A Washington, D.C. native, John Nelson, is a completely self-taught Artist and Entrepreneur. His Artistic ability is incorporated in his entrepreneurial endeavors which has made each of his conceptual business developments a work of art. Mr. Nelson has over 30 years of history creating businesses that are unique and vastly different from his competitors. His first business was John Nelson Galleries. This business was created initially in 1982 as a traveling art exhibit displaying and selling master pencil drawings of John Nelson.

The marketing efforts of Mr. Nelson and Mrs. Nelson led to his international acclaim and his own stand alone Gallery which displayed his works along with other internationally acclaimed artists. In 1992 he designed and created the concept for New Horizon Child Development Center which was an immediate hit. The business, in which he is the co-founder along with Mrs. Nelson grew from 70 to 500 enrollees in a period of 3 years. In 1995 another business called Kiddie Kuts Barber and Beauty Salon.

 

This conceptual salon was designed exclusively by Mr. Nelson. The theme for this salon was built around providing quality hair care services for children and their parents in a child friendly environment. This concept received rave reviews in major new media in the Washington, DC area, including The Washington Post and The Washington Times. His latest artistic business endeavor is The Palms Resort, which was acquired in 2007. As co-owner Mr. Nelson has used his artistic and business talents to conceptualize and develop this amazing resort hotel in Negril, Jamaica. Drawing on more than 40 years of artistic experience and a gifted talent for creative expression and composition, the resort was designed to epitomize artistic innovation and deliver an unmatched retreat for the soul. More information about the hotel can be found at: www.thepalmsnegril.com. His talents in fine arts, photography, graphic design and marketing, have landed him many projects with prestigious clients. As a fine artist, he was selected from thousands of candidates for a coveted White House showing, which was critically acclaimed. This was followed by a McDonald’s Corporation contract to provide art for a nationwide in-store promotion. His collectors rank among the notables like Bill Cosby, Cathy Hughes (WKYS), Eddie Murphy, Miles Davis and Dizzie Gillespie just to name a few. As photographer, he has earned the patronage of icons such as the Library of Congress, National Football League, Black Entertainment Television( BET), and many Government and Corporate Institutions. At the age of 44 this artist was selected from thousands of candidates for a coveted White House showing, which was critically acclaimed. This was followed by a McDonald’s Corporation contract to provide art for a nationwide in-store promotion John Nelson is poised to become one of America’s most popular and prolific artists with many years of creative productions and accomplishments to come…in an already illustrious career.

EXHIBITIONS

  • White House Executive Office Building Office of Management and Budget
  • Congressional Black Caucus
  • Howard University
  • George Mason University
  • George Washington University
  • Washington, D.C. Public Schools
  • The National Security Exchange Commission
  • The National Bar Association
  • The National Medical Association
  • NAACP National Convention
  • Walt Whitman Center for the Arts
  • MP Muller Showcase of Fine Art
  • National Black Arts Festival Atlanta, Georgia
  • The State House
  • Annapolis, Maryland
  • New York Corporate Office of AT&T
  • Master Artist Touring Association
  • NBC Cultural Series
  • NBC Cultural Arts Series Art Expo ’90

AWARDS

  • Arts & Humanities Award Presented by the National Association for Equal Opportunity in Higher Education
  • Merit Award, Miami Arts Festival
  • National Black Heritage Observance Council, Inc.
  • Congressional Achievement Award
  • Featured Artist in Western Journal of Black Studies
  • Worldwide…U.S. Information Agency Documentary
  • Prince George’s (Maryland) County Arts Panel
  • 1992 “International Artistic Achievement Award” Presented by the Los Angeles County Chapter of Links, Inc.
  • Featured Artist, Artist Showcase Featured in “Men of Courage”, Presented by Nestle Corporation
  • Awarded “key to the City” Norwalk, Connecticut
  • Arts & Humanities Award Presented by the National Association for Equal Opportunity in Higher Education
  • Merit Award, Miami Arts Festival
  • National Black Heritage Observance Council, Inc.
  • Congressional Achievement Award
  • Featured Artist in Western Journal of Black Studies
  • Worldwide…U.S. Information Agency Documentary
  • Prince George’s (Maryland) County Arts Panel
  • 1992 “International Artistic Achievement Award” Presented by the Los Angeles County Chapter of Links, Inc.
  • Featured Artist, Artist Showcase Featured in “Men of Courage”, Presented by Nestle Corporation
  • Awarded “key to the City” Norwalk, Connecticut

NOTABLE COLLECTOR

  • Bill Cosby
  • Eddie Murphy
  • Benjamin Hooks
  • Danny Glover
  • “Magic” Johnson
  • Art Monk
  • David Sanborn
  • Earl Graves
  • Roberta Flack
  • Jennifer Holiday
  • Richard Pryor
  • Tasha Campbell
  • Desmond Howard
  • Jewel Jackson McCabe
  • Pete Blalock
  • Dr. William King
  • Mr. and Mrs. Floyd Grayson
  • AT&T Corporation
  • NAACP Headquarters
  • National Speech & Hearing Assoc. Washington D.C

FRANK JOHNSON

Frank R. Johnson, Jr. is an African-American graduate of West Point. He was born in Washington, DC and grew up in Dale City, VA. While in the 8th grade, Frank met an African-American graduate of West Point, a member of the Class of 1978. His name was Dexter Adams. This was the first graduate of West Point that Frank had met, and the fact that he was African-American struck Frank in a strong way. Frank knew that attending West Point was indeed something that he could do because he saw and identified with someone that looked like him that did it too. From that point on, Frank’s activities in and out of school were undertaken with a goal of helping him gain admission to West Point.

After compiling a long list of high grades, extra-curricular activities, and recommendations, Frank received a conditional appointment to West Point. His appointment was conditional upon him receiving a congressional nomination. In October of his senior year in high school, Frank received his congressional nomination to West Point from the late Congressman Stanford Parris of Virginia. In July, 1985, Frank was admitted to West Point as a member of the Class of 1989.

Upon Frank’s graduation from West Point, he was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the US Army. Serving as an Air Defense Officer, Frank was stationed with the 5th Infantry Division in Ft. Polk, LA. While there, Frank served with units that trained the National Guard and Reserve units that were deployed to the first Gulf War. Frank’s activity duty responsibilities included Platoon Leader, Assistant Operations Officer, and Executive Officer of the Headquarters and Headquarters Battery. After serving a total of 8 years active and reserve duty, Frank left the Army to pursue a civilian career.

As a civilian, Frank has held numerous sales positions with Pfizer Pharmaceuticals, Janssen Pharmaceutica, Genzyme Biosurgery, and Sanofi. Frank has been a multiple award winner as both a salesperson and as a manager. Currently, Frank is the Cardiovascular and Specialty Care training lead for Sanofi US.

Whether in the military or as a civilian, Frank has always held the belief that people need to see people that look like them in positions of influence in order to be able to fully feel a part of an organization. Just as Frank saw someone that looked like him that motivated him to attend West Point, he saw role models that looked like him in higher positions in the Army, and he has seen them in the corporate world too. Diversity in any organization, across and vertically in the chain-of-command, has been shown to result in more engagement, productivity, and profitability among the members of the organization.

When it comes to West Point, the sad fact is that the recruitment of qualified African-American candidates is yielding admissions results that are far below those of any other ethnic group. Frank has had the idea of commissioning an artist to produce collectible artwork centered on the African-American experience at West Point. He believes that portraying the African-American component of the history of West Point, qualified African-Americans candidates will see themselves in that history and want to become a part of it in increasing numbers.

Frank is working with world-reknown, master pencil-artist John Nelson to produce high-quality, collectible artwork that will evoke deep emotion based on the African-American experience at West Point. The first series is the Heritage Collection, a series of portraits of distinguished African-American graduates of West Point.

Fine Art Papers

This fine art papers are all Archival Certified. With eye-popping color gamut coupled with critical archival certification. Perfect for art reproduction and digital fine art printing of all types.

Hahnemuhle Bamboo 290 gsm · 90% Bamboo fibre · 10% Cotton · natural white

A natural white paper with a smooth surface texture. With its premium matte inkjet coating Bamboo meets the highest industry standards regarding density, colour gamut, colour graduation and image sharpness while preserving the special touch and feel of genuine art paper. Compatible with pigmented and dye inkjet systems. Bamboo is the world’s first digital fine art inkjet paper made from bamboo fibres. Bamboo represents spirituality, naturalness and resource-saving paper production. Particularly suitable for warm-toned colour and monochrome giclee prints, Bamboo really highlights the sensuality of images. This is a perfect fit for botanical paintings created on a natural white paper. To Learn More: http://www.hahnemuehle.com/en/hahnemuehle.html

Epson Inks: UltraChrome HDR Ink