During my career as an artist, I have worked in a variety of mediums that included pencil, charcoal and oils, however, my two favorites were acrylics and pen and ink.  I loved acrylics because of its ease of control; allowing me to render the intricate detail using a dry-brush technique.  Likewise, pen and ink also afforded me the ability to create drawings of high detail using a Rapidograph pen and paintbrush with more immediate results.

Every original piece of artwork evolved from a series of thumbnail sketches, tonal drawings and reference materials, prior to the final rendering process.  Depending upon the size of the art, it was not uncommon for me to devote 400-500 hours to a particular painting.  As an artist with an advanced visual impairment, (retaining only about 8 to 10 degrees of 20/30 central vision in the 1980’s), I required no adaptive visual aides, with the exception of sufficient lighting.  Although my central vision was fairly sharp, I had no peripheral vision.  To illustrate just how constricted my visual fields were at the time; at a distance of about 3 feet, I could stare at a person’s nose and not see their eyes, mouth, or cheekbones.  This degree of tunnel vision really posed some challenges, especially when it came to producing the crucial, final rendering.  To compensate, I would often need to stand back for a more panoramic view of my drawing; rapidly scanning my eyes about the paper as I drew, to insure that all elements in the drawing were adequately proportionate.  Once I completed the final drawing, however, I could then sit down and relax, becoming totally immersed in the process of refining the drawing, transferring, then, applying the medium.  The final rendering stage was most enjoyable to me because as I completed each section, the process became more and more exciting as the painting came to life!

Over 20 years ago, I never thought about my art becoming a very different kind of “limited edition”.  However, I now realize The significance of their uniqueness.  I feel fortunate to have been blessed with enough vision during the 1980’s to create artwork that will never again be produced in such a style.  It is almost as if I am promoting the artwork of another person – the work of an artist who has long since passed on.  For many years, my inner voice has been saying to me, “Your artwork should not be laying around in storage, but rather, make them available to the public for all to see”.  Finally, I surrendered to my inner voice and thanks to internet and digital technology, it has become a reality!  I am often asked, “Have you ever thought of returning to the art world in an alternative format, such as abstract, tactile art, or sculpture?”  I answer, “This is always in the realm of possibility” – I feel inspired with the launch of this new venture!  For now, I am offering you the opportunity to own a JD Lewis Wildlife Print from a precious moment in time.  A Moment from which an artist was blessed with just enough vision to paint these timeless treasures.

WHAT IS A GICLEES ART PRINT?

A Giclees Print is any fine art painting, or photograph reproduced using a multi color inkjet printer.  unlike the lithograph, or serigraph printing methods of the past, digital technology is used to scan an image into a computer for the digital

Manipulation of color accuracy, elimination of imperfections,   resizing, etc.  The result is an image with incredible detail and color quality.  The resolution (DPI or dots per inch) is actually higher than traditional lithography (1440 dpi inkjet vs. 133 litho.).

According to third-party testing, life-span estimates of Giclee prints, printed with pigmented inks, run as long as 100 years without noticeable fading.  Generally, Giclees prints are reproduced on osprey velvet, (Hawk Mountain 100% cotton rag paper), however, larger artwork may be printed on canvas, or nearly any type of stock.

PURCHASE A PRINT - HELP FUND THE FOUNDATION FIGHTING BLINDNESS

Every time someone buys a JD Lewis wildlife print, 5% of that sale will be donated to The Foundation Fighting Blindness (FFB).  Donations to FFB will help increase the funding that drives the research, which will lead to cures and treatments for retinal degenerative diseases, such as retinitis pigmentosa, macular degeneration and the entire spectrum of retinal degenerative diseases.  Exciting advances have been realized in the areas of development of an artificial retina, gene therapy, retinal cell transplantation and pharmaceutical treatments. 
For more information about FFB and their mission, go to,   http://www.FightBlindness.org

Artist’s Simulation Of RP Vision By JD Lewis