Q&A style: Duende offers up fine-art prints from coveted creators – Vancouver Sun

It’s not uncommon for Vancouver-based artist Sarah Delaney‘s collections to sell out in minutes.

The original artworks, which have garnered Delaney an ever-growing online following, are coveted by art lovers, locally and beyond, which means getting ones’ hands on one of her unique creations can be tricky.

Rachel Harrison and Jennifer Scott, the duo behind the new Vancouver-based company Duende, are looking to ease the struggle of snagging one of Delaney’s — as well as a handful of other creatives including fine artists and photographers — pieces by offering limited-edition fine art prints of varying prices and sizes.

Their aim, they say, is to, “mingle impactful art with the public, allowing the everyday collector to build their gallery based on a connection with each piece.” We caught up with Harrison and Scott to learn more.

Q. For those who aren’t familiar, what is Duende?

A. Duende is a curated online gallery founded on the belief that choosing art should be based on the connection we feel to it and the power of certain pieces to really resonate with us.

Our vision is to define a place where an entire space can be curated with meaningful art of mixed mediums, created by a variety of artists, while establishing a cohesive relationship between the pieces. By offering limited-edition collections, our customers are gaining the value and exclusivity that comes with small runs, yet working with prints allows flexibility for making art more approachable.

Q. Is there a story behind the name? 

A. Duende is a Spanish word with a wide variety of definitions; the meaning we identify with for our business is “the mysterious power of art to deeply move a person.”

Q. Who is the target customer? 

A. We were inspired to create this type of boutique-style online gallery platform from the perspective of designers, as both of us have established our careers as interior designers and stylists within Vancouver; we feel that we will see much of our traffic come from other designers, decorators, developers and commercial art buyers who face the same challenges we did of sourcing impactful, exclusive art at an approachable level. However, Duende really is for the everyday collector. For the people that have a love for art, want pieces to tell a story within their home and want to know that even a collection of mixed mediums and artists can create a cohesive, personal gallery.

Q. And how did you choose the artists to collaborate with?

A. Our initial gathering of art and artists was curated to work together as a full collection; we have such a strong passion for art, so the process of narrowing down who we wanted to collaborate with for this first season was hard. Ultimately, we identified what we wanted the vibe of this premier collection to feel like, and reached out to some of our favourite artists — both local and from around the world — to  create this current roster. We definitely have a growing group of incredible talent that we have our eye on for the next season, which will take on a tone of its own. For us, it’s all about curating what we see as relevant in the moment and how each piece interacts with the next within the entire collection … each piece within any given season has been carefully selected to work beautifully with any other piece in the same season.

Q. How often will the artist selection change?

A. Our gathering of artists and chosen works are featured for a season of six months, after which time a new season of art and artists is introduced; by rotating our offerings after each season, we are able to continuously bring fresh content and talent to our community.

Q. What’s one thing you wish more people knew about fine art prints? 

A. Working with limited-edition fine art prints is such a ‘sweet spot’ for building your own art collection. Many people aren’t in a position to jump into the realm of purchasing original works, but likewise don’t want to fall back into mass-produced art as an alternative; with limited edition prints comes the ability to purchase high-impact art that offers exclusivity and large format options, without the financial commitment of original art.

Q. What is the price for Duende pieces?

A. Duende is based on a universal pricing platform. What that means is, each piece is offered at three set sizes — determined by the aspect ratio of the original work — and every piece in our gallery at that same size is offered at the same price. Essentially, there are three set sizes and three correlating set prices for every piece.

Q. Lastly, where can people check them out?

A. To check out our incredible roster of artists and each of their full collaborative collections with us, people can visit our online gallery at duendecuration.com. We also use Instagram (@duendecuration) to share our artists pieces, alongside some of the inspirations behind the works, as well as giveaways and other behind-the-scene fun.

Aharris@postmedia.com

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