The impact of grand-format graphics has been known for millennia – ancient Chinese and Mayan muralists chronicled their beliefs and customs to future generations via detailed, immense murals. Today, inkjet-printing technologies and a burgeoning array of versatile, durable and ever-widening media have made printed graphics ubiquitous. However, although such graphics are commonplace for explicit commercial speech, more artistic, grand-format applications have sometimes been unfortunately passed over as gratuitous and unworthy of promotional-budget allocation.
Enter Richard Solomon, an artists’ representative who founded NYC-based Art on a Grand Scale (AOGS) from his Manhattan studio. Solomon contracts with painters and muralists to develop original artwork to scale for large-format installations, then brokers deals with architects, interior designers and art consultants who wish to procure such artwork. He said, “Digital technology provides us to the ability to reproduce the artwork for as many installations as our client wishes.”
Solomon works closely with his artists to develop “a signature style,” which he deems vital to promoting commercial success because it provides a sense of continuity and familiarity that appeals to clients. He continued, “It’s my vision that AOGS provide graphic solutions that vary from storytelling to abstract color renderings using a variety of techniques.”
Elk Grove, IL-based MDC Digital Wallcoverings fabricates many of AOGS’ prints. Michael Hausman, the company’s creative director and co-owner of Seattle-based Rainer Displays, said the graphics may comprise one of several material options, such as reinforced-scrim vinyl, nylon, fabric and spandex for tension-frame structures. To output the graphics, MDC uses a |2324| 3360 solvent-ink printer and QS for UV applications – the company’s machines are also configured to print via dye-sublimation. To protect outdoor prints, MDC uses Triangle Coatings’ liquid laminates. Hausman noted exterior installations require engineering and material selection to accommodate wind shear and, often, snow load.