Gango Editions Design Lab

We are very excited to be working with Patti Gay and her son Noah. Their collaborations are what make up the Two Can Art Collection. Noah has severe, non-verbal, autism. At 18 months, Patti and her husband began to notice that Noah’s language started to regress, then he began loosing other skills he had previously acquired. With an autism diagnosis, they began creating programs for intensive home therapy. Patti has always strived to fill Noah’s days with activities that help him connect to the world in both a physical and creative way; from hiking and playing outside, to matching games, reading, and of course painting. Patti spends most of her day working with Noah and an instructional aide on teaching Noah independent living skills; sweeping, laundry, shaving, reading recipes, etc. In the midst of it all, they take occasional breaks to spread butcher paper on the kitchen table and paint.

With Patti being an artist herself, having paints in the house and encouraging Noah to explore his own creativity with paints and textures was a natural therapy and something Noah has loved since he was 2. From adding textures like sand or glitter to the paints and varying the means in which Noah paints, whether it be sponges, brushes, or even his fingers, it creates a wonderful sensory activity for him. Patti has saved hundreds of Noah’s paintings over the years. A few years ago she began scanning Noah’s paintings and putting them together to create an amazing collection of images. “I hope that by exposing more people to Noah’s art, they will see that everyone has something beautiful to give the world,” says Patti. “That’s a gift that he’s given to me.” Every image from Two Can Art is created only using Noah’s painted textures. A portion of the proceeds from sale of any Two Can Art images will be donated to help raise Autism Awareness.

If you are interested in helping raise Autism Awareness, there are a number of wonderful organizations that could use your help! Below are just a few:

Parents Helping Parents
NBA Northwest Behavioral Associates
Autism Speaks
Balance 4 Kids

See the story NBC Bay Area did on Patti and Noah below:

Click Here to see all of the wonderful images we are currently offering from Two Can Art.

A Montana native, with an education in Photojournalism and a family background in portrait photography, Erin has been a freelance photographer in Portland the past 11 years. Combining her love for people and passion for photography, she creates dynamic images that strike a delicate balance between the storytelling and journalism of photography and the art of the medium.

Q: How did you get on this path to becoming a professional photographer?

A: Both of my parents are photographers and I’ve been shooting since I was old enough to pick up a camera. When I was very young, I spent a magical afternoon in my father’s darkroom watching him produce, seemingly from nothing, image after image from the chemical bath. I’ve known ever since that I, too, wanted to spend my time capturing those images.

After receiving my Bachelor of Arts in Photojournalism from the University of Montana, Missoula, I moved to Portland to start my career. For the next eight years, I worked multiple jobs to make ends meet, but giving up on a career in photography was not an option. Photography is my lifeblood and there has never been a Plan B. For the past few years, I have been doing photography full-time. I’m still in the process of figuring out what’s next, but it feels good to be able to focus on photography and nothing else.

Q: What is your biggest struggle as an artist?

A: I’ve always been extremely sensitive and passionate about my work. This has been a double-edged sword. It is what drives me and what holds me back at the same time. That has been one of my biggest struggles; to open myself up to critique and potential failure or rejection. I guess all of us struggle with that in some way, don’t we?

Q: What do you feel your artwork represents?
A: My work represents the fundamental human desire to connect and form relationships. When I’m shooting, whether it’s portrait, macro, landscape or travel photography, I feel connected to my subject. I can only hope that my photos can produce the same visceral reaction in others that I experienced when I captured the images.

Q: Where do you find inspiration?
A: Right now I’m dreaming of where to travel next. Exploring a new place is one of the most liberating and inspiring things for me. I’m dying to visit Croatia, Greece, Nepal, Tibet, Myanmar, Cuba and Iceland. The list goes on and on. In 2012, while traveling in Cambodia with my fiancé, Jake, we stumbled into a book store with the following St. Augustine quote painted in huge letters across the wall — “The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page.”

Q: What are your plans for the future?
A: My ultimate dream is to keep exploring, connecting and traveling…. and to make a living doing what I love. I couldn’t ask for anything more.”

Click Here to see Erin’s spectacular portfolio of images.

Click on the image below to virtually page through our 2014 Designer Supplement. To download your own copy click here.

Click on the image below to virtually page through our 2014 Decorative Art Supplement. To download your own copy click here.

We recently added 500 new photos to our extensive photography collection!  All of our images are available for custom printing on an array of paper, stretched canvas, and rolled canvas. Check out these new pieces and more on our custom printing page . Search by New Releases for the most current photos.

You can download our new Photography Hot List here .

Click on the image below to virtually page through our supplement. To download your own copy click here .

Mark Geistweite is one of our newer photographers. His images took off immediately with wide appeal. Mark lives in Bakersfield, California with his wife, Xiaoping, their 8 year old daughter, Kennis, and their 3 year old son Jerald. The digital age has given Mark a sharper focus on his craft. Mark produces landscape photographs that exhibit the full range of light in a scene, much like how we see the scene with our own eyes. He manages this by taking multiple exposures of the same scene and then hand blending them to insure full detail in the shadows and the highlights. This approach extends the range of light beyond what a single exposure can record, but captures the wide range of light our eyes are capable of seeing at a given moment. These images of rare transient light appear almost three dimensional, even in print. Mark attributes his success to Xiaoping and her unwavering support. Mark also gives thanks to Jackie and Jerry Geistweite (Mom and Dad) for providing him with the ability to see the world with patient eyes. Even though he is passionate about his photography, his proudest moments come from watching Kennis and Jerry grow and learn.

Q. As one of our most popular new photographers, what do you see as the central appeal to your artwork?

A. I hear my followers say things like “I feel as if I can step into the picture” or “it looks just like a painting.” Many of my photographs are of random rural scenes that look like any typical country scene. They are more than just pretty pictures. I believe my images are inviting, calling the viewer to walk into the scene and stay awhile. Many other photographers shoot remote places in the world: Iceland, Alaska, Patagonia, Tibet, etc. These are amazing and beautiful places, beautifully photographed by talented artists. I am not so fortunate as they, to shoot those remote destinations. Yet, very near where I live are lovely locations that to me are just as beautiful, especially if captured in the right light. Viewers see the locations I shoot as being accessible; they feel that these ordinary meadows and pastures are within reach. New Zealand, the Himalayas, and other remote locations, however, are not so accessible. This is what I believe separates me from many of the more well known photographers. The appeal is in the ability to walk into one of my scenes that could be from almost anywhere, in any locality, within a short drive perhaps. I guess what I am saying is that Alaska and Patagonia are incredible, yet are not so inviting, because for most folks, these scenes don’t offer a realistic escape. A simple scene out in the country, taken at dawn or dusk, does appear realistically accessible for the masses, however.

Q. How did you get on the path to becoming a professional artist?

A. I began shooting landscapes over 30 years ago. It all started as a documentation of my extended travels. My first extended outing lasted nearly six months and covered 15 states, including all of the western states. Before this, I had no interest in photography, but friends and family encouraged me to purchase a nice camera and record the places I visited. Once the first slides came back from the lab, looking almost like professional pictures, I was hooked. I continued to shoot over the years, but I found myself frustrated by the limitations of a film camera’s ability to record the scenes that I was witnessing. When graduated neutral density filters were introduced, I suddenly had a tool that enabled me to shoot scenes that were previously impossible to record. I’m referring to strong backlit scenes such as sunrises and sunsets. The biggest part of my evolution occurred when my family and I moved to California and I purchased my first digital camera. Digital photography made it possible for me to shoot often and experiment with new techniques. California, well, it is just a magical place. Unlike the east, with so much forestation, out here the scenes are wide open. There is a great vista around every corner!

Q. Sometimes art can be a passion and sometimes it can be a labor. Have you been frustrated or surprised by a particular image? Do you have a secret favorite that you simply love, no matter if anyone buys it?

A. The act of producing landscape photos is all passion for me. I can’t think of anything related to shooting nature photos as laborious, save for the undesirable task of breaking camp to return home. I couldn’t speak of any of my images that have frustrated me. If a particular image doesn’t sell, but I’m happy with it, then it neither frustrates me nor surprises me. At the same time, I have many images that I don’t consider significant, yet resonate with multiple viewers. I love photographing winter scenes, even viewing them, but I also know most people won’t buy scenes that appear cold. It’s just human nature I suppose. Green sells well, and even though it’s my favorite color, I much prefer capturing warm tones and cool tones often present at sunrise or sunset. When I do include greens, I will try to find something to set it off, such as a complementary color or an incongruous tone. I really love snow capped peaks above a verdant green meadow. Add some magenta clouds at sunset, and the contrasts are palpable. I will always love shooting snowy scenes, even if I can’t easily peddle them at an art show or in a gallery. No doubt, I have several images that I cherish, yet they will never get much adulation from the crowd.

Q. How do you keep your creativity flowing? For those of us who lack an artistic talent, can you explain how you bring your skill, inspiration, and work together?

A. I spend time looking at other artists work. I also like to play the piano as another creative outlet. When I listen to some new solo piano music, it really seems to pull me over to our piano to try something new. The same can happen when I see new landscape photography from my mentors. I think the main activity for regaining inspiration is to work on something that is outside of your element. I love shooting interesting skies, but out of habit, I generally include the sky in my landscapes. Occasionally I have to remind myself to compose the scene without the sky. When you find yourself in a rut, consider your habits as being the main culprit. It’s something like changing your route to work every day. Take a new route and you begin to notice things again. It helps break that thoughtless tunnel vision we sometimes slide into. As far as addressing those who lack artistic talent, well I just don’t believe anybody lacks artistic talent. We are all creative, but much of it comes from that naiveté that we all possessed when we were kids. For me, it’s a strong desire to explore. I love more than anything to find new locations just by trying a new country road. As far as bringing all of the elements together to realize an end product, well I really think it is a matter of time spent doing something often. The threshold often written about for success is 10,000 hours. That doesn’t mean someone will have to spend 10,000 hours in order to create something meaningful, but just that the more time put in, the more often you will achieve meaningful work. When I moved to California, I had some wonderful images, but it was a small portfolio. Since then, the last 5 years have been devoted to producing new work. Now, I have a much deeper library of compelling images. I’m not up to 10,000 hours yet, but I’m gaining on it!

Q. Do you have a favorite time of year to work on your art?

A. My favorite time to shoot is Spring and Fall, but as I mentioned earlier, I also love shooting winter scenes with lots of snow. About the only time I don’t like shooting is in the heat of summer when the skies are empty of clouds. I just don’t like shooting when there are no clouds!!

Q. What are your plans for the upcoming year?

A. My goals for the next year and beyond are to produce more motion work; film and time lapse in particular. I also plan to conduct more workshops. For the immediate future, the workshops will be local, but beyond the next few years, I want to offer workshops throughout California. I would also like to explore conducting one-on-one Skype workshops, enabling those who can’t travel to California to participate. These workshops would be devoted more towards computer processing of digital photography.

See all of Mark Geistweite’s photos available through Gango Editions .

On October 24-25, 2012, eight art publisher members of the Art Copyright Coalition met in Guangzhou, China to walk the Canton Fair and the Jinhan Fair to assess the level of copyright infringements at these shows. The group found over 30 Chinese companies with significant levels of illegal copies. Because two days was insufficient time to cover both shows, the group estimated the number of infringing companies to be much higher.

The group confronted each company found to be infringing. Infringing product included canvas wall decor, framed art, tableware, boxes, tables, pitchers, placemats, linens, screens, and other items. The nature of the infringements ranged from exact copies of entire images, to copies of components of images combined with other copied material, to slightly modified but clearly copied versions of copyrighted images. In many cases the art publishers removed infringing product from walls and shelves with the compliance of the exhibitor. For others, attempts to remove infringing items met strong resistance, and there were several cases of heated exchanges (even to the point of attracting attention from the police). The art publishers documented their findings with photos, and in some cases obtained catalogues or CD’s from the exhibitors.

The art publishers met with organizers of the Jinhan Fair and asked for assistance in combating the counterfeiters. The organizers did not accept the publishers’ digital collections (iPad, tablet, or website) as evidence of copyright ownership. The art publishers argued that the organizer’s requirements for proof are so overly burdensome as to effectively condone counterfeiting. To ”prove” copyright ownership, each piece of intellectual property would require registration certificates, rights owners’ ID cards and business licenses, powers of attorneys, attorneys’ ID cards, and relevant certifying documents, authenticated by the copyright owner’s own government and the Chinese embassy in the copyright owner’s country. The art publishers did not approach the organizers of the Canton Fair due to time constraints.

Art Copyright Coalition members intend to return as a group at least annually to the Canton Fair and the Jinhan Fair, and are discussing the possibility of attending additional trade shows in China. The group is making direct contact with the offending parties. For the most frequently copied artworks, individual art publishers are considering completing the full bureaucratic requirements in order to gain the leverage to remove product, and if possible to shut down counterfeit operations. The group is contacting their wall decor and licensing customers to report on the shows and to ask for their help in continuing to identify copyright infringers. Legitimate companies who pay for the rights to use the images stand to benefit by shutting down companies stealing the artwork for free.

The art publishers are part of the Art Copyright Coalition, an international organization dedicated to copyright protection. Member companies are small businesses, typically with 10 to 30 employees. Limited resources make it difficult for any single company to combat infringements on its own, so the companies combined forces with competitors to pursue this common interest. One participant in the Guangzhou trip described the undertaking as “David X 8 versus Goliath.” The delegation to Guangzhou was comprised of the following eight companies:

• Encore Art Group (Canadian Art Prints & Winn Devon), Canada
o Contact: Lisa Krieger-Maihara
• Gango Editions, USA
o Contact: Debi Gango
• Kunstanstalten May AG, Germany
o Contact: Monique Van den Hurk
• Felix Rosenstiel´s Widow & Son Ltd., United Kingdom
o Contact: Nick Roe
• Sun Dance Graphics, USA
o Contact: Sarah Farnsworth
• Top Art srl, Italy
o Contact: Mauro Torre
• Wild Apple Graphics, Ltd., USA
o Contact: John Chester
• World Art Group, USA
o Contact: Lonnie Lemco

The alleged infringing Chinese companies include the following:

o Big Fortune
o ChinaPack Huayuan Economic Co-op Co.
o Dalian Feng Handicraft Limited Company
o Eastern Garden House
o Fujin Arts & Crafts
o Fuzhou Fuxin Arts & Crafts Co. Ltd.
o Fuzhou Fengde Arts & Crafts
o Fuzhou Golden Rose Arts & Crafts
o Fuzhou Grand Arts Trading Co..
o Fuzhou Minguan Arts & Crafts Co., Ltd.
o Fuzhou Vmakes Home Décor Co. Ltd.
o Fuzhou Shanmin Arts Co.
o Fuzhou Sheng Bo Shen Arts & Crafts
o Fuzhou Star & Moon Home Decor Co.
o Fujian Huamin Import & Export Co.
o JHR Arts & Crafts
o Jiahua Co. Ltd.
o Liaoming Wanrong Trading Co. / Modern Decoration Gallery
o Luckyland
o Minhou Folk Arts & Crafts
o Minhou Lucky Arts Handicrafts Co. Ltd.
o Minhou Minxing
o Minhou Shenghua Handicraft Co.
o Shenzhen Free Cloud Arts & Crafts Co.
o Shenzhen Haifuxing Trading Co.
o Shenzhen Jiz___ Trade Co.
o Shinlong Home Decor
o Wadou
o Xiamen Leadstar
o Xian Ju Zhong Yuan Arts & Crafts
o Xingcheng Yiwu Kaixing Arts & Crafts
o Yunfei
o Zhejiang Neeo Home Decoration Co.

We recently had the opportunity to interview the talented photographer, Bob Stefko. Relatively new to Gango Editions, Stefko’s outstanding images are a treasured addition to our catalog.

Q. What do you see as the central appeal to your artwork?

A. Much of my work as a photographer certainly has been focused on finding the beauty in both unique and mundane places and situations. As a working editorial photographer for more than a decade I’m challenged every day to make the best of situations and bring back compelling and marketable images. I believe that I carry this philosophy into my fine art work. I simply try to bring out the best in any situation, which I believe is also what attracts others who appreciate what I do.

Q. How did you get on the path to becoming a professional artist?

A. I’ve been a professional photographer for about 13 years now. I grew up in a working class family without any big ideas of having a career in the arts. However, my father loved cameras and in retrospect, I think the photo bug hit me as early as age 7 or 8 while watching him take pictures as a hobby. I simply fell in love with photography and knew it was something I’d do one way or another. I spent about 5 years doing odd jobs after school before deciding I’d only be happy as a full time photographer. The fact that I was broke when I made that decision only made my drive to be successful stronger. I got here one day at a time, working long hours and always trying my best.

Q. Sometimes art can be a passion and sometimes it can be a labor. In what ways does this statement resonate with you?

A. I’m often surprised by new images, even now that the days of film are long gone and we can look at images on the backs of our cameras a second after pressing the shutter. It’s still exciting, surprising or sometimes disappointing to see what you have just made. I think many of my favorite images have been ones that have required the most work and planning to get right. That can mean being in the right place at the right time, going back to a location again and again or any number of time intensive elements. The other thing that is often lost on people is the amount of time one spends alone in this career, be it traveling to or from some place, sitting at a computer at all hours of the morning or night, or being freezing wet behind a camera in the field.

Q. How do you keep your creativity flowing? Do you have days when it all goes blank? How do you inspire yourself to create? For those of us who lack an artistic talent, can you explain how you bring your skill, inspiration, and work together?

A. I try to be creative with everything I do, not just photography. Certainly it’s tougher some days than others and there is a lot of disappointment in both editorial and fine art work. I try to always go back to the things that brought me into this world to start with, like my love of the simple beautiful image and the idea of being able to find things that other people can’t see. On the best days it’s the ability, after years of doing this, to somehow transcend the technical aspects of photography and really just let the creative side be in the moment. It’s great to have the ability to instinctually understand the light and the moment, and to have the correct lens on the camera for the right composition. It’s so easy to get bogged down in techniques and numbers in photography. All the time in my day to day work, I’m approached by people who see me working on either a magazine project or a personal project and want to talk about the newest camera or lens or what not. Not only do I generally not own this thing they want to talk about, but they often know more about it than I do. Sadly, what I’m asked much less about is what I’m really doing, or what I might be seeing or trying to capture.

Q. What are you working on now? What are your plans for the upcoming year?

A. As I write this I’m very busy shooting editorial work for a number of magazine clients so I don’t have time now for personal work. This last winter, however, I spent almost two months living out of my small truck traveling and camping throughout the southern and western United States. I often take extended trips during the winter months since that’s a slower time for my magazine work. I’m planning a few weeks of shooting this autumn on the Atlantic coast and then a few weeks later this year on the west coast to cover areas my archive is light on. Early next year I’ll be returning to Alaska for two weeks of shooting to capture the northern lights. With the current economy I don’t travel as much to faraway places for magazine clients as I once did. Much of my best travel is now self-financed. That being the case, I have to shoot more in North America than I would have five or ten years ago. This country has so much to offer, however, that it’s always a pleasure to shoot and work here. These days one of my new side projects is making large scale digital panoramics.

Q. Do you have a favorite time of year to work on your art? What’s your next step?

A. My favorite time to photograph is the autumn for both the color and cooler weather. My next step is to try to keep surviving in this tricky economy and to produce the best work that I can.

My job is certainly different every day; one day I’m photographing one of the biggest CEOs in the country and the next I’m photographing a garden or some small town in Middle America. No matter where I may be or what I’m photographing, I’m just glad to be doing the thing I love.

See all of Bob Stefko’s photos available through Gango Editions .