Appraisals: Categories of Artwork

There are five categories of Mr. Solomon’s artwork: Original Paintings, Limited Edition Archival Prints, Retouched Prints, Non-Archival Prints and Architectural Renderings.

Original Paintings
An original painting will hold its value and/or appreciate much more than a print. As of the year 2020, Mr. Solomon is no longer producing original works of art. Our current estimate would put most originals at a value of $300-$5,000 depending on size, subject, quality and year.

Original works were painted on thick, textured watercolor paper (most often Arches 300 lb.), while prints are almost always on smooth paper that is less rigid. (One exception to this rule is the “Spanish Window” prints that were printed on watercolor paper and retouched by hand.) You may need to remove a piece from the frame to determine if it’s a print or original. Originals are often painted to the edge of the paper and/or have an uneven border with only one signature.

Limited Edition Archival Prints
A select number of David Solomon’s paintings have been reproduced as full-size limited edition archival prints. Some of those pieces are shown below. They are typically around 22″ x 28″ to 24″ x 30″ (approximate sizes) with a white border. These prints typically sold for around $200-$250 unframed from 1970-2005. The retail value would be about the same today. Prints will often have two signatures.

Full-size Limited Edition Archival Prints may still be purchased through California Watercolor. These are printed on extremely high quality watercolor paper and are almost indistinguishable from originals.

In the 1970’s, a collection of Mr. Solomon’s watercolors were mass produced as smaller archival prints around 8″ x 10″. Some of these are shown below. The subjects of these prints included front porch scenes, wicker chairs, a bird bath, a mailbox, and a sewing machine. These are relatively common and may sell on eBay for around $10-$40. This series were also printed on oval ceramic plaques, and even on clocks.

Retouched Prints
“Spanish Window” (shown below) is one of the few full-size archival retouched prints that Mr. Solomon produced. Some people would consider these original paintings, but we categorize them as prints. Released in the 1990’s, each one was carefully embellished by hand. Since they were printed on watercolor paper, they look very much like original paintings.

Since 2000, Mr. Solomon has created many retouched prints. He would photo copy one of his older paintings, often at a smaller size than the original, and paint on top of it. These may retail for $20-$300 depending on the size and quality.

Non-Archival Prints
Starting in the late 1990’s, Mr. Solomon began making smaller laser prints that were 8″ x 10″ to 12″ x 18″. These prints are not considered archival and therefore are of lower quality than the ones described above. These may retail for $20-$150 depending on the size and quality.

Architectural Renderings
In addition to fine art, Mr. Solomon was commissioned to create many architectural renderings for residential and commercial architects and builders. These works are all originals and are always signed “SOLOMON”. The value of these is undetermined. Some examples are shown below.