PURE BLUES
Featuring the Blues Brothers
Signed by Dan Aykroyd

The Story of Pure Blues

I was invited to Toronto a couple of years ago by my Eco-hero and good friend Dr. David Suzuki to attend a 20th-anniversary party for the Roots Company. It promised to be an exciting one with many celebrity guests expected to show. The evening was held at an enchanting art-deco style lakeside ballroom on the night of one of those rare blue moons that happen once every twenty years or so. It made the sky look clean black-blue and allowed the stars to twinkle with uncommon brilliance; tiny puffy clouds were dressed in silver linings and the lake was a mass of glitter like a scene from an old Bogie film, only in living color.

Inside was rockin’ with six or seven different recording artists on the agenda… quite the party! One thing I’ll never forget is when Dan Aykroyd came in and made his way through the crowd; he was a head taller than everyone around him. Every eye in the room turned on him and all the news cameras swung as if to light his path… then he disappeared.

About twenty minutes later one of the great Toronto blues bands, Big Sugar, was doing their stuff when all of a sudden “poof!”… Elwood was on stage. He took a moment to whisper a few words to the band and for the next four tunes, I felt absolutely compelled to memorize every sight and sound of his bluesy “give ’em all you got” performance. While watching Elwood sway and command the entire group on stage with a glance here, a nod there, you could see exactly why the Blues Brothers were such an electrifying act! The undeniable confidence that Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi had in the movie (and as world-class live entertainers) was very obvious and absolutely intact.

For a few fleeting moments that evening, the Blues Brothers were back… although Jake seemed to always be out of view on the opposite side of the stage from me, he was there. In those few exciting moments I was not only bitten by the blues bug but the concept of Pure Blues was driven into my subconscious as a project I was meant to do. In closing I must say thank you Elwood for the inspiration… and John… this one’s for you.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are limited edition prints?

Unlike an open edition print series that can be endlessly reproduced, in a limited edition print series, the artist restricts the total number of prints to be produced so it will maintain its collectability throughout the test of time, therefore increasing its monetary value. A limited edition print series is broken down again into three categories: press proofs, artist proofs and signed and numbered.

What types of limited edition prints are there?

Press Proofs

When an artist does a limited edition print series of an original painting, the first few prints that come off the press are called press or printer proofs. The first few samples that are printed off are put to the side as press proofs, having been ‘proofed’ by the person running the press prior to the artist’s arrival. Usually, press proofs only make up about 1% of the entire print run. 

Artist Proofs

During a print run, the artist and the person running the press will intermittently pull samples and set them aside for proofing. Traditionally, press proofs would be proofed by the press operator and artist proofs would be proofed by the artist. At Suchiu Art, artist proofs make up only about 10% of a given limited edition print series.

Signed & Numbered

The majority of a limited edition print run is designated to a series called signed and numbered. The signed and numbered limited edition print series contains the largest quantity of reproductions for that specific painting. Nonetheless, the total quantity of prints produced in a given signed and numbered limited edition print series will still be restricted in comparison to demand to maintain a sense of urgency for collectors and retain the print series overall value. 

Do you offer shipping?

Yes! Whether you are ordering a limited edition print unframed or with a frame, we can ship your order to you anywhere across North America and beyond. Each order is handled with the utmost care and packaged with protection to ensure it is received by you in the same condition that it left our gallery.