Giclee Fine Art Prints Are Here | What They Are and How to Frame Them
Cardinal Flowers at Water’s Edge as an unframed giclee fine art print, shown resting on protective tissue paper after arrival.
I’ve been wanting to add fine art prints to the shop for a while, and they’re finally here.
The first collection begins with freshwater wildlife, quiet banks, blue-green water, and the kinds of small wild details I love most: turtles in shade, bass under clear water, cardinal flowers at the shoreline, and a salamander tucked near the edge of things.
The piece I’m showing here is Cardinal Flowers at Water’s Edge, printed as a giclee fine art print. It has that little moment I’m always chasing in my work: bright red blooms, reflected water, soft green shade, and a salamander so close to the bank you almost miss it at first.
So, what is a giclee print?
A giclee print is a high-quality fine art print made with archival inks on fine art paper.
That sounds a little formal, but the simple version is this: it is a more artful, lasting, color-rich print than a standard poster. The color has more depth. The paper has more presence. The surface feels more intentional.
For my work, that matters because so much of the painting lives in the small shifts: reflected light on water, mossy greens, soft violets in the shadows, a little red flower catching your eye, a salamander or turtle sitting quietly where the bank meets the water.
A good giclee print helps keep that feeling.
What arrives when you order one?
A fine art print arrives as a paper print, not framed.
It is professionally printed, carefully packaged, and ready for the frame, mat, and room you choose. I like this format because it gives you more freedom. You can keep it simple and natural, make it feel collected, or choose something more polished depending on where it will live.
When you unwrap it, I’d treat it like artwork, not a poster. Hold it by the edges if you can. Keep it clean and flat. If you’re not framing it right away, leave it in its protective packaging somewhere safe, dry, and away from direct sun.
Cardinal Flowers at Water’s Edge shown unframed at a custom framing counter, ready to be paired with a frame and mat.
What do you do after you get it?
This is the part I actually love.
You get to decide how the piece belongs in your home.
A fine art print can be framed quietly with a warm wood frame and a soft mat. It can go a little more tailored with a darker frame. It can feel airy in a bedroom, personal in an office, gentle in a bathroom, or collected in a hallway with other pieces you’ve gathered over time.
If you take it to a local frame shop, you can bring the print in and look at mat and frame samples right beside the artwork. That is usually the easiest way to see what works. The water, greens, soft golds, and red cardinal flowers will change depending on what you place around them.
For Cardinal Flowers at Water’s Edge, I especially like warm natural wood, soft cream mats, muted green, pale blue, and quiet violet tones. The print has enough color to hold attention, so the frame does not need to shout.
Cardinal Flowers at Water’s Edge shown with mat and frame samples in soft green, blue, cream, violet, wood, and dark neutral tones.
Why choose a fine art print instead of canvas?
Canvas is the better choice when you want a finished piece that arrives ready to hang.
A fine art print is the better choice when you want to frame it yourself, choose the mat, control the final size, or make the piece feel more collected and personal.
I think of the art prints as a quieter format. They have a softer presence in a room. They invite you closer. They work beautifully in places where you want color and feeling, but not necessarily a large ready-to-hang canvas.
Where fine art prints work well
Cardinal Flowers at Water’s Edge shown framed above a wood desk in a calm office with warm light, books, greenery, and soft natural textures.
These prints are especially good for:
Bedrooms that need calm color
Offices and reading corners
Lake houses and cabins
Bathrooms and powder rooms
Collected gallery walls
Gifts for people who love water, fishing, wildlife, or quiet natural places
I love them in rooms where you pass by and notice a detail differently each time. One day it’s the red flowers. Another day it’s the light on the water. Another day you finally see the salamander.
A note about framing
The prints arrive unframed, which is intentional.
That gives you the freedom to choose a frame that fits your home instead of mine. A frame can change the whole feeling of a piece: warmer, quieter, more rustic, more refined, more modern, more collected.
If you already have a favorite frame style in your home, start there. If you’re unsure, warm wood and a simple mat are almost always a beautiful place to begin.
Cardinal Flowers at Water’s Edge shown framed in a warm bathroom with soft window light, natural wood, brass details, and quiet green accents.
Fine art prints in the shop
The new giclee fine art prints are now available in the shop, beginning with the wildlife collection. They are printed on textured fine art paper with archival inks, and shipping is included on every order. If you’ve been wanting a piece of Lakehouse Portrait Co. artwork in a more frameable, flexible format, this is the collection I’d start with.
