Questions about Art & Artists

Can I use these Images? for website, church, projects, etc

Is it Public Domain and/or Copyright Expired?

How do I find out who the Copyright Holder is?

Do You offer the Images in a Digital format?

How can I contact the Artist? new work, use images

Where else can I find images to use?

Which of your images are "Public Domain"?

My favorite Art was here last week.. now gone?

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Can I Use these Images?

A nice picture with link to our gallery? Choices Here! Thanks! Otherwise-

Not unless it is "Public Domain" (see #2) or you have the Copyright Holder's written permission. Do not assume that is the artist. If an individual or a company commissioned the work, then they usually own the copyright. Even if the artist does hold copyright, they often must grant "exclusive use" to publishers in return for being published and cant give you permissions if they wanted to. Even if the artist is deceased, most art's copyrights has been claimed by someone. Copyrights & Public Domain can be confusing, so always get legal advice!

I am not here to police the issue, just letting you know. A lot of folks think that as long as their intent is for personal purposes or non profit use only, that it is ok. Others think as long as they buy one copy, they can scan and do anything with it? But neither is true! I get all kinds of questions here and am certainly not a lawyer or keep up with copyright law. I only have dealer permissions to display these images. Please read the next 2 answers for more info.

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Public Domain and/or Copyright Expired?

1) images before 1926 are considered "public domain" to do with as you please in almost all cases. If you intend to use it for resale, I would definitely check with a copyright lawyer to make sure.
2) images after 1976(?) are automatically copyrighted until 50 years after the artist's death. The next statement also applies.
3) images between these dates are almost always copyrighted if they enjoyed any popularity or were distributed by a company (which is how you probably saw it originally)
4) I heard that Walt Disney recently fought and won to change the 50 year to indefinte rights for all as Mickey Mouse was becoming 50..

Again, I am NOT a copyright lawyer or know if this info given is exactly correct. Copyright laws are a mess and constantly changing. The best advice I can give you is this- If you want to do ANYTHING with an image other than owning a legally sold print, contact the copyright holders for permissions if available (see next), or get a lawyer's advice familar with copyrights if not.

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How do I find the Copyright Holder?

Look for info printed on the bottom or back of a legal print, on the internet or visit Copyright.gov for works licensed in USA. Know old records are disorganized, but they are working on a new system. Just because you can't find it doesn't mean its not there. Pay the research fee for best contact info. Note: Read the above question and answer as registering is often not required for copyrights to still be in force.

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Offer the Images in a Digital format?

No. My permissions only allow me to sell art prints. If larger size printings (or single use permissions to do so) are available, you will find a note under the image's choices with a link to email me about possibilities. Know that even when the artist holds the copyright, they often must grant "exclusive use" to publishers in return for being published and cant give you permissions if they wanted to. You could try searching the internet for "Digital Art" but surprisingly, I have found very little available.

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How can I contact Artists/New Work?

Realize that due to the internet, most popular artists are truly overwhelmed with requests and can't keep up. Most do not have personal websites or make their email addresses public. The contacts I have are for dealer use and I must respect that. Please research copyrights (above) or the internet for public contact information. If they want to be found they will have a website.

If you are looking to get a new image done, I only know of one artist that I represent who is currently taking on additional projects. Tell him I sent you! You can view his info and artwork here-

Bill Hrudka's Art

You may also want to check with a local art gallery or the art department of a nearby college for a list of local "portrait" artists in your area.

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Where else can I find images to use?

A nice picture to link to our gallery? Click Here for Choices. Thanks!

Search the internet for "church resources", "clip art", "digital art" etc. Also see our links page for many great websites full of this type of information. Watch out for sites where folks upload pics as I have seen copyrighted images wrongly shown there. Again always get legal advice, especially if your use involves sales or mass distribution.

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Which Images here are Public Domain?

Our mission is to provide quality art prints of these loved images for you and finding suppliers and new images takes all our research time. We truly do not know all the ins and outs of Public Domain rules and so don't get involved. Look on search engines for those who do. And AGAIN, always get legal advice before using any!

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Art was here.. now Gone?

Sadly, the availability of these great images comes and goes rather quickly sometimes. We try to keep these webpages as updated as possible. We have learned that if an image moves you, you better get it when you can as it may not be here later. Please see Deb's Notes here for more info.