Huge job, very well done

Great job guys!  I commend you all for getting it done.  I can't wait for the next one.

Any idea what the going rate would be from Otus for an original like this?

Working with Chris, Paul and Al was great.  They basically did all the work and I swooped in at the end to ship all the prints out.  Apologies to both committee members and Acaeum members that it took so long (4 months?) to completely ship these out after I received them...however, everyone got their copy with very few problems (a few squashed tubes, Bracton's print going missing for a time in the mail) so in the end it was a thumbs up.  

I know a few people were critical of the painting but frankly the more I look at it the more I like it...as Martin said, it does start to grow on you, and in person it's about 10x more vibrant, detailed and arresting than it is in photos.  There are only 65 copies, and they are ALL going to be in the hands of collectors, so if you don't have one the chances you ever will are nearly nil.  I really feel sorry for those that dropped out for any reason but financial, as this might haunt you for a long, long time.

I would like to take this time to extend the middle finger to anyone who said it wouldn't be done, but heck, I'm not that kind of person so I would never do that...  Suffice to say that once again Acaeum members show that they truly are some of the most incredible guys I know out there, both in their support for the project, and their ability to take on, coordinate and complete a project of this magnitude...something NO OTHER website or fan group has EVER managed to accomplish (Erol Otus' First Ever limited edition print!).  Think about it, you guys sent us over SIX GRAND and we didn't (despite our best instincts) head out to the Cayman Islands, Vegas, or Monte Carlo to blow the funds on booze, broads and brown boxes. Thank you guys for your support and your trust.

I am so proud to be a part of this site and the people who make it up. Some of you know the pounding I took this year from many different areas....at one point I was about this close to just dropping the entire project and having someone else ship the stuff.  But, I had unwavering support from the committee who allowed me to work out the issues I had and I'm grateful to them.  Along with the 2nd Annual NTRPG Con, getting this project done ranked with the best things that I accomplished this year, and is something I will always remember. Bringing Erol Otus, who to many of us from a certain era is the very symbol of D&D,  to OUR OWN WALLS in our own house....wow.  It is a pretty amazing feeling.

See, this is what a lot of people never understood.  It was never completely about the artwork itself.  I really appreciate the ones among you that, despite not finding the work by Otus exactly to your taste, stayed in the game and paid for it anyway. You "got" it.  It was about a sense of community, of doing something that had never been done before, knowing that it was something that only 65 of us will ever share, sort of the Ultimate Collectible among a group of the Ultimate Collectors. I'm glad I can share this with the guys I have hung out with all these years.

Thanks again, and all I can say is the next Committee Project is going to really BLOW YOU AWAY!!!!  

Mike B.

Yes, congratulations, and huge thanks for all of your work !!!

benjoshua wrote:All prints have been shipped, and this public notification is warning that the original negatives will be destroyed unless someone has a compelling reason to not do so. We are trying to get confirmation from everyone, and we believe we are down to just a one or two people.

Last chance to state any reason why the negatives should not be destroyed.

we could establish a tontine arrangement whereby the sole survivor would receive the negatives. no, too late to add something on to this project. but the next one....

mbassoc2003 wrote:Destroying the negative

1. Does the EO Committee own the right to the negative, and to reproduce images from it.

2. If that were the case, maybe it could be kept and established as a piece of community property. There may be a time in the future when the community wishes to do something with it, for example, consenting to it's use or partial use as the cover to a commissioned module adventure or some such.

I realise this is a legal minefield to navigate, and one that required open communication, discussion and a lot of trust. But there has always seemed to be sufficient maturity and honesty on the forum for me to believe 'community property' held by an individual in trust for the interests of the community to be a very workable solution.

An investment has been made, and we do not know whether or not there is a future use for the negative. We also do not know whether in the future we may wish to permit the use of the image for another community enterprise.

I for one, trust those involved to act in  the best interests of all involved, and support whatever decision is made.

I agree there are individuals of integrity within this community, and that there are some projects where artwork like this would be wonderful, but the deal all along was to use this art for limited edition art prints.   If we sway from this now, every artist who negotiates with us will wonder if we'll slightly alter the deal with them in some way later on.  It's a good thought and worthwhile question, but once this question has been out there a little longer, we need to destroy the negatives.  

Thanks for the info! And well done, again

HermitFromPluto wrote:I am probably the last one to confirm - but just got back to Australia - my print is here and it looks great. Thanks and congrats to the team!

Welcome home, merry Christmas and so glad to know you are back safe.  Also pleased that you are pleased with your print.