Maiden in a Festive Costume from Southeast Bulgaria, Bulgarian Folk Costume Art Print, Limited Edition

In the southeast, toward Strandzha and the Black Sea, the costume turns dark: a black woollen dress with a narrow band of red at the hem, a red apron and a simple white kerchief. It is a severe outfit and I painted it that way, with the only warmth in the face and the hands.

Why it is a limited edition

Each print is made in an edition of 150, and I sign and number every copy in pencil under the image. The edition is small so that every copy can be made properly: the file is scanned from the painting itself, printed on museum-quality cotton paper with archival pigment inks, compared with the original in daylight and corrected until the colours match, and only then signed. When the last copy is sold, the edition closes for good.

Paper, inks and sizes

• Archival pigment inks on acid-free, museum-quality watercolor paper, so the texture of the original is kept
• Framed canvas options in a black wooden frame, ready to hang
• 15 sizes, from 8 x 10 in (20 x 26 cm) to 40 x 55 in (100 x 140 cm)
• Small sizes ship flat in rigid cardboard, large sizes rolled in a hard tube

The frame is not included unless the option says Framed Canvas. Part of my Bulgarian folklore collection, painted from old photographs, museum costumes and the villages themselves.