What is Giclee printing?
Giclee (“je-clay” or “zhee_Klay”) printing has become the standard term used to describe archival fine art reproduction prints. The term “giclee print” connotes an elevation in printmaking technology. Images are generated from high resolution digital scans and printed with archival quality inks onto various surfaces such as fine art paper, canvas, and photo-base paper. The giclee printing process provides better color accuracy and detail than other means of reproduction. It is a relatively new method of printing that is quickly gaining in popularity over traditional methods of printing such as lithographs or serigraphs. It is archival, long lasting (120 years) ink-jet prints. The quality of the giclee print rivals traditional silver-halide and gelatin printing processes and is commonly found in museums, art galleries, and photographic galleries. Numerous examples of giclee prints can be found in New York City at the Metropolitan Museum, the Museum of Modern Art, and the Chelsea Galleries.
What is Silk-screen printing?
Silk-screening or Serigraph is a printing method used by artists and professional printers. The process is closely related to ordinary stenciling. To make a silk screen, the artist builds a wooden frame that is a little larger than the prints that will be made. A piece of fine silk is stretched tightly over the frame and nailed to the sides. For a long time silk was the only fabric with a weave small enough for the process. But today screens made of nylon, cotton, or steel wire are also used. The covered frame is hinged to a base or table, silk side down. The screen is then ready to be used over and over again. The prints are made by forcing ink through a tightly stretched silk screen. Parts of the screen—the areas that will not be printed—are coated with a sealer, such as shellac, to prevent ink from passing through. The screen therefore acts as a stencil. In making silk-screens of many colors, printers need a stencil for each color. Some of Anne Bradham’s prints used over 30 screens to accommodate the many colors in the pictures. Screen printing was first developed about 1900 and used in advertising. Eventually it was popularized by American Pop artists like Roy Lichtenstein, Robert Rauschenberg, and Andy Warhol, as well as other contemporary art movements. These artists chose the medium of screen printing because it allowed them to maintain bold, bright colors when reproducing their works. Boldly colorful and novel, screen printing has become one of the basic techniques of postmodernist art.
What is digital printing?
Fine art digital inkjet printing is printing from a computer image file directly to an inkjet printer as a final output. It is similar to Geclee printing exept it is usually printed on lesser quality papers or fabrics with fewer colors.
Why I paint watercolors?
I love art and I love to paint watercolors! I grew up outside Washington, DC in a house full of art from floor to ceiling. My dad was an art dealer, so I was exposed to art at an early age. I have traveled around the world with my dad, studying art . I first fell in love with watercolors in high school. I love the colors, the transparency, the immediacy, the fluidity and the challenge of it. My favorite time period in art is the Impressionists and I think it shows in my color pallet. I took art classes at the Corcoran School of Art and the American Portrait Gallery in Washington, DC. I went on to receive a BFA degree from Brigham Young University.
I am the mother of 6 boys and while raising them, I tried to squeeze in time to paint as well as teach art lessons from ages 5- adult. At times it was hard but my family has always been supportive. Now that I have sent my last 2 (twins) off to college, I am concentrating on painting full time. At the moment, I am focusing on painting LDS (Mormon) temple pictures because so many of my friends have commented that they can’t find a nice picture of the temple they could hang in their home. I have found this to be a very spiritual experience traveling around, photographing, and then painting the temples. I have expanded to Giclee prints because they are more affordable to own. I want people to have a nice picture of the temple in their home to look at, remember, and enjoy. If I have not painted a picture of the temple that you would like to hang in your home, then drop me a line and let me know which one you want.