Background
Silkscreen, screenprinting and serigraphy are all words that describe the same process. It is an ancient method of printmaking originating in the Orient and was first taken seriously as an art form by the Pop artists in 1960's such as Andy Warhol. Artists have developed the process through the years, and it has become one of the most popular and important types of printmaking in contemporary art.

The Appeal

Serigraphy is incredibly versatile which is why the medium is so appealing to artists. Many serigraphs are very larg because the artist is not limited to a certain size. Also, the artist can assemble the image in many ways such as drawing or painting onto the screen with liquid screen fillers; or by cutting paper or fabric stencils and laying them over the screen surface. These different approaches to creating a stencil allow the artist to achieve a very painterly image in a limited edition. Another unique quality about screenprinting is that it can be used to print on virtually any flat surface including wood, plastic, board, glass, paper and even canvas.

The Process

The principle is extremely straightforward. Ink is pushed through the tiny holes of a screen which was traditionally made of silk; now artists normally use screens made of a fine nylon or polyester mesh. Selected areas of the screen are blocked out, either by screen fillers or paper stencils, and consequently the ink is prevented from penetrating through the mesh to the paper below. Complex images of all varying styles, from impressionism to realism, can be achieved by this simple means. A new screen must be created for every color in the design - sometimes over a hundred stencils are used. The colors are applied individually to the paper through each successive screen, building up the image through layering blocks of different colors on top of one another. Inks can be opaque or highly translucent and the color of screenprints is inevitably very strong and bright. After the edition is completed all the screens are destroyed, never to be printed again.

Artists & Screenprints

Artist

Example

"Triad"

Terragraphie
 

16" x 16"

2004

"Bateaux au Guildo"

Serigraph
Available on Paper

25 1/2 " x 30"

1994

Edition Size:
paper

"Educating the World"

Serigraph

9" x 13"

Year

Edition Size: 300

"Two Suitors"

Serigraph
Available on Paper & Clayboard

24" x 30"

1999

Edition Size:
195 paper
95 clayboard

Delacroix, Michel

"Noel de Neige sur Paris"

Serigraph

37 1/4" x 23"

2000

Edition Size:
150 paper
150 canvas

Dwyer, Charles

36 1/2" x 36 1/2"

2000

Edition Size:
150 paper
150 canvas

"Delightful Dance"

Serigraph

52" x 26"

2001

Edition Size:
100 on Paper
295 on Canvas

SOLD OUT

Jeremenko, Ted

"Safe Return"

Serigraph

20" x 25"

1999

Edition Size:
175 on Paper
100 Roman Numerals on Paper with Remark

"Off in Thought"

Serigraph

18" x 26"

Year

Edition Size:
100 on Paper
100 on Panel

Park, Sung Sam

"Venetian Colors"

Serigraph

34" x 46"

2001

Edition Size:
80 on Paper
325 on Hand-embellished on Canvas

"Black Tie Blue Coyote"

Serigraph on Paper & Canvas

13.5" x 45"

2001

"Le Petite Arche"

Serigraph

25.5" x 24"

2001

Edition Size:
200 on White paper,
150 on Black paper

"Love and the Moon"

Serigraph

24" x 29.27"

Year

Edition Size:
395 Arabic Numeral
100 Roman Numeral