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November 14th, 2016  

11/14/2016

 

Screenprinting      Esther Hamra

It’s a fairly common-known fact that printing is one of the oldest forms of art. Woodblock printing was the first to develop as early as 960 A.D. during the era of the Song Dynasty. Since, printing has evolved into many forms, most memorably by way of the invention of the printing press around 1440. Screen-printing, also known as silkscreen, or serigraphy was introduced to the Western Europe from Asia late in the 18th century.  In 1907 Samuel Simon patented screen-printing in England. At first, the process was used to print interesting colors and patterns on wallpaper and fabrics and then by advertisers. 
            The process of screen-printing is still very relevant today, although artists have pushed the boundaries of the craft to keep it growing and interesting.  Visual-arts-cork.com tells us that the screen is first created by stretching a fabric (that use to be silk) over a frame of wood or aluminum.  The image is first drawn (either manually or with computer software) on a piece of paper or plastic, or captured in a photograph.  Then it is cut out to form a stencil.  The stencil is attached to the screen, then areas of the screen mesh are blocked out using a waterproof masking medium—these areas become the negative spaces of the final image. 
Here’s a detailed screen printing demo:  
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This body of work serves as evidence that traditional printing is far from obsolete, but it will continue to be used and expanded by artists looking for new ways to express themselves: in with the new, and out and with the old.  There are several notable screen printers around today, pushing the boundaries of the art, and mixing things up a bit. Screen printing artist, Chuck Sperry, is one of them.  With perfect precision, Sperry utilizes many color layers, translucent inks, and metallic inks mixed from raw powder, in his complex designs.  
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Picture
Semele, 2016
20 x 30.75
Edition of 30
7 colors on oak panel
Signed and Numbered
On his website, it is stated that for over 20 years, Chuck Sperry has explored his unique signature style of silkscreen technique that blends splendid artistry with impeccable craftsmanship. 
          I spoke with another rock print artist, AJ Masthay.  I assumed his work was also screen print, but in talking to him, I learned that he only uses letterpress.  He gave this statement, "Yeah I'm old school lol. I've always treated variants as experiments, some work out beautifully, others fail miserably, but it's the failures you tend to learn from the most. If we don't try to push the boundaries of our mediums things will always remain the same."  


Sources:
http://www.chucksperry.net/tag/ravi-zupa/

http://www.visual-arts-cork.com/printmaking/screen-printing.htm

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8e43Py3r3PA

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Anthony Mead
11/16/2016 06:16:08 am

It was really interesting to learn that screenprinting was invented in the 18th century. For some reason I was always under the impression that screenprinting was much younger than that. It kind of changes my viewpoint on the process a little bit.

Katy Johnson
11/17/2016 01:02:36 pm

I had always wondered how screen printers got their image onto the screen... now I know! But now I'm curious about how artists in the 18th century were able to transfer the picture they wanted to their screens without modern technology.

Alison Sigala
11/17/2016 04:21:33 pm

Before modern technology you could attach a stencil made out of paper or foil to the screen, and that would block the ink out. You could also paint on the screen with some medium that will seal the areas you paint over, like glue, or really thick paint... Then the places you put the medium on would be blank and the spaces in between would print. Screenprinting is fascinating to me. It's the kind of printing I most want to try.

Kylie Breitenfeldt
11/17/2016 08:41:30 pm

Screen printing is one of the first forms of printmaking that I was introduced to and I love it! The sticky blue goo to fill in the screen, and trying to get the right amount of ink through in one pass, I love it all. I have a shirt I made using screen printing, and although it's very simple text, I am very proud of it because of all the work put into making the screen. I feel like it is a very satisfying and rewarding process, because even when I made a print that I loathed, I was still somewhat proud due too the time and effort I put into it.

Nicholas Rennemann
11/18/2016 08:54:56 am

Your research project provides a great introduction to the process of screen printing, Esther. Chuck Sperry's work is simply gorgeous, the way he implements the patterns into his subjects is astounding. I will definitely take influence from him in future printmaking projects, thank you for talking about him.


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