SERIGRAPH

Serigraphy is a stencil-based printing process in which ink is forced through a fine screen onto paper. The process begins with Dale Chihuly drawing very specific elements of the final composition on individual sheets of Mylar, a polyester film, using a grease-like ink called tusche. Placing all the Mylar sheets on top of one another reveals the final composition to be printed. The individual Mylar sheets act as a stencil, which is used to create a negative of the image on a screen that is stretched over the aluminum frame of the press. The screen is then placed on top of the paper and ink is spread evenly across it, allowing the ink to move through the open spaces of the screen onto the archival paper below. To create one single print within a four-color edition, the paper is run through the press four separate times—each time using one of four different Mylar sheets and reinking the press with a new color for each pass. Serigraphs with handwork are created by drawing with paint onto existing lithographs after they are pulled from the press.

LITHOGRAPH

Lithograph prints are created by Chihuly in different ways, including by drawing with tusche (a grease-like ink) onto stone or metal plates or by painting on sheets of Mylar. One plate is needed for each color desired in the final artwork. For example, a six-color lithograph requires six unique plates. After further preparation by the master printmaker, the plates are inked and hand-pulled through the press using archival paper, with one pass required for each plate. Thus, a six-color lithograph is run through the press six separate times. Lithographs with handwork are created by drawing with paint onto existing lithographs after they are pulled from the press.

WOODCUT

Woodcut prints are created from a composition that Chihuly has drawn onto a key woodblock. The area of the woodblock not covered by the drawing is then cut away. The relief, or raised area of the woodblock, is inked with a brayer (a small hand roller) and transferred to archival paper by passing it through the press. A five-color woodcut print is achieved by having a separate woodblock for each color applied. In addition to the artist’s marks, the grain of the wood is often picked up by the ink, creating another layer of texture.

INTAGLIO

Intaglio prints are created in many different ways, including “biting” (with acid), cutting, or incising (carving) into a metal plate to transfer Chihuly’s drawing to it, using techniques with names such as aquatint, spit bite, white ground, and sugar lift. After further preparation by the master printmaker, the plates are inked and then pulled through the press, transferring the drawing to archival paper. Often various platemaking methods are combined in one composition, creating prints that are both ambitious and complex.