Here you can find out a bit more about the methods and techniques used to produce a piece of art or craft that you may find in The Gallery.
Paintings and prints
Original:-
Originals are true paintings. They have not had prints made from them unless stated. They may be the culmination of several sketches or they may be a study for further works. You will find originals in many different media here, for instance watercolour, acrylic, gouache, oil or pastel. Mixed media just means that more than one medium has been used to create the painting. You can see an artist’s ideas and themes developing browsing through these works. Sometimes these paintings take a long time to produce and the ideas and sketches for them can take weeks or months, other times a painting can be an immediate reaction to an idea or inspiration. A painting’s price depends on all these things plus the reputation of the artist - if they are well know and collected the price of their work rises.
Print/ Reproduction:-
In general these are lithographs and they show brush marks and textures comparable with drawing and painting. These can be created by hand , or more usually nowadays with computer assistance. These can be unlimited/open edition (ie an undeclared no. of prints produced) or
Limited Edition- a print run usually of a previously declared number. Limited editions are also signed by the artist hence pushing up the value of the print. You see the number of the print and the edition number in the bottom left hand corner of the image. See Ian Scott Massie or Colin Smithson.
Giclée – A term often used to describe prints or prints on canvas made using digital files and inkjet printers. This is now the most common type of limited edition print available. They are produced using pigment based inks ( different from the usual dye based inks found in a normal printer) often on the same kind of surface the original was produced on.
Hand made prints include:-
Etching - a method of producing a print by scratching into a ‘ground’ that is put on a metal plate. The plate is then put into acid that bites into the areas that have been scratched, inked up and prints can be taken off it using the pressure of an etching press and damped paper. Etchings are then often hand coloured, this can be with the printing inks themselves or with oil paint, inks or watercolour. See Michael Atkin.
Drypoint - Drawing on the metal plate with a hard steel "pencil" that produces a burr by displacing, rather than removing metal, causing the printed line to be somewhat fuzzy thus adding a richness to the image. Because this wears during printing, editions are usually limited to 50 or fewer prints. Dry points are often incorrectly called "etchings".
Monoprint - A unique printmaking technique. The artist paints an image in printing ink on a sheet of metal, plexiglas, or other flat nonabsorbent surface and then runs it and a piece of paper through a press, or presses on the back by hand. Reverse monoprints can be made by putting the paper down on the inked surface and drawing on to the back. Only one good impression can be made.
Woodcut - Print made from an image carved into the surface of a wooden block. Blocks used for woodcuts normally are sawn parallel to the grain of the wood. A woodcut made from a block sawn across the grain - providing a hard, dense surface into which very fine lines may be cut - is often called a wood engraving.
Collagraph - a print made up from a collaged block or plate. This is then inked up and printed using a press. The block is often made up of natural materials that wear down as pressure is applied with the press therefore a small number of prints are available. See Hester Cox.
Linocut - a way of printing in which you cut into thick lino blocks, this produces a print where large flat areas of colour work well but fine detail cannot be achieved so easily. However it is sometimes combined with wood blocks to achieve detail in a print.
Most handmade prints are also limited edition.
Ceramics
Earthenware
Earthenware is a ceramic made from potash, sand, feldspar and clay. It is one of the oldest materials used in pottery. Classically, most earthenware has a red coloring, due to the use of red clays. However, this is not always the case, and for the modern potter, white and buff colored earthenware clays are commercially available. It is fired at a lower temperature than stoneware, usually under 1000°C.
Raku
The raku process involves the rapid firing and cooling of the ware, with the pots being removed red hot from the kiln. It is probably the most exciting and spectacular of all pottery techniques.
Following the first, or 'biscuit', firing the pots are glazed and placed in the raku kiln. After rapidly reaching a temperature of between 900c and 1000c the glazes have melted and the pots are removed with tongs, red hot and glowing from the kiln and usually placed in drums of woodshavings. The intense thermal shocks cause the glazes to craze and reduce, the smoke penetrates the clay body enhancing these crackles. The pots are then usually quenched in water to seal these effects. See Fiona Mazza.
Stoneware
Harder than earthenware, stoneware is fired at a kiln temperature of about 1,200–1,300°C. Stoneware is strong and can hold water, though is not completely water proof unless glazed. Working with stoneware demands great expertise, and could be considered to be becoming a lost art. Stoneware is safe to use in microwave and conventional ovens. See Mary Chapplehow.
Glass
Stained
Colored glass, also the craft of working colored glass cold into patterns and objects using lead came or copper foil with solder to hold it together, see Nouveau glass.
Fused
Glass formed by placing different pieces of glass in contact with each other, then firing them in a kiln at high temperatures to fuse them together.
Textiles
Felting
Felting is the process by which wool fiber is matted into a fabric. Wool fibers have scales and are also crimped. When these fibers are wetted and softened and then rubbed together they grab each other and are permanently bound together. This happens when you put a wool sweater in a washer and agitate it -- it comes out much smaller and also denser, because the fibers have bound together. It is a long and strenuous process making felt from wool.
Applique
This technique involves applying fabric shapes onto a background fabric. There are many different methods that can be used to achieve this. Reverse applique is also a technique that Carole Minett uses.
