Glossary

Diptych / Triptych

Merriam-Webster defines a diptych as a picture or series of pictures (as an altarpiece) painted or carved on two hinged tablets or a work made up of two matching parts. In common art vernacular it refers to an artwork that that is presented with two or more separate but related pieces displayed side-by-side. Such pieces are typically considered a cohesive set that is not meant to be broken up (i.e., they are sold as a unit, as opposed to a series in which pieces are sold separately). Triptych is the word used specifically for three-piece artworks. Artworks with more than three pieces are usually called diptyches.

Gallery-Wrap Canvas

A canvas constructed by wrapping the fabric around the edge of the stretcher bars and stapling in back, rather than on the sides as is traditional. When Curtis uses gallery-wrap canvas, the sides are 1-1/2" deep (unless note otherwise) and the image continues around the edges of the canvas. This method of painting/displaying artwork provides a very clean and sleek presentation, eliminating the need for a frame and the clutter that it may add. This type of mounting is popular in galleries, particularly those exhibiting contemporary artworks.

Giclée

Pronouned zjee-clay, this term refers to a high-tech mechanical printing process which sprays pigment or dye-based inks on paper or canvas mounted on a spinning drum. Earlier forms of this technology did not provide the longevity required for fine art printing, but current processes promise image durability exceeding that of fine photographic prints. Giclée prints from reputable printers have a projected lifetime of over 200 years with fading, under normal conditions (conditioned space out of direct sunlight). This is compared to color photographs that are generally considered to have a 20-year life, and black-and-white photos that have a 50-year life.

Giclée reproductions are considered to be collectable fine art prints. Giclée reproductions on canvas can be over-painted by the artist, increasing the uniqueness and value of the piece even further.

Pronouned plehn-ehr. Common term for painting done on-location, typically out of doors or "in plain air." Plein air works tend to be looser and less detailed than studio pieces, as the amount of time available for their creation is limited by sun travel, weather, crowds, etc. The freshness and sense of immediacy in these pieces appeals to some people more than the calculated and sometimes overworked design of studio works.

Prismacolor is best-known in the form of wooden colored pencils. The "lead" of prismacolor pencils is not lead at all, but pure pigment pressed and bound in wax. It has been a popular medium for years, preferred by artists who enjoy the control and tactile feel (and look) of sketching rather than painting.

The biggest limitation with colored pencils in the past has been size -- since the lead is so small, it takes a great deal of time to fill a page with color. As a result, prismacolor paintings have traditionally been either very small or very expensive. The recent introduction of ArtStix by Prismacolor gives the artist a new tool: prismacolor wax lead in a woodless, pastel-size stick. This allows much faster and flowing generation of larger artworks.

Curtis loves sketching, so expect to see more of this medium from him in the future!

Serigraphy is the name commonly used for fine art prints created using the silk-screen technique, the word coming from the Greek roots of seri (silk) and graph (write or draw). The word serigraph can be used interchangeably with silkscreen or screenprint, but is often preferred by fine artists to differentiate their work from mass-produced silkscreen items like t-shirts, posters, and coffee mugs.

Fine artists create limited edition silkscreens by applying layer upon layer of pigment to the print surface by pressing it through a mesh screen containing a stencil. The process commonly uses inks for pigment and stencils made of a variety of materials. Paper and plastic cut-outs can be used as stencils, but a more "painterly" look is created by using stencil fluid which is applied like paint to the screen using a brush, stylus, or palette knife. When the liquid stencil dries, it prevents the transfer of ink through the screen at that location, creating a "negative space" on the print. The artist has to think backward from the normal process of adding pigment to a surface to remain visible (defined as an additive process). In serigraphy, the pigment is added to the print surface to cover much of the previous layers, with the stencil allowing only the desired pigments to remain untouched and visible in the final print. For this reason, serigraphy is called a reductive process.

As a screen image is printed, the layers of stencil tend to erode due to the friction caused by the squeegee used to press the ink through the screen. Thus the serigraphic process inherently can create only limited edition prints: the limited life of the stencil (typically less than 200 impressions) prevents unlimited editions. Additionally, variables in the process of hand-pulling serigraphs mean that each individual print is slightly different from each other print in the edition. Minor deviations in color registration, ink distribution, and even intentional variations injected by the artist yield individual prints that are truly "one-of-a-kind." For this reason, serigraphs are considered by collectors as legitimate, collectible fine art investments. Since the artist is producing multiple prints of the same basic image with less time and expense than required to paint the images, he or she can offer the prints for a more affordable price than hand-painted works. The art buyer benefits by being able to purchase a one-of-a-kind original art piece for a fraction of the cost of an indiviually painted work.