Printmaking

Printmaking
PRINTMAKING STUDIO OF THE CHICAGO ATELIER
Experiment & Tradition. We at the Chicago Atelier print images by hand using old methods and the best inks and papers available. Our workshop uses a lithographic press, and intaglio press and hand printing. Photographic facilities with darkroom and digital lab, give us the ability to create images and portraits using the most modern and ancient techniques. Our glicee shop uses the best inks available for printing of digital images. All our prints are limited edition and each print has a certificate of authenticity.

Art Printmaking Techniques

Stone lithography, aluminum plate lithography, polyester plate lithography, paper plate lithography. Intaglio: cooper, zinc, found metals. Relief: Wood, linoleum, metal, found objects; Monotypes: all materials and a few unique secret techniques of monotype creation; Gleecle: some of the experimental prints come from new technologies and we use 100% cotton papers, beautiful Japanese papers and the best archival inks.

The workshop specializes in experimental techniques and approach to lithography while maintaining tradition and quality standards. Inks: We only print using the best inks available: Graphic Chemical, Caligo, Charbonnel and some hand mixed special inks.

All prints are limited edition hand printed with strict emphasis on individuality of image. Each print is numbered signed and recorded; historical records are kept of purchaser and date of sale.

The Atelier has a lithographic press that is 120 years old; an etching press and and hand printing.

Papers of choice: The Atelier uses only the best paper available for printing. Rives BFK, Coventry Rag, Lana, Stonehedge, American Masters, Folio, Fabriano, Arches, as well as beautiful Japanese rice papers: Hosu, Kitakata, Mulberry, Unryu, Okawara.

We try to be as green as posible and use modern techniques that diminish the exposure to chemicals and their use; yet we use the best inks and pigments for our prints

Lithography

Lithography is one of the printing techniques I love the most. I studied lithography with Roger Gustafson and I always enjoyed the amazing posibilities of the stone, the tonality and texture that could be achieved with this medium. I love to experiment and as soon as I discovered paper plate lithography I fell in love with it. Aluminnum I cherish because of its limitations; yet, it allows for grat control of the washes and lines. Polyester plates is a new medium for me but I am experiemnting with it an many great works are coming out of this plates.

I work with a 120 year old stone lithography press that I inherited from Tom Palazzolo.

Enjoy our work and invest in it. To purchase Prints visit our Galleries and store: CHICAGO ART MARKET.

Intaglio

Intaglio is a printmaking technique where an image is marked, incised, scratched onto a metal plate or any other surface by various means.

Traditionally there are two main methods of achieving and intaglio image: first by submerging a prepared plate and drawing the image into a thin film called soft or hard ground; therefore expossing the lines on the metal to an acid bath where the expossed lines are etched into the metal by the acid; the second is Dry Point, here the image is scratched with a sharp instrument into the metal.

In both cases the image is made by inking the plate, removing all excess ink from the plate and then the reamining ink in the grooves caused by acid or scratching of remains; a piece of moist paper is placed on top of the plate and this is passed at high preassure trough a press where the image is tranferred to the paper.

The atelier uses Ferric Oxide as en etchtant to avoid the use of nitric acid and the toxic fumes it produces.

All the Intaglio prints coming out of the Chicago Atelier are produced using the best papers and inks, have the chop mark of the atelier, are limited edition, signed and numbered by the artist and come with a certificate of authenticity.

Visit our Gallery and Store to purchase art: Chicago Art Market.

Relief Printing: Linocut, Woodcut, Engraving

Relief Printing: One of the first printmaking techniques used in the world is the creation of a “stamp” where an image is carved out to produce an copy that can be tranferred by applying a pigment to the relief and then stamping this image on to another surface.

We at the Atelier use all the relief techniques as needed to achieve the best medium for the image produced.

The relief technique allows the atelier to concentrate on hand printing with or without the use of a press; special emphasis in printing on japanese papers is made when printing a series.

All our prints are hand crafted, limited edition, signed and numbered by the artist using the best materials to produce each individual work of art.

Please visit our Galleries to view some of the works produced at the Atelier.

To purchase a work of artst visit THE CHICAGO ART MARKET.

Experimental printmaking

The Chicago Atelier is commited to experimental techniques in printmaking. we will continue to explore new forms of expression, never limited by tradition; but always with a solid footing on the past.

Tradition and inovation

Each Print is hand crafted, Each image has a meaning, in art the only rule is expression. The poem that trigered the image reads: “This deperate awakening of doves sleping in my hands” That feeling is the what the printer senses as he pulls each print to a new dicovery each time new. The print is an idea that comes to fruition with magic materials that are rudimentary in their esence: a piece of wood found on a street in pilsen, an linolum block cajoled from the flooring shop on Avenida Sonora, a piee of metal already etched by rust and time, a millenarial stone carried from a quarry in germany; a piece of polyester that handles new prospects. It is always old and always so new; a laberinth, a sunset…It is a print.

We follow the masters nothing is new; yet to us and to them the discovery was real.

See how we print a lithograph at our Video Gallery