Artist's Statement
Pastel painting is exciting for me because of the many different colors that can be blended into a landscape, a still life, a figurative painting, or and abstract painting. The colors can be painted onto a paper support which is sanded and therefore retains the pigment of the pastel stick and will remain bright for centuries. The painting supplies are easily transported and so it is facile to paint en plein aire as well as in the studio.
Giclee is a highly improved and fairly recent technique to reproduce original paintings. Giclee is a French term that means literally a spray or spurt of liquid ink. Images are generated from high resolution digital scans and printed with pigmented archival inks onto various substrates including fine art paper. The giclee printing process provides better color accuracy than other means of reproduction and will last for 65+ years. I have been using this technique for some of my pastel paintings to provide artwork at an affordable price.
Serigraph is a fine art term for a silk screen print. My serigraphs are all original graphic multiples, meaning that I have prepared each screen and printed each one and have had complete hands on in the creation of each print. Therefore, they are multiples of the same image and each is an original piece of artwork, signed by me and one of a numbered edition. If the edition is 100, then they are numbered 1/100 etc. until there are 100/100. Some of the graphic prints have intaglio embossing on them. This means that I have built a plate of chipboard using convex and concave surfaces to create indented shapes onto the paper. The plate is sealed with a polyurethane mixture, several times. The paper is soaked in a water table with the inked image already on it. After 20 minutes the paper is blotted and placed on top of the chipboard plate in registered alignment. Several felt blankets of different weights are placed on top and the whole is pulled through my etching press under tremendous pressure. The texture of the plate creates another dimension in the serigraph.
I have studied with many well known instructors in Saratoga Springs, Annapolis, and San Miguel de Allende and Guanajuato, Mexico. In my paintings I strive to reflect the energy, spirit, and color of the subject matter.
Audrey Grendahl Kuhn
Note: Photo by LifeTouch Church Directories