Mama's Patio

A Note On Process

Within each print, there are a total of eight colors, with each color representing a distinct layer extracted from the original photograph. Each layer necessitates the use of one screen. To reproduce this image, eight screens were meticulously aligned to a central point. The surface material is silk charmeuse, which I dyed with Indigo. For the actual printing process, I used a water-based extender mixed with pure pigment.

To prepare the image for screen printing, I uploaded the photograph into Photoshop. Employing the "select tool," I manually identified clusters of pixels with similar colors, transforming them into individual areas, each assigned with a different color and subsequently printed onto a separate "transparency" sheet using an Epson ink-jet printer.

Akin to traditional film rolls utilized in manual cameras, this printed transparency functions as the "negative" used to expose the image onto a silk screen. Within the confines of a dark room, the negative is exposed to the surface of the silk screen through the aid of photosynthetic emulsion and a UV light exposure unit. Ultimately, the screen serves as the essential tool for printing the final "positive" image.