CAROL
I’m Carol Bouchard, I make fine art silk screen prints. In my work simplified detail and a limited color palette invite the viewer to look deeper, discover new layers and engage imagination. I have always believed that art can be made stronger by what isn’t seen.
My art education began at the Mitchell School of Fine Arts in Baltimore, Maryland. I made my first silk screen print in high school and became enamored with the detailed process of silk screen printing. Silk screen printing is my world, I’ve been at it for the last 20 years and still love it! I live in northern Colorado and find much of my inspiration in the natural beauty of the American West.
SILK SCREEN PRINTING
An ancient form of stenciling developed in China during the Song Dynasty, 960-1279 AD, silk screen printing has withstood the test of time for hundreds of years. Originally stencils were hand-cut and affixed to silk mesh. Then, using a blade-like tool, the artist pushed ink through the finely woven threads of silk onto another surface. Today I still use the same basic tools: screens, squeegees and ink. The technique I use is the same as it was 700+ hundred years ago, an artist pushing ink through the silk screen. The craft of silk screen printing spread across the globe with the silk trade and is still a fine art in today’s world.
MY PROCESS
My art begins with a photo which I use as a template to create a simplified image with a limited color palette of no more than 7 colors, sometimes fewer. I make one screen for each color element in the art. I load the screens into the hand press, then load each screen with an ink color I’ve specifically hand-mixed for the project I’m working on. Then I align each screen/color to all the other screens/colors creating the final image. I hand silk screen print the image, one color at a time, onto canvas. I typically print 4-5 prints for each project I’m working on. Each print has slight variations which are inherent to silk screen printing making each print unique and one of a kind. In addition to my landscapes I also print bridal portraits, maternity portraits and house portraits by commission.
