ARCHES® 88, the ideal medium for screen-printing
ARCHES® 88 paper is an ARCHES® paper dedicated to art publishing and is well-known to screen printers.
ARCHES® 88 is a very white, 100% cotton paper, with significant absorbent qualities because it is unsized. This specific characteristic makes it possible to apply successive colours while avoiding smudging as the paper fully absorbs the ink.
The number 88, which appears in the watermark of this mould-made paper is a nod to the number of the Vosges department.
Although ideal for screen-printing, it is also suited to letterpress and engraving, as well as lithography if the paper is not soaked. It can also be used for hot foil stamping and blind embossing.
ARCHES® 88 is an essential for certain screen-printing projects
The Serio Press studio has developed an experimental and patented destructive printing method. The technique consists of “destroying” the medium upon which the work is printed, using a controlled procedure to create an interplay of textures. By repeatedly printing a layer of transparent gloss medium on soft paper without letting the ink dry, the paper is forced to absorb the liquid and starts to stick to the screen. Generally in screen-printing, the prints are left to dry after each layer is printed. With this procedure, however, up to 30 or 40 layers of gloss medium are printed one after the other. The paper absorbs the medium. Each time the squeegee enters into contact with the screen the saturated paper sticks to it and ends up tearing in parts where the medium has been applied. This creates a textured base for the inks.
This process has been used to print art works by Shepard Fairey, because it showcases the aesthetics of his starch paste posters which have adorned our streets for decades. Exposed to the weather, these posters degrade over time, resulting in prints that are weathered and torn.
“There are some photos and video of the Shepard Fairey piece we did with Arches 88 because it has a special way of peeling layers away when being over agitated with serigraphy.
By printing a bunch of times in quick succession, eventually the top layer of the paper starts to saturate with moisture and peel away from the sheet. I’ve only been able to do this with Arches 88 paper.”
Tony Clough, master printer, Serio Press
Serio Press
© Shepard Fairey – Hand-printed screen print in six colours on ARCHES 88 paper, 350 g/m²
Shepard Fairey was born in Charleston, a town in South Carolina. He graduated with a degree in illustrative arts from the Rhone Island School of Design in Providence in the state of Rhode Island. In 1989 he created the sticker “Andre the giant has a Posse”, which gave rise to the OBEY GIANT series, images which changed people’s view of art and the urban landscape. More than thirty years later, his work is now a collection of critically acclaimed pieces, including his 2008 portrait of Barack Obama, “Hope”, now visible at the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery. In 2017, the artist worked with Amplifier to create the “We The People” series, which can be seen during feminist and other demonstrations around the world promoting US and global social justice.
Fairey’s stickers, his unconventional street art, and his wall frescoes in public places are recognised the world over. His work can be found in permanent collections at the Institute of Contemporary Art in Boston, the MoMA Museum of Modern Art, the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery, the Victoria and Albert Museum, etc.
Shepard Fairey has painted more than 110 wall frescoes all around the world.
“Open Minds” is a phrase that I’ve used in several pieces of my work. It’s something I believe in really strongly. You have to be observant, analytical, and have an open mind to comb through all the misinformation and disinformation that’s out there in the world in order to be empowered to make smart decisions. I do a tremendous amount of research so that I can make the statements I make with some confidence that they’re valid. And for all the complaints people have about how they feel powerless within societal structures and political systems, I think that the antidote to that is having your eyes and your minds open and being proactive, voting, and spending your money in ways that are political. Proceeding through life with purpose and awareness. In this image, the portrait is segmented by a dramatic rip and the color shifts between sections of the print along the ripped edge. This symbolizes the current fractured state of media and interpretations of what’s going on in the world as well as serving as an urge to peel back the layers of everything we’re confronted with.” – Shepard
