Technique & Process
This from of hand printmaking was developed by Gaugy in the late 1990s over a
several year period. His objective was to achieve brilliant color and a relief
effect similar to that of his carved paintings.
He begins by deeply carving a printing plate. This plate is positioned into a
hand built press, where it is joined with specially coated heavy printmaking
paper. Gradually, a relief impression forms. In a process requiring delicate
timing, the impressed paper is removed from the press while still wet - and then
painted by Gaugy in a "wet-on-wet" technique. Lastly, the work is
varnished, front and back, eliminating the need for protective glass. No
editions of these "textured multiples" exceed ten plus two artist's
proofs, and are frequently smaller in size. Further, as a device to avoid the
predictability (and hence boredom) of printmaking, Gaugy paints each piece of
paper in a different palette. This keeps him interested, and makes each of these
works very different throughout the edition.