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About the Art

 
Randy Owens is best known for his original hand printed serigraphs of contemporary racing scenes and colorful line of race wear, as well as his lively graphic designs on the Scandia Motorsports racing art cars.
Vivid colors and dynamic compositions are trademarks of this master printmaker's work, evoking all of the atmosphere and excitement of racing. Venues have included Long Beach, Monte Carlo, Miami, Tokyo and Montrèal.
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Serigraphy, also known as silkscreen printing, is one of several methods for creating fine art. In all of Randy's work, every color represents a separate stencil that is hand-cut by the artist. Each stencil is adhered to the screen, a fine silk-like mesh, which has been stretched torque-tight over a metal frame. Using a rubber and wood squeegee, ink is pulled across the top of the screen, pressing ink down through the open areas of the stencil onto the paper below. Each copy in the edition is printed with the first color and placed on a rack to dry. At this point the stencil is dissolved away to clean the screen. The entire process is then repeated for each following color. 25 to 40 screens are typically used in Owens' work. Each print is an original work of art.
To protect your investment, quality framing is recommended for all fine prints. Acid-free mats should be used. Serigraphs should not be dry mounted. Glass or acrylic will help protect the finished piece.
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What's the difference between a serigraph and a lithograph?
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Lithograph, commonly know as an offset lithograph, is made on a high speed mechanical press capable of printing 4-6 colors at a time at a rate of 5,000 per hour. The printer starts with a photograph of the original artwork and, using a computer, scans the color separations.
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The printer has the ability to take extra care and steps to increase the quality over that of a common poster. When satisfied with the printer's work, the artist may sign and number the edition and even add extra value by creating an original drawing or remarque on the margin. The edition sizes usually range from 100 to as many as 3,000.
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Serigraph, also called a silkscreen print, can be machine made, but it is commonly hand made. Stencils are crafted and attached (adhered) to a tightly stretched screen. There are many ways to make a stencil. Painting a screen with a block-out substance, like glue; or hand cutting stencils with a knife or by curling light sensitive emulsions. Ink is pressed through the screen by pulling a squeegee over the screen, through the stencil and onto the paper beneath.
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Each color is a separate step. The serigrapher can usually hand print 100 copies of one color in an hour, not including the time necessary to cut the stencil. There may be 10 to 100 colors or more on a single print. The prints are signed and numbered in the same manner that a lithograph would be, but the edition sizes are usually much smaller, with a range from 10 to 300.
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What is a Giclee?
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Giclee, a digitally printed piece of art that is created using archival inks and archival papers. Giclees are replacing offset lithographs as a medium grade art process due to their smaller batch sizes and durable inks and paper. Randy produces a number of his pieces as giclees and offers some prints as embellished giclees. Embellished giclees have hand painted accents to brighten colors and create a unique piece of art.
 
 
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