Posted 10 years ago
wmitschke
(5 items)
Help! I purchased this cheap, but, I can't find anything on the artist. I posted the artist's name as Gatzman, but, it could just as easily be read as Gutzman, Gutzmin, Gutzminz, Gatsmann, Gatzmin or almost anything else. It's kind of like looking at the shape in clouds. If you have any information, I'd sure appreciate it. The framed artwork measures 46" x 32". Thanks!!
Whew! I finally had a breakthrough. The artist is William Gatewood, and it is a serigraph; not a lithograph.
What is a Serigraph?
Don't confuse a serigraph with a lithograph. A lithograph is a very high quality machine printed image made by using a 4 color separation process much like how the covers of any color magazine is printed. A serigraph is a silk screened image. With a serigraph the original oil painting is scanned and separated digitally into each and every color found in the original. A separate silk screen is created for each and every color that was scanned. There are usually from 80 to 130 individual colors in the majority of some serigraphs. Each silk screen is precisely placed over the serigraph paper, and then by hand squeegee, paint for a specific color is applied. This single application of one paint color must then dry for at least 24 to 48 hours before the next color paint can be applied. It can take a serographer up to 6 months to produce 1 run of as many as 500 serigraphs of the same image. Serigraphs are also produced in much smaller numbers than lithographs, and they are as costly to produce, and as close to the actual original painting as you can possibly get. There is a very noticeable difference in the high quality of a serigraph (technically original art) when compared to a lithograph (reproduction).
About William (Bob) Gatewood
The artwork of William Gatewood (1943-1994) combines the iconography of the East with a Western painting approach. Borrowing from Japanese traditions and form, gold or silver leaf is frequently used as background, overpainting with transparent and opaque layers playing random patterns against more geometric ones. References to flight, space and fragility are represented by structures or objects constructed from paper and wood such as kites, panels and screens. Born in Utah, Gatewood lived most of his life in San Francisco, purchasing an old Victorian mansion in the Page Street district wich, over the next 12 years, was transformed into an elegant residence and studio. In the tradition of Whistler and Klimt, Gatewood incorporated his art in an application of paint, inks, gold leaf, metallic foils, rice paper screens and dimensional work throughout the mansion's architectural detail, enhancing the period decoration and creating a unified artistic vision. In keeping with that vision, the house is being maintained for public access by the William R. Gatewood Trust. "My art is experiential. It is aimed at the heart. I work to create an energy field within each peice wich may be felt by the viewer who shares my vision of beauty. I attempt to release the viewer into a sence of safety and play, and I call this place "Olan." I rely upon beauty to attract the eye and release the heart." Gatewood exhibited actively in San Francisco and nationwide. His work is in the collections of Architectural Digest, Stanford University, Bank of America, Saks Fifth Avenue, Shell Oil, and many more.
I have one of these! Any idea of its value?