Wyland Art Terminology
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Gating/Spruing
The finished wax version of a sculpture is prepared for ceramic investment by attaching a plumbing system of wax called "gates" or "sprues." The gates and sprues form the channels through which the melted bronze will travel to the artwork. Later in the casting process, the space occupied by the gates and sprues become runways through which the metal flows and trapped gas escapes.
Giclee
A giclee print falls between a serigraph and a lithograph in both quality and economy. The French word "giclee" literally means "to sputter." The ink jet printer and its proprietary ink / ink calibration system result in virtually continuous tone prints. The combination of specially-formulated inks and a unique pre-print system produces an unquestionably high-quality print. Canvas and somerset watercolor paper are the most popular of printing surfaces for this method. Unlike the more traditional printmaking techniques which use pigments, prints are made from dyes with up to 30 times more longevity than their traditional counterparts.
Hand Signed
Occasionally an artist hand-signs multiple prints. Hand signed does not mean the act of leaving an impression of the artist's name upon the print by any mechanical process.
Hors d' Commerce
Originally this term was applied to prints in the edition which the artist, printer or publisher intended to withhold from the sale at the time the edition was produced. Today, this term may be used to identify a sub-category of a completely produced limited edition, which may be available for immediate sale.
Humidity
Humidity is the percentage of water content in the air and is an important contribution to patina development. All bronze is microscopically porous. Therefore, it takes on a certain amount of air. This air will contain the ambient humidity or water. A humidity swing is the rise and fall in humidity in a 24-hour period.
Impressionist
Impressionist painters analyzed the effects of nature with devoted intensity. They devised a spectrum palette and relied on optical mixing to capture the impression of light at a given moment.
Investment
Investment is the process of building a ceramic shell around a wax replica of an original clay sculpture by dipping the sculpture into a pancake batter-like mixture of slurry and sand. Between coats the shells are suspended in drying racks in environmentally controlled rooms. The process is repeated up to a dozen times, beginning with fine slurry and fine sand to capture surface detail and graduating to coarser coats for strength.
