WHAT IS GICLEE?

As high tech computer technology has advanced, so too has fine art reproduction followed. A new process of reproducing fine art using state of the art computer technology has arrived, and this product is called a “Giclée”. Giclée is a French term meaning “spray of ink”, which describes part of the process. The word is pronounced “Gee-clay”.

The accuracy, clarity, sharpness and color vibrancy of reproductions produced by the Giclée process has astounded the art world. Fine art collectors around the globe have been quick to embrace today’s modern advances in technology and it is easy to see why. It is often very difficult to distinguish the original piece of art from a Giclée reproduction!

HOW DOES THE GLICEE PROCESS WORK?

The original painting is scanned into a high-grade computer system using an $80,000 high tech resolution digital camera. This equipment has only been available for a year or so. Rather than taking a single photograph of the original painting, the painting is scanned in tiny sections using a grid pattern, which captures minute detail. Once in the computer, size, color, and many other options are available to the computer technician to reproduce the most accurate reproduction possible. The image is then programmed into a $20,000 high tech specialty art ink-jet printer. The ink-jet reproduces the image by delivering a fine spray of ink, up to a million micro-droplets per second. Each droplet is only one quarter of the diameter of a human hair. The incredible process allows for the display of the complete color spectrum with maximum resolution of color and density. Collectors need to be aware that there are inexpensive produced works that are mistakenly called Giclees.

WHAT IS GOUACHE?

Gouache (from the Italian guazzo, "water paint, splash") is a type of paint consisting of pigment suspended in water. Gouache differs from watercolor in that the particles are larger, the ratio of pigment to water is much higher, and the presence of an inert white pigment such as chalk. This makes gouache heavier and more opaque, with greater reflective qualities.