For her illuminated verses, Rabbi Me'irah uses gouache paint. Her originals, some of which are for sale, are then reproduced in a process called giclee printing. Read below to learn about gouache, giclee printing and gold embellishment.
The Medium Of Gouache Paint
Gouache is a water based paint which can be applied to be opaque or, when thinned down, can be applied so it has the transparent quality of water color. A favorite of designers and illustrators, I think of it as "tempera for grown ups."
Giclee Printing
Giclee describes a technology for creating a fine art print from a digital file by applying millions of microscopic ink droplets directly to archival water color paper (Moab Entrada Bright White, 290 GSM). This process results in sharp details, clear and vibrant colors, and a print which is durable and of archival quality.
The giclees sold on this site are signed, open edition reproductions. They are not numbered. My intention, by not limiting an image to a fixed number of prints, is to deliver the value of my giclees in the joy and inspiration that the artwork affords. If you seek a unique item, please consider ordering hand gold embellishment (see below).
The photograph to the right shows Rob Reiter, of the LightRoom in Berkeley, CA, who produces my giclee prints.
Gold Embellishment
The upper rondel & background swiirls are gold embellished.
The high quality of art paper on which the giclee prints are made allows for the "hand gold embellishment" option of these reproductions. While medieval illuminators used gold leaf, I use gold gouache paint directly painted on the print. This embellishment adds a lustre that is not present in the unembellished giclee print.
See the examples here. The upper rondel and back ground swirls have been embellished. The lower rondel has been left as printed for comparison.
Here, the first two Hebrew letters (reading right to left) have been embellished.
Embellishment work is done by hand just like painting the original. The additional price for gold embellishment will display on the sale page when you click on the options.