Entitled ôIn the GirlsÆ Bedroom,ö this screen print was designed and executed by Roycroft Renaissance Master Artisan Dorothy Markert in January 2005. It was produced in an edition of 100 on fawn-colored Stonehenge 100% rag paper and printed by the artist with non-toxic water base inks. The size of the print is 9 x 12 inches.
It shows a view of the newly restored girlsÆ bedroom at Craftsman Farms. The design features an informal bouquet of just-picked roses from GusÆs garden, placed in a Grueby vase and set on a round oak table original to the room. The roses are reflected in the mirror on the girlsÆ closet door. A writing desk and willow chair are also seen.
In the early 1900s, yellow roses were a symbol for ôwomenÆs rightsö. Yellow roses played a part in the ratification of the 19th Amendment in 1920. The yellow roses are repeated in the lower border, which evokes Arts and Crafts friezes and embroidery patterns of the era. The border also suggests the idea of bringing the outside indoors.
About the Artist Dorothy Markert was born and raised in Kearny, New Jersey, and attended the Traphagen Art School and the Art StudentÆs League in New York City, as well as the Newark School of Fine and Industrial Arts. She now lives in western New York State.
Her connection with Craftsman Farms goes back to her childhood, when she would visit her uncle, Merrill Harvey, who had rented a cottage on the property, then in private hands. Harvey, also an artist, created an image of the house long used on the letterhead and newsletter of The Craftsman Farms Foundation. Dorothy credits these childhood memories for the special feeling that she gets whenever she sees an Arts and Crafts site.
The Technique The screen print, also known as a silk screen or serigraph, is an image made with one or more stencils fixed on a fabric screen which permits the ink to pass through. Areas that are not to receive ink are blocked out. With brush and pen, the compositions are painted onto the printing screens with a fluid that resists the blockout which is later spread over the entire screen. Five, six or more screens may be prepared for the separate colors of each image.
The print paper is placed under the prepared screen and the ink is drawn across the entire screen with a rubber squeegee. This forces the ink onto the paper in the desired areas. For each color to be printed a separate stencil is made on a screen. The screens and the paper must line up perfectly to insure good registration. Rich, matte-finish saturated color is used to carefully hand print each stencil onto 100% rag heavy printing paper.
