In Search of Virtuosity through the Manipulation of the Textiles Screen Printing Method: A Report

Abstract

A print maker can impart their unmistakable trademark style through the dexterous manipulation of the silk screen, the squeegee and the inks available to them. Such finished products become the known style of the exponent, and could win recognition and acclaim. Styles are achieved from a cultural continuum, and whatever choices a designer or artist or print maker practices are somehow derived from what already exists. These and become an extension of the cultural resources of that society. This paper reports on Ashiedu Ogboli's interaction with the screen print method within the limitation of materials and equipment in the studio in Maiduguri, Borno State Nigeria. What can be achieved and how they are achieved are sometimes seen as departures from “mainstream” techniques or methods. The influences of the immediate environment and its realities are explored. This paper documents some designs that were executed, and how they were handled from the beginning to the end in a rather under-resourced studio in Maiduguri, Borno State, Nigeria.

Keywords: Dexterity; Serigraphy; Virtuosity; Improvisation; African Rhythm