The Original Multiple: Not a Contradiction

This is the big one, the idea that often blows people's minds. A screen print isn't a copy of something else. It's not a photograph of a painting. The print is the original artwork. The process itself is the medium.

Think of it like this: a giclée print, even a very high-quality one, is essentially a sophisticated inkjet reproduction of a digital file or a pre-existing piece. The goal is to replicate something perfectly. With screen printing, the artwork is conceived and built layer-by-layer, colour-by-colour, directly onto the paper through the mesh of a screen. Each pull of the squeegee is a direct, physical act of creation. That's why we call them "original multiples"—each one is an original piece, created as part of a deliberately limited set.

Where Digital Can't Compete: The Hand of the Artist

Look closely at a proper screen print. I mean, really get your eyes on it. You'll see things a digital printer can never achieve. You'll see the texture of the ink sitting proudly on the surface of the paper, not absorbed into it. You'll notice the subtle interaction where two colours overlap, creating a third, vibrant hue that was mixed by light and pigment, not by a computer algorithm.

There's also an element of humanity in it. An inkjet printer spits out thousands of identical copies. A screen printer, on the other hand, is in a constant dialogue with the materials. The pressure of the squeegee, the viscosity of the ink, the humidity in the room—it all has an effect. This leads to tiny, almost imperceptible variations across an edition. It's not a flaw; it's the soul of the thing. It’s proof that a human being, not a machine, made it. That’s the magic.

A Legacy of Ink: From Warhol to Your Wall

When you buy a screen print, you're not just buying a pretty picture. You're buying into a piece of proper art history. This is the medium that artists like Andy Warhol and Corita Kent grabbed from the world of commercial t-shirt printing and thrust into the fine art gallery. They saw its potential for bold colour, graphic impact, and its power to make art accessible.

That legacy is what drives the whole scene. It’s what inspires me when I’m mixing a new colour or wrestling with a complex layer here at Oli Fowler Art. It’s about continuing that tradition of creating tangible, vibrant work that couldn't exist in any other form. You're not hanging a reproduction on your wall; you're hanging a piece that belongs to a rich artistic lineage.

So next time you see a screen print, don't think of it as just a poster. Think of it as an original, handcrafted piece of art with a story, a texture, and a direct connection to the artist who pulled that squeegee. It’s an affordable way to start collecting real art that has a depth and character all its own.

If you want to see exactly what I mean by layers, texture, and bold colour, why not have a look for yourself? Each piece has its own story.

Browse the collection in the store.