Kay Ameche
Springtime in Gettysburg
1981
Serigraph
Image size: 17 in. x 23 in.
Sheet: 23 in. x 28 in.
Gift of George Perret
Not much scholarship has been published on Kay Ameche (1904-2005), who started her art career late in life after working as a nurse. She was a self-taught artist who began painting in her sixties. Ameche chose painting because she had a vision for a wall and wanted to create this vision.1 She was taught by Streeter Blair (1886-1966), another self- taught artist.2 Self-taught artist often work in a primitive style with no sense of depth or perspective in their paintings. A self-taught artist is basically a person who has little or no formal training in the arts. They learn from books, videos and, most importantly, by experimenting.3 Ameche grew up in Chicago and lived in California, but most of her imagery features scenes from the eastern side of the United States. She began her artistic career in painting, but then moved onto printmaking.
The Collection at St. Mary’s contains an artist proof by Ameche called Spring in Gettysburg, which is a serigraph, or screenprint. Artist proofs are interesting because of the variations each impression can have compared to the final edition.4 Artist proofs are test prints for the artwork before the edition prints are made. The College’s proof has darker colors than the edition prints. This print is very vibrant in color and detailed in the texture as the ink was heavily printed in layers. The process of a serigraph involves printing on a screen with one color at a time.5 Ameche’s bright, colorful palette and details make up for the lack of depth and perspective. The vibrant colors help the viewer recognize the spring season. Even though Ameche started late and was self-taught, her work is unique in the coloring and the amount of detail, but resembles earlier outsider artists in the flattened perspective and simplified forms.
1. "Kay Ameche – Biography,"Rogallery. Accessed December 06, 2016. http://rogallery.com/Ameche_kay/amechek-bio.htm.↩
2. "Kay Ameche, 101; Former Nurse Started Painting in Her 60s," Los Angeles Times, August 3, 2005. Accessed December 06, 2016. http://articles.latimes.com/2005/aug/03/local/me-passings3.1.↩
3."What We Talk About When We Talk About Self-Taught Art," Eye Level. Accessed December 11, 2016. http://eyelevel.si.edu/2016/11/what-we-talk-about-when-we-talk-about-self-taught-art.html.↩
4. "Understanding the Numbering of Fine Art Prints." Understanding the Numbering of Fine Art Prints. Accessed December 06, 2016. http://www.monoprints.com/numbering_prints.php.↩
5."What Is Serigraph Printing?" What Is Serigraph Printing? | Cedar Hill Long House. Accessed December 06, 2016. http://www.cedarhilllonghouse.ca/blog/what-serigraph-printing.↩
-Morgan Beahm