New Screen Prints and Etchings

These four works were created as an homage to some of my favorite toys that I purchased as a kid. S.S. Adams produced (still produces) a line of magic tricks that were sold in bright colored packaging. The magic tricks were usually pretty rubbish but looking back I realized it was the flashy packaging and the vacuum sealed objects that I was attracted to. I have taken this concept up a notch by plastic sealing etchings, based on portraits of American blues artists, into candy colored screen printed packs that are meant to be displayed as if in a retail store setting. The images above show the front of the packaging (left) and the back of the packaging (right). Each of the packages are hand-printed in editions of 10.

Break 7.2008

This is a chine colle* etching with drypoint and aquatint. This plate will go through more changes before the final edition is printed. I used the Z-Acryl Hardground Emulsion for the first time on this print. I had a few issues with the hardground splintering when I was scratching lines into the surface. This only happened in a few small areas and I believe it was caused by hardground pooling near the edges. I was otherwise really happy with the results. I am using Ferric Chloride as the etching solution and instead of purchasing an expensive vertical etching tank I am using a plastic sealable cereal box (available at any large grocery store). So far the acid is staying put and not dissolving the plastic.

My goal is to create as small as an environmental footprint as I can in producing etchings. Ferric Chloride in a liquid form is quite safe but when it gets old it needs to be disposed of properly. The bottom of the solution contains the copper that was etched off of the plate which poses an environmental problem when washed into the sink and eventually into the environment. If you use Ferric Chloride please call your local hazardous waste disposal handler to find a drop off location. In Portland, Oregon please contact Metro (http://www.oregonmetro.gov/index.cfm/go/by.web/id=24267).

The aquatint in this print was produced with a spray enamel. I hope to stop using spray enamel and convert to the Z-Acryl Hardground Emulsion. This emulsion can be airbrushed onto the surface of a plate, and according to the website, providing really great results. I hope to try this on my next plate and will publish the results.

*thin Hosho paper was glued to thick Murillo paper during the printing process hence the yellow color of the paper

Birdflak 6.2008

This drypoint etching is a proof printed on the Dick Blick 906 Press. I have been having great luck lately with the quality of prints that this little work-horse press has been producing. I plan on working into this plate a little more and will post it once it is completed.

Aerial Prowl to be exhibited at NAU Art Museum

Aerial Prowl has been juried into the 4th Biennial National Print Exhibition at the Northern Arizona University College of Arts and Letters Art Museum. The show will run from October 21-December 20 2008.

I hope these two ladies have a fun trip down in Flagstaff.

New Drypoint

Mark is a recently completed chine colle drypoint. This print is personally significant because it is the first print pulled on a Dick Blick press that I purchased last year. I have never printed on a portable press before. It was quite challenging getting the pressure where it needed to be and there were more than a few curse words spewed as I made several test prints. I was both relieved and surprised with the outcome, a nice dark impression that exceeded my expectations for a drypoint printed on a small press.

Drypoint prints provide a very immediate result because the image is scratched directly into a plate of copper creating a burr which holds the ink. The downside to a drypoint is that the burr is very delicate and can only yield a few good impressions.

This portrait is based on a good friend who came to my house one day bearing a striking resemblance to Van Gogh. His hair, which is red, was cut short and he was sporting a healthy beard. I was blown away at how much he looked like the master draftsman and felt that this similarity needed to be permanently documented.

Aviator Pioneer

This drypoint etching was completed after reading a historical biography documenting the incredible exploits of an early pioneer in aviation, Alberto Santos-Dumont. The book titled Wings of Madness by Paul Hoffman contains several detailed accounts of Dumont's flying experiences.

This etching includes a portrait of Dumont in his younger days as well as one of his experimental dirigibles named No. 9, Baladeuse which was the world's first personal flying machine.