|
|
|
|
The Etching History and Process
|
|
|
It is widely thought that etching has its roots in the engravings of armourers and jewelers of the 15th century who used the process as decoration on their wares. From armor to fine art, the earliest images on paper can be dated back to the Rhine region of Germany and Italy at the beginning of the 1500s. One of the first artists to experiment with etching was the great 16th century engraver Albrecht Durer. Rembrandt, born some eighty years later, is credited with elevating etching to the fine art form that we know today. By masterfully developing new styles and techniques, Rembrandt's influence has been felt throughout the ages in such artists' works as Bauer, Goya, Whistler and Zorn.
Simply put, etching is the process of using acid to 'bite' an image into a plate, usually copper or zinc. The artist uses a point to draw through a ground-covered surface to expose the plate to his drawing. Once the artist's drawing is complete, the print maker submerges the plate in an acid bath that eats away the exposed lines, thereby 'etching' the image into the plate.
The etched plate is then cleaned of ground, inked, and run through the press where the pressure of the rollers pushes the ink into the paper making an impression and leaving the artist's drawing behind.
Hand-coloring of etchings is also a method steeped in tradition dating back to the 1800s when etchings were the 'photographs' of the day and were colored with watercolor paints. Moore watercolors the first image from each series, called the bon-a'-tier, and maintains written notes as to the palette colors and technique he used to achieve the affect. This hand-colored etching remains the standard for the series, which are then watercolored by nationally acclaimed painter, Dennis Pendleton. Moore personally approves each hand-colored etching before they leave the studio.
A word about Dennis Pendleton...
Dennis Pendleton is a graduate of Ohio State University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree. He has received numerous awards and honors for his landscape and figurative painting in watercolor. He has been an instructor at the Art Students League of Denver, Colorado since 1994 and has exhibited his work in art fairs across the country. Pendleton's work is included in such prestigious collections as the French Embassy, the Denver Petroleum Club, Cherry Creek Bank and the People's Republic of China. He has been published in Southwest Art Magazine, The Artists Magazine and Contemporary Artists of the American West. He often paints on location in France, Italy and Mexico, as well as all over the United States.
A word about Geoffrey B. Lasko...
Geoffrey Lasko has earned numerous degrees in printmaking including an MFA from the University of Denver, Colorado. His own works on paper are shown at galleries across the country and are included in such collections as the Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.; Colorado History Museum, Denver, Colorado; and the Colorado Springs Fine Art Center. He was invited by the Russian Government through UNESCO to study Rembrandt etchings at the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, and received a National Endowment for the Arts Grant for drawing/printmaking.
|
|
|
|
|
