Work in Progress: Seneca Rocks State 2

As you can see, I did a little scraping and burnishing on the mountain and some of the tree foliage. More to do and some aquatinting to darken some of the areas as well.

Work in Progress: Seneca Rocks State 1

Here's my new photo transfer etching in my regional landscape series "Seneca Rocks". This is the first state, just one etch so far. I actually etched a previous plate with this image, but didn't like the way it came out, so I started again. I'll open bite and sand down that plate and reuse it for a different image. Anyway there will be some scraping and burnishing and maybe some additional aquatinting to do on this plate, although it looks to me as though it may come together fairly rapidly. Don't know when I'll get into the print studio though, may not be till after the holidays.

Work in Progress: Ohiopyle Falls State 4

I worked on this plate a bit last night, and did some scraping and burnishing on the falls, rocks, water and background, but it is going to need some more, and maybe some more aquatint in some areas. I like parts of the image, but not all of it yet. Also, I think I overwiped the previous version and it printed too light.

Work in Progress: Ohiopyle Falls State 3

It took me a few weeks to get to the next state on this etching, but here it is. I added a light aquatint on the falls and darkened the background. Next state will have had some scraping and burnishing done, so some areas will be lightened slightly. The print looks a little lighter than the last one, I think I may have overwiped just a bit. But it's only a test proof so that's a moot point. Next state of this print will probably come early in December. Check back then.

OHIOPYLE FALLS: a work in progress; State 2

Ohiopyle Falls, that great attraction in Southwestern Pennsylvania, is the subject of this etching. The current state of the plate shows some darkening of certain areas by adding some aquatinting. At the Pittsburgh Center for the Arts where I do my etching work, we use spray paint to achieve the aquatint effect. Last week when I sprayed my plate, I got a very splotchy spray and had to remove the paint and respray. In that process I also ended up removing some of my blocked out areas which were so painstakingly applied. Nonetheless, I managed to reblock out the areas and etched and printed the plate.

OHIOPYLE FALLS--A work in progress

Here's the first state proof of my new etching entitled "Ohiopyle Falls". I've tried several times to create an image of this popular spot in Southwestern Pennsylvania, and have often met with difficulties. However, this time I'm determined to end up with a finished image. My process so far has been to take a snapshot of the falls, then scan it, and print it out in black and white with my laser printer. I then transfer the image from my laser print to a zinc plate by rubbing the back of the print with acetone, thereby transferring the toner to the plate. The toner being an acid resist, the plate is then immersed in a tray of nitric acid for about an hour or so, might even be longer. Acid dilution is about 1 to 10. After etching, the plate is then cleaned with acetone to remove any toner residue, edges are bevelled and it is printed using the traditional intaglio method.

I'll be doing some scraping and burnishing, and probably adding some tones with aquatint. Check back over the coming weeks to see how this image progresses.

My Etching of the Year!

This etching "Oil Rig" seems to be my etching of the year. I finished the plate about 2 years ago, and had shown it at my recent show at Westminster College. I liked it ok, but it wasn't what I would call my favorite print that I had recently completed. But I worked hard at completing the image and bringing it to that point that I at least felt comfortable with it. When it came time to enter work for the Washington Printmakers National Small Works Show, I had decided I wouldn't enter this year, as I didn't have anything that I was really excited about that fit the size parameters. The I created this etching called "Spike":

This was the etching that made me decide to enter the Washington Printmakers Show. I now had to pick 3 others, and one of them was "Oil Rig" which was still eligible as it was less that 2 years old, and small enough. So, what happened next was a pleasant surprise. After about 15 years of entering and being rejected from The Washington Printmakers National Small Print Show, I received an email congratulating me for having one of my prints accepted to the show, and lo and behold it was "Oil Rig" that got in. It has also been an award winner at this years Westmoreland Art Nationals in Greensburg, PA, and recently also got into the Mid-America Print Council juried show which is being held in Bloomington, Indiana this year.

The moral: Just because you don't like one of your works is no reason for it to be brought to the same state of completion as the ones you do like, for you never know what the jurors are going to favor.

Two Weeks Later

It's been two weeks since my stepson Mike died. Although the tragedy is constantly in our minds, my wife and I have begun to resume our life's routines. In looking through his things, we found many of his journal writings, which go back over 20 years. He started keeping a journal after high school and wrote about, among other things, his struggles with depression which apparently had been a problem for him throughout his adult life. Now, I've had a hard time blogging, always thinking that I didn't hava a lot to say. I'd like to give it a try again, and try talking about my work and the creative processes that have gotten me to where I am today. Don't know how often I'll be posting, but I'll try for once a week and see where that goes.

Sad Times

My wife and stepdaughter and I were on a very relaxing vacation last week at Conneaut Lake. Reading books, making art, walking and relaxing were the orders for the day. On Wednesday, after coming home from dinner, we found out that my stepson Mike had taken his own life. After many years of fighting the demons of depression, we all felt he was an an upswing in his life, but, alas, the demons won out and for this I am not only sad but angry.

I have not been a frequent blogger, but perhaps over the next days, weeks, months, years, perhaps I may learn to put down some of my thoughts and feelings over this tragic event. We will all miss him dearly, more than words can tell.

My site on Artfire.com

I've recently decided to stop listing my work on Ebay, due to the ever increasing fees they are charging. In addition to Etsy, I have begun to list my work on the new site Artfire.com. Here's a link to my page:

http://www.artfire.com/modules.php?name=Shop&seller_id=18860

Stop by for a visit to see my limited edition screenprints and etchings.

OHIOPYLE TRACKS photo etching signed numbered ltd ed

Here's an etching depicting the railroad tracks along the Youghigheny River in Western Pennsylvania's popular Ohiopyle State Park. It's just one in a series of images I've created that have been inspired by walking the hiking trails of Western Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Virginia and Maryland. It's available exclusively on Etsy.com at: Ohiopyle Tracks

Printmaking Demo

I'll be doing a demonstration of etching printing on Wednesday January 14th at the Carnegie Museum of Art, at the top of the stairs from 1PM to 2PM. It's part of their Lunch and Learn Series, but it's open to the public.

It's Great to have a Web Site!

Last Friday was one of those days when you are thankful to have a website. A very nice couple who live near Cook Forest had been perusing the images on my website, and on Ebay, and gave me a call asking if it was ok if they stopped by my shop to look at the prints I had of Cook Forest and other regions in Western Pennsylvania. They ended up purchasing 4 prints!