Venice Etching

Bird Woman of Venice - Etching & Aquatint 24cm x 24cm

limited edition prints for sale

This is my first attempt at a copper plate etching with aquatint.

The picture is based on my own photograph of a woman shooing birds from her balcony, high above a Venetian canal. At first I thought how sweet, she's feeding the pigeons but when I enlarged the photograph I realised I'd probably witnessed a daily battle between this woman and the birds who squat on her tiny balcony. What struck me about the picture was how much the old lady's arm was beginning to resemble the wing bone of a bird - almost as though she was going through a metamorphosis that would one day see her too fly away.

Here's how I went about making the print.

Burning lamp black on to the varnished copper plate

I believe you can simply use a dark tinted varnish for this first stage of etching but loved learning the traditional smoking technique demonstrated here by my printmaker teacher, Rick Woodbury. Once the thick layer of lamp black is wiped away the copper plate has a hard dark ground into which I scratched my drawing.

Copper Plate before etching in an acid bath

The bird in front of the old lady's arm got in the way of the focal point of the drawing so Rick showed me how to use block out varnish to stop that area being etched by the acid.

The process of inking the plate is time consuming and pretty messy so I was covered in ink by the time I finished and I wasn't able to take photographs. Currently each print I make takes me about half an hour of inking and wiping the hot plate.

First Proof

In order to bring some darker values into the plate, and after using more block out varnish to preserve the highlights, Rick showed me how to dust it with powdered Gum Arabic. The plate was then heated to melt the Gum Arabic on to the copper and then it was back into the acid bath. I got quite a shock when we fished it out to see what a dramatic change I had in the second proof.

Second Proof after Aquatint

Now the hard work started, as I had to scrape or burnish back the aquatint pitted areas to make softer transitions between light and dark values.

Third Proof

That's more what I was aiming for and I can't tell you the thrill of pulling back the paper after the plate had passed through the press. I had no idea what it was going to look like. I don't think I will ever get over that excitement no matter how many prints I may make in future. I scraped and burnished a few more refinements and then pulled the final print that you see at the top of this post.

The print is too large for my scanner, so I've had to photograph it for this post. When I get some more sunlight I will replace this with a clearer photograph which I will have signed and numbered correctly.

I've never offered any of my art for sale before but since my plan for 2008 was to finally sell something here's your opportunity to acquire a rare piece of art! You are welcome to email me for further details.

Awarded to this post by The Colorist - Many thanks Casey.

Playing fast and loose again....

Watercolour & Ink - Canson sketchbook

Trapped inside most days lately by an unusually wet, grey autumn in Tuscany, I have been dreaming of Spring and the opportunity to get out sketching again. Of course I then have to admit I never get around to that much plein air sketching. It's because I am too slow. So the exercise I have set myself is to do some fast and loose sketches from the huge library of photographs I take (when I really should be sketching).

These are both from my computer screen using my Mont Blanc pen with Pelican Brillian Brown ink which I love because it's not in the least bit waterproof and bleeds happily all over the place when I add watercolour.

I took my sketching material on a trip to Perugia in Umbria yesterday. Didn't sketch a thing because we stumbled upon From Corot to Picasso - a magical exhibition from the vast Phillips Collection (Washington).

Vincent was there with House at Auvers; Modigliani with his beautiful Elena Povolozky; Cezanne Still Life with Ginger Jar, pears and Pomegranate; Picasso Woman with a Green Hat. Some days are absolutely perfect!

Remember when AmEx stood for Service?

What you sketch when you are hanging off the phone trying to cancel a card

I've been sobbing with frustration. Two years ago I decided two AmEx cards was excessive and being a much more conservative soul these days decided I was sick of paying fees for a credit card I never use. After a mind numbing hunt on the internet for a contact number to cancel a card I eventually fought my way past the computer generated voices and got a real human being. I sobbed with relief and said 'I'd like to cancel one of my AmEx cards because I never use it.' The nice human being was very disappointed in me and said that the company would prefer to offer me a fee-free year on the card. You never know when you might need the line of credit. I accepted and forgot about it. Two years later the next annual fee for the card was automatically deducted from my bank account. I still had not used the card.

I have since spent another mind numbing hunt on the internet to find a contact number to cancel the card. I've managed to have two conversations with a human being. The first told me they could not accept my cancellation from overseas via a Skype phone call. I would need to call American Express in Australia reverse charges. I couldn't find the Italian phone number to request a reverse charge call - you know how it is when you'd rather be painting.

I eventually made my way through the electronic maze again to another human being - still paying for an international phone call, still waiting on forever for human service. Unfortunately it was Saturday in Australia and the people who have the power to cancel cards do not work on Saturday. I was given a number which I was told was the reverse charge number and told to call back on a week day. I missed a few week day opportunities - you know how it is when you'd rather be painting.

Finally I lined up all the documentation on my desk and dialed the number. I was greeted by a kind electronic voice which lead me through many button pressing options - one of which, blessedly mentioned cancelling a card. As requested I keyed in my 15 digit account number and was told to wait until my account was retrieved - at this point I started sketching the handsome Roman on my credit card. Finally I was told to hang on and I would be connected to an operator. After a few clicks the line started making that ominous beep that sounds like you've been cut off. Then the line sounded live, almost as thought there could be a human being there. I called out for help. The ominous beep returned. This happened several times. At no point did anyone reassure me that I could relax because this was a reverse charge call. After 13 minutes I decided to hang up. I didn't want to have to use my American Express credit card to pay my Italian phone account.

Are you out there American Express? I love my original card - the one I pay the total balance of at the end of every month. I don't use it much these days but it gives me a nice warm feeling and the frequent flyer points are nice to have. What do I do next?!