An outing!
(An unusual life event in this era of mostly staying at home.)

This week we left home for a few hours to venture out into the world for a visit downtown to the Museum of Art-DeLand. Their current exhibit features printmaking in a number of techniques by a wide variety of artists.  (On exhibit through Sept 13. Well worth the trip.) I looked closely at great artwork and just gobbled it up!

Artists are drawn to printmaking. As the Museum signage pointed out, most of the artists shown are better known for other mediums, including painting and sculpture. But the unique experiences of printmaking draw artists to a print studio for at least some part of their career.

I love printmaking. I am always intrigued by the technical aspects. How did the artist get that image on the plate? In what order did the colors go down onto the paper? I stood up close and analyzed the marks on serigraphs, etchings and lithography.

I want to share two small etchings by Edward Hopper that caught my eye. (Hopper is one of my favorite painters. I always learn when I study his work.) These two little works are not so much about technique; the images were manually scribed in the etching plate, the artist’s hand working much like pen and ink drawing.  What I love is Hopper’s elegant composition.

I shot two photos with my phone, and now I have them up on my desktop to see what I can learn.

MY FIRST LESSON – Foreground drawing you into the scene
Hopper’s paintings often use interior framing devices – looking through a doorway or window, for example. In these two works it’s much simpler.  A character close to the foreground is looking off to the distance. We are invited to follow their gaze and see what they are seeing.

This woman is leaning on the railing and looking off toward the sky. What drew her to this scene? If we look with her, what will we see?

I wonder what the cow is looking at?

MY SECOND LESSON – Intentional detail choices
In both works, the artist’s drawing hand is visible with a beautiful light touch. But every part of the work is not drawn with the same amount of detail. . It keeps things lively. The large architectural form behind the girl at the railing could have been rendered in a lot more detail. But the artist chose to be selective.

MY THIRD LESSON – Look at that beautiful empty space!
In the etching of the woman, nearly half of the composition is empty sky. In the etching of the cow it’s about a third of the space.  Because it’s an etching, even those “empty”spaces have the very slight tone of the ink on the plate.  I find this emptiness beautiful.

In my own textile work, printing pattern on fabric is part of the process. I need to regularly remind myself that “empty” areas are important in a good composition. Here’s one where I thought I got it right. The big, empty yellow sky is an important part of the storytelling.

My wish for anyone reading is that you are able to find things around you to appreciate and to inspire you. My little Museum outing will be staying with me for weeks ahead.

An opportunity and a request…
Do you write? Do you know writers?  I am a volunteer in a project by Studio Art Quit Associates – Florida Region, to create a book in the spring that combines visual art (textiles works created by SAQA members) with POETRY. All poets are welcomed to submit. The project is titled “Fresh Fish” and features works about Florida underwater life: fish, shrimp, seaweed, mermaids, coral, lobsters and more. If you enjoy writing poetry, I invite you to create a poem and send it in. Or help spread the word to poets you know. We are reviewing works now and through October 30. You can request a prospectus with all details and timeline here:

SaqaFlaPoetryProject@gmail.com

Thanks for your help. Have fun creating!
(I am enjoying creating a few fish for the project. I’ll be submitting poetry too.)

Thank you for reading. I always enjoy questions and comments.
--Bobbi
bobbi@bobbibaughstudio.com

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