Offing
This animation is a short meditation; a grounding art work that offers a moment for stillness and focus. The work references energy, light, and third-eye consciousness.
Offing is the furthest point on the water horizon as you look out to sea. It can also mean “near or foreseeable future”.
The animation uses a simple dissolve filter to create an optical gradiant effect. The animation begins with an atmospheric filter becoming clearer as the circular form comes into focus. This is similar to the experience of observing a ship returning to shore after being out at sea.
The still images are mezzotint prints, each inked in a different color sampled from the palette of East coast (NFLD) artist Reginald Shepherd (1924-2002). His serigraphs (screen-prints) were made using the neo-impressionist pointillist style (using small dots in various colors to form an image). The mezzotint circles and colors reference Shepherd’s pointillist style. The complete series of mezzotints are found on the Prints page (see header navigation).
Sun and moon
Meditation on light and dark.
The cloud image is adapted from a historical surrealist painting by Giorgio De Chirico. The cloud was reproduced as a photo-etching, then re-worked through drawing, scratching, and obliterating the image.
The animation software filters adopt effects and qualities that are borrowed from the canon of technical printmaking.
Flower cloud
An audio track accompanies the animation.
This metal etching technique is called spit bite on copper plate.
The image is foretelling. A thunderhead, or a mushroom cloud, appears and drops acid rain. The storm detonates and rumbles. There is calm after the storm.
Paris clouds
Mezzotint and roulette engraving on copper plate.
One of my favorite artists, surrealist Rene Magritte, painted La Bataille de L’Argonne (1959). His painting provided a basis for the cloud image (which I have significantly altered) through direct etching techniques on copper plate.
Religiosity
Photo-etching and engraving on copper plate.
The cloud image was adapted from an oil painting by Nicolas Poussin titled The Gathering of the Ashes of Phocion by his Widow (1648).
bloom
Mezzotint and roulette on copper plate.
Inspired by the blooming mountain wildflowers from Spring to Summer.
Animation
These animations were created from etchings.
The etchings are printed onto paper from copper plates; various techniques such as photo-etching, mezzotint/roulette engraving, spit bite, and à la poupée ink application or hand wiping were used. In addition, some of the etching series required multiple plates to produce the image.
The repeated modification and printing of the plates is a continuum (similar to still images that form the moving image in a film reel). The prints were scanned chronologically and imported into an editing software to produce the animation.
The etching series’ can be viewed on the Archive page. Documentation for the Points of Light exhibition at Stride +15 gallery space can be viewed on the About page.