This Is Not My Home-Dry Point

I took a 5-week class at Manhattan Graphics Center under the instruction of print-maker Rie Hasagawa. I have several more pieces that I would like to add to this series, but life is busy. LOL

I enjoyed learning a new process of intaglio. I would say that the pro of dry-point is that you don’t have to use grounds or acids. Sooo I would use this method more if I’m desperate/at a studio that has no resources. The disadvantage of the method is that the burs are not as deep, compared to etching. So you can print 10-15 prints max, and then the plate is kind of worn flat.

So this is a cool method even for the fact that you can only get a minimal amount of prints from each plate, which is why I even chose a theme of temporariness.

November-December 2022

"Remains"

First dry-point project, using copper plate, 6x9” printed on Somerset paper 10x13”

added more shadow underneath jaw

a la pupé coloring method

chine collé

Gradient rolled on plate and navy ink in grooves

"Where Your Treasure Is"

Double-plate dry-point using copper plates, 5x8” on Somerset paper, 10x13”;

added more shadow in top where the heart is

Psalm 85 Series-WIP

“Mercy and truth have met together; Righteousness and peace have kissed. Truth shall spring out of the earth, And righteousness shall look down from heaven.”

Psalm 85:10-11 NKJV

This was a Scripture that I read while I was traveling in Paris, and I knew instantly that I wanted to create pieces that paired mercy, truth, righteousness, and peace together through the symbolism of flowers.

So far, I’m glad that I’m taking my time on this project. Sometimes I rush through the aquatint process, but I’m consciously slowing myself down so I can watch the progress more closely. For the diptych, I have done about 6 phases of aquatint on top of the line etch.

I am continuing to print editions of the diptych and will create a 9x12” etching later! -December 2022

Compositional sketches to scale, 3x4” for the diptych

More detailed sketches on transparent paper

Prepping plates: Bar keepers friend + steel wool, brushing in a circular motion to buffer out any scratches on surface of copper

Applying degreaser… which is alcohol, but at home, I also just use soy sauce

Transferring sketch with yellow transfer paper onto copper plates with dried hard ground

25 min etch in acid

S.P. #1 "Meet and Kiss"

Value Study "Meet and Kiss"

Step 1 of aquatints: blocked out highlights, etched for 35 seconds

Step 2: Blocking out low-lights, Etch in acid for 45 seconds

Steps 3 + 4; block out, etch 45 seconds; blocked out more, etched for 1:25; total time in acid 3:30 minutes

Comparing both proofs

S.P. #3

4th Round of aquatinting to create the darkest-darks. Etched for 1:30 min

A.P. 1 "Meet & Kiss" 2022

Printed several things in the studio today! December 2022

Glory

“Glory”, 24 x 12” etching using oil-based ink on 30 x 18” print-making paper; January-April 2022

This is a love letter and prayer to New York City.

“All flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of the grass. The grass withers, and its flower falls away, But the word of the Lord endures forever.” I Peter 1:24-25

This Scripture written by Peter, a disciple of Jesus Christ, references back to Isaiah 40: 6-8. This Scripture was given to me by someone random while I was at a Prayer House conference in Kansas City in 2019. Immediately, I had the image in my head, bought a 24x12” piece of copper plate, and I had let the copper sit until 2022. The image was still as vivid in my mind, but the meaning and understanding of this verse and of God’s glory continues to evolve and unfold.

New York City has such a magnetic energy to it that attracts people from all over to visit or to risk it all for new opportunities or make their big break. It’s the city that never sleeps. It’s the city that continues to work around the clock. It’s the city where the best of the best are in most industries. It’s the city where dreams die, where spirits are crushed, where people are chewed up and spit back out. This city has a different air/spirit that pits one person against the other, to do anything that you can to climb the social, political, or career ladder. You have to get ahead, bust your ass, forsake everything to get what you want! This city consumes people!

And for what?

“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there our heart will be also.” Matthew 6: 19-21

Everything that we work toward as people, especially in a city like NYC, will fade away as the flowers of the field. Glory, wealth, riches, control, personal victory, adoration, attention, stability, authority, beauty… all fade away like the flowers of the field.

There is, however, comfort in “But the word of the Lord endures forever.” His Word is true, living and active. It is sharper than a double-edged sword. All glory belongs to the Lord—the Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and End, the Creator of the Universe, the Potter, Yahweh- “I AM”, Jehovah, Yeshua- “Messiah and Annointed One”, Elohim, Adonai-”Master”, El Shaddai - “the all sufficient-God”, Jehovah Shalom- “The Lord is Peace”, Jehovah Jireh- “The Lord will provide”, Abba- “Father”. Glory was created by the Lord and for the Lord, not for us to hold onto for ourselves. All things point back to God.

Isaiah 40 continues on by describing how the Lord rules over all nations, and the nations are as a drop in a bucket (v 15). “It is He who sits above the circle of the earth…Have you not known? have you not heard? The everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, neither faints nor is weary.” (v 28) And He gives power to the weak, renews the strength of the weary. He rules and reigns with love, and He gives good things to His children (Matthew 7:11 and James 1:17)

I was humbled while creating this piece. I was working my butt off in January to submit to a portfolio review in NYC for print-makers, with a dream to present my work publicly in front of this board/committee and buyers so that I could share my work and the love of Jesus through my work. It was a shock and huge disappointment that this year, I didn’t even get through the first round of submissions. “What gives? I wanted to be in that room for YOU, God! To witness to people! Why do You put these dreams in my heart then?” I’ve been disappointed and rejected many, many, many times by now as a person and as an artist. It still hurts… But Jesus picks me back up and says, “this is not a rejection of who you are, because you are found in Me, approved by Me, and loved eternally by Me. I am not punishing you. Where are your eyes focused? Just on being in the next season, being in that room? Or are your eyes fixed on Me?” There’s still always more and more of myself and my flesh that needs to die to Christ to become more like Him, more refined. Jesus is so patient with me. I still know God has great things in store for me in the art world, and He continues to mold me and refine me so I can stand on a high pedestal and point all glory to God. I won’t make things happen for myself. I will wait upon the Lord, humble myself, and walk where He leads me.

Glory destroys man. Glory belongs to the Lord.

Ideation and Research

I had this idea in my head for 2 years, based on the Scripture I Peter 1:24-25, and I wanted to show how the glory of man fades away. We seek power, glory, status, nobility, and money, and it all fades away.

I use “Flowerpaedia: 1000 flowers and their meanings” by Cheralyn Darcey as my main research reference.

As I went through the meanings that I wanted, I circled the flowers that repeated and compiled a list of flowers that I wanted to move forward with.

Initial Sketch

At 1/4 of the scale compared to the final product, I sketched where I wanted the flowers laid out, include a fore, middle, and background. I organized the flowers so that they were grouped together by colors, like with goldenrods and peruvian lilies together to be yellow, oleanders, stargazer lilies, and pinks as pink/red. I also organized the flowers by heights, so taller flowers toward the back, shorter flowers growing in the foreground.

Photo references for flowers

Sketching to Scale

This was my set-up as I sketched to-scale

Detail

This shows the scale of how small some of my linework and details are. Very meticulous.

Transferring

After prepping my plate by beveling the edges, cleaning, and coating with hard ground, I use yellow transfer paper to draw and transfer my sketch to the plate.

Drawing into Hard Ground

The line-work is usually the most time-investment of the process, up front. This is the largest plate I’ve ever worked on at 24x12”. I may have written down hours for this, but can’t remember. It was long nights after nights.

Detail

Finished Line Drawing on Plate

Etching in Ferric Chloric Acid

MGC only has horizontal baths, and I etched my plate in there for 25 min, if I remember correctly for the line etch.

Test Print

I had tested the pressure beforehand for my state proof. Each print has a 3” border all the way around.

State Proof 1; January 2022

Bone black oil based ink; 24x12” print on 30x18” paper; there was a bald spot on the left side where the ground was too thin, so I had to re-do that section.

Prep for Deductive Etching

This is really where my “work smart, not hard” comes into play. Usually you want to do a phase of aquatint, make a print, clean it off, and start over. Howeverrrr, as per usual, I was under a time crunch, so I decided to work deductively. Where I covered highlights, etched, blocked out highlights again, etched, and so on for 4 rounds.

Round 1 of Aquatint-True White

Round 1 of aquatinting was blocking out everything that would be a TRUE highlight/white ground coming through. I used the manual crank box for the aquatint (a work-out), and etched the plate in acid for 30 seconds for a light base.

Round 1.5 of Aquatint

I blocked out the back hill with painting hard-ground and etched for 15 seconds.

Round 2 of Aquatint

I blocked out with hard ground what would read as the 25% value and etched for ~45 seconds.

Round 3 of Aquatint

Now I blocked out what would read as the 50% value and etched the plate for 1 minute. This would be the darkest layer.

State Proof #2; January 2022

So again, traditionally, I would’ve had 3 other state proofs in between each phase, but I was working quickly. LOL So this is my black print. I would say overall the results were good, but I would have left the plate longer in the acid for each layer to be more dramatic with the values.

Color Study

This was my initial color-study! I wanted to have all of the true colors of th

Oil ink before mixing

Yellow light, yellow ochre, crimson red, pthalo blue, ultramarine blue, and just a touch of bone black.

Mixing Ink

Coating Plate with Ink

I work VERY quickly with printing and can pump out a print in about an hour, which is a great feat with how many colors I blend together on a large plate. This is my standard way of how I like to blend colors on the plate, rather than clean a la pupe method.

"Glory" E.V. 1; February 2022

So, this was initially what I wanted to be the final print. However, my inks had dried after a few weeks from when I had mixed them. So by the time I was pulling these prints, my ink was not blending as I liked. And then I was like, “ehhh, maybe let’s do something else. Not as many colors.”

New Color Direction

Showing the plate after I’ve blending the ink with tarlatans, cleaned the edges, and cleaned the open area with alcohol.

3 prints in 4 hours!

"Glory" 1/12 ed., March 2022

24x12” oil-based ink on bright white print-making paper

King of My Heart

The Lion has triumphed because of the Lamb.

“And I [John] saw in the right hand of Him who sat on the throne a scroll written inside and on the back, sealed with seven seals. Then I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, “Who is worthy to open the scroll and to loose its seals?” And no one in heaven or on the earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll, or to look at it. So I wept much, because no one was found worthy to open and read the scroll or look at it. But one of the elders said to me, “Do not weep, Behold, The Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has prevailed to open the scroll and to loose its seven seals. And I looked, and behold in the midst of the throne and of the four living creatures, and in the mist of the elders, stood a Lamb as though it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent out into all the earth. Then He came and took the scroll out of the right hand of Him who sat on the throne.” Revelation 5:1-7

Also referencing [The Son of Man] in Revelation 1:12-20 “I saw seven gold lampstands…He had in His right hand seven stars, out of His mouth went a sharp two-edged sword… the seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands which you saw are the seven churches.”

I created this piece because Jesus is the King of my heart, and there’s so much vivid imagery that moves my heart to say so from His Word. In the Book of Revelation, Jesus is referred to as the Lion of the Tribe of Judah, Root of David, Son of Man, and the Lamb that was slain. The Lamb has triumphed because He first became a Lamb. There was added depth given to me when someone came by in the studio and exclaimed, “oh the king of hearts! The suicide king!” Which I had no idea that’s why the card had the king holding swords. So then to see that I had made Jesus’ hands open, because He willingly went to the cross and died for us HIIIIT me with His love even more. I want to fix my eyes on Jesus (Hebrews 12:2) rather than fixing my eyes on blessings, promises, goals, circumstances, relationships, failures, etc. There are always SO many things trying to take my attention, but I rest in peace and joy and strength when I look to Jesus every day and sit at His feet. When I submit to Him, He makes my path straight. It honestly can be really difficult to lay aside relationships and work or other distractions, but when I include Him in every little thing i do, He takes me to new heights and breathes life, peace, love, and freedom on everything that I think and do.

He is worthy of all praise as King of this world, as the King of kings, Lord of lords, Prince of Peace, and Emmanuel.

Process:

This is my first time creating a double-plate intaglio print since college (3 years ago). I am happy with the final registration of the plates themselves with the editions, however the artwork itself varies a little bit in spots. But considering that I pulled final prints within like 4 days in the studio from scratch, I’m pretty happy!

This piece is on show at Manhattan Graphics Center in the “It’s in the Cards” show from March 4-28th with other artists at the studio. (although the show was put on hold because of the Corona virus…)

King of My Heart ed 2/12

6” x 9” double plate copper etch print on cotton paper

sketching ideas and testing new paper

reference for layout

initial sketch in graphite, 6 x 9”

Sketch colored in Photoshop to divide up colors

After dividing areas up, I colored in the shapes with full color and 50% opacity, mapping out aquatint values

double plate using my bad homemade hard ground

scratching out linework on first plate

30 min line etch, shown with ink on plate #1

SP 1

Second plate, after transfer method on print bed

Second plate on press bed after 30 min line etch

I had only ever done 1 double plate project in college with the help of my professor, so honestly while trying to make this project, I was like, “hmm wait, how do I do this again?”

First round of highlights with contact paper and Sharpie as a ground (would not recommend using that much sharpie, OBVIOUSLY)

DEEP etch after 20 min etch with aquatint

UGH just look at it!

I did 2 more rounds of lighter aquatint where I blocked out a majority with a hard ground and sharpie, dipped in for 30 seconds, wash off with water, block out more, then 30 more seconds in the acid.

Mixing ink. I thought about either sticking with red and black, but I love navy and red. It adds more warmth and character. Better for overlap as well. Black is so boring and harsh when mixed with colors…

King of My Heart S.P. 3

I worked on burnishing out some of the scratchings from my BS hard-ground that broke.

S.P. 3 on right side, which was the final test after aquatints were done. I noted that i did not care for the red/black combo and REALLY needed to clean the second plate better… The left is my first attempt and maybe passed as my A.P., but still wanted the print to be cleaner.

2/12 ed.

I spent more time cleaning the open plate with alcohol, which helped tremendously. This piece takes me much longer to run a print compared to previous pieces, because of how much open plate there is.

Bearing Fruit

I created this piece, “Bearing Fruit”, keeping an upcoming exhibition in mind, “Bee? Be.” showing from June 22-August 22, 2019, at the Amsterdam Whitney Gallery in NYC, curated by Denise Cummings.

In the literal appreciation for bees, I began thinking of their life-cycle and how they pollinate and create life. By the time that the flowers have bloomed or flowers mature into fruit, the bee has already moved on or died, not around to see the fruits of their labor.

Sometimes you put in work and invest into people and may not see the fruit of your labor until after you are already gone. You spread pollen—light and life— and an orchard blooms after you have already moved on. You may not see all the flowers or fruit right in front of you, because you are a busy bee building the Kingdom of the Lord.

Matthew 7:18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot produce good fruit.

In my life, I seek to always bear good fruit by planting good seeds. When my own human feelings of disappointment or jealousy pop up, I ask the Lord to calm my spirit, to see every person with His heart and His eyes, to see all of His children on this earth with the absolute abounding, all-encompassing love that He has.

When I was first starting this piece, the appearance and finished outcome was so much more secondary to the heart of making this piece. The research that I was doing for the symbolism of each flower and fruit is what I was hoping to sow into each viewer and audience of the final piece.

From my research in “Flowerpaedia: 1000 Flowers and Their Meanings”, I combed through the entire book and found the significance I was praying for, as follows…

Ithurial’s Spear- love of others, comfort, increased trust, self-suffieciency

White Heather- be brave, confidence, courage, faith, trust, protection from danger

Heliotrope- I am devoted to you, strength, wealth, abundance, prosperity

Bee Balm- guidance, change, compassion, visions, calm transition

Broom Flower- humility, vitality, healing, cleansing, devotion, psychic protection

Gardenia- awareness, divine message

Frankincense- faithful heart, blessing, consecration, courage, divination, love, meditation, power, protection, purification, spiritual growth, strength, visions

Hyssop- I forgive you, cleanliness, sacrifice, forgiveness, forgiveness, breath, purification, repentence

Pomegranate Blossom- prosperity. ambition, grace, perfection

Olive- peace, purity, harmony, goodwill, life, hope, joy, wisdom, victory

Mugwort- prophecy, protection, strength, prophetic dream, healing, visions, divination

Elder Flower- inner-strength, courage, fortitude, vigour, resilience, joy, recovery, protection from evil, release sins

So my work was in itself sowing seeds, praying over its impact on people, praying that those who view it receive all of the symbolism of each flower and fruit actually in their life. Making this piece was absolutely also just me working in the joy and passion that the Lord gave me in creating, and it was a way that I glorified and brought praise to my Father. My art isn’t for me anymore, it’s always for the Lord and a vehicle for the Lord to make in impact. There’s so many steps in life that I’ve been taking in the past year that on the outside is like, “what are you doing? Why would you ever do that?” and not always seeing the why’s or reason, but I walk in trust of my God that whatever He asks me to do is ALWAYS planting good seeds that will be fruitful in the future, even if I can’t see it all now. I walk by faith, not by sight.

In John 15:5, Jesus said, “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.”

Psalm 1:1-6 “Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night. That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither—whatever they do prospers.”

Research notes from “Flowerpaedia”

Thumbnail composition sketches, notes, and initial sketch with notes on movement, light, color, etc.

Comparing notes, figuring out which flowers I actually want to incorporate where, finding the balance.

11” x 17” sketch that I then transferred to my copper plate.

I purposely sketched this in reverse, knowing that it would print the mirror of this image. Thinking ahead always.

Yellow transfer paper to get a general sketch onto my plate

A look at my process: I reference my sketch and reference photos, using a few different scratching tools

"Bearing Fruit" S.P. 1

First phase- hard ground line etch, etched in horizontal ferric chloride bath for 45 minutes.

Referencing the previous print for knowing what I want to save with highlights in the aquatint steps, which I follow for each phase.

General walk-through of Aquatinting

After preparing plate (in my case using Sharpie as my block-out), get aquatint ready by sweeping out settled rosin in aquatint box; place plate on newspaper, on top of acrylic plate; CRANK the manual crank hard on the side to stir up/fan the aquatint rosin, let settle for 2-3 minutes. Open up the box and put your plate in for 8-10 minutes; remove and close.

SAFETY FIRST

Traditional aquatint uses ground up pine rosin, which when air-born can be ingested and sticks to the lungs over time. So I always wear a protective mask when opening and closing the aquatint box!

You’ll see a light dusting of the aquatint and can use a microscopic lens to look at the dots on the surface of the plate. I ended up putting my plate in for 8 minutes, didn’t love the coverage, cranked up the aquatint again, and popped my plate back in for 4 minutes.

Then you will transfer your plate carefully onto a hot-plate set at 250 degrees F. You can use a spatula to move the plate around or copper pieces to hold it down. The method is, “hold it down until you smell it, then count to 10.” It’s usually when you start to see the white of the aquatint fade/harden on the plate, I then start counting to 10 until all white is gone. You don’t want to overcook it though, or else it’s a huge blob! Nothing!

"Bearing Fruit" S.P. 2

Phase 2- using Sharpie as a stop-out, I applied a traditional pine-rosin aquatint and etched for 1 1/2 minutes

"Bearing Fruit" S.P. 3

Phase 3- second round of aquatint, etching for 25 seconds

"Bearing Fruit" S.P. 4

Phase 4- third round of aquatint, etched for 25 sec.

"Bearing Fruit" S.P. 5

Phase 5- fourth round of aquatint, etched for 2 minutes.

"Bearing Fruit" E.V. 1

First test of color on German etching paper, using oil-based ink, a 1:1 ratio of a yellow ochre + yellow light

"Bearing Fruit" E.V. 2

Second color test, blending together my yellow ochre/yellow light mix into the same mixture + a touch of napthol red in my iteration of a la pupé method

Comparing my color runs #1, #2, and #3, happy with #3’s application. Color-runs then just turn into E.V.s :)

A look at my method of color application. I don’t find the real way of a la pupé to ever be worth it, where you apply one color at a time and wipe and clean, like it takes FOREVER. So what I like to do for being realistic and make a print in about an hour is blending a color palette with analogous colors that can blend well together.

When I’m using my tarlatan to blend and wipe off excess ink, I’m still being very conscious of my method, like here starting in the middle with the yellow and blending outwards.

"Bearing Fruit" A.P. 1

Finding that I was happy with the halo-effect, this is a blend of the yellow mixture, blending into my orange ink, to more of the napthol red.

"Bearing Fruit" 3/12 ed.

The final iteration of my print, just with pushing the red further out, so it wasn’t dominating the piece quite as much.

11” x 17” print on 15” x 21” German etching paper, 2019

Ephemeral Intaglio Print

In Matthew 6:19-21, Jesus said, “do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” I was making this piece around Christmastime and being in a place of having to let go of a lot of things and to be content in a state of imperfection and worldly instability. But looking upward, I can be eternally grateful for the extravagance of the love bestowed upon me by my God. In all things: in my actions, my words, my career, I want to live a life to earn crowns of righteousness so that I can lay them at the feet of my Father when I meet Him face to face one day, to work towards eternal wealth. Literally everything on earth wastes away: material items, wealth, success in our eyes, success in others’ eyes, and even our bodies. This life is so short, and I want to make mine count. The only eternal thing is His love for us and the life we can have through the Son who sacrificed it all for our own sake out of love.

Thumbnail sketch

Sketch, 11x17"

I make my own “hard ground” using a mix of acrylic floor polish and India ink, then transfer my sketch roughly with yellow transfer paper. I use several scratching tools and reference photos.

Ephemeral-Phase 1 Test

Test print on newsprint paper. I etched the plate in acid for 18 minutes.

I go in with Sharpie to block out highlights.

And I use spray paint as a DIY way to aquatint.

***citrasol/citrus heavy-duty degreaser

Ephemeral-Phase 2 Test

20 minutes in acid. Test on newsprint

Ephemeral- Phase 3 Test

adding more highlights and depth. I may have actually done 4 phases in total, but one of them didn’t make a difference because I had made the spray paint too dense on the plate.

Comparing phases 1, 2, and 3. It’s something where I could have kept going with adding dimension, maybe cover up the bald spots, but I also appreciate the imperfections of the DIY intaglio process.

Ephemeral

1/12 editions; single 11” x 17” copper plate printed with Gamblin oil-based archival ink on 15” x 21” German etching paper; 2018.

The Journey Series

I was making this series as a perfect way to announce that I was moving to NYC, which was a bit of a sudden news to most people I knew. I also had smaller scraps of copper and German etching paper that I didn’t want to go to waste, so this was a perfect mini project! I assigned the season or period of life as the title for each state when I lived there, each with significance. Half of the moves were put upon me moving with family, and half of these moves were on my account. You can read more about the significance of each more for me on my instagram: ginamiller128 (link at bottom of website)

Each print is made from a 4 1/2” x 4 1/2” single copper plate printed on 5” x 5” piece of German etching paper. The series began at the end of 2018 with about 4 editions made of each, and I will at some point finish up the 25 editions here in NYC.

"Birth" 1/25 ed., 4.5' x 4.5" print, 2018

1995-1997

"Foundation", 1/25 ed., 4.5" x 4.5" print, 2018

1997-2010; still where I call home and lived during college breaks.

"Silver Lining", 2/25 ed., 4.5" x 4.5" print, 2018

2010-2013; a very important time in high school for a lot of reasons.

"Necessary", 1/25 ed., 4.5" x 4.5" print, 2018

2013-2017; college undergrad at SCAD!

"Preparation", 1/25 ed., 4.5" x 4.5", 2018

2017-2018; first job out of college working for Kohl’s, and I had a lot of growth and re-established dedication in this time.

"Flying", 1/25 ed., 4.5" x 4.5" print, 2018

2019-present; I left my job and everything behind to follow the call that God had placed on my life, never looking back with regret, only reflection and gratitude.

Artist Proofs #1

line-work phase

Artist Proofs #2

I added an (uneven) aquatint with spray paint and started figuring out what colors I wanted to assign.

E.V. #1

I did another round of aquatint, and I also tried doing an a la pupé method of ink application, but it was difficult to keep it clean on such small plates. It wasn’t really worth putting in all of the extra effort to use two colors and then over-wipe, etc.

"The Journey" Series, final prints

I decided on a single color for each.

Growing a Promise

I made these pieces in two days. Each plate was one phase of line etch with two phases of aquatint. These babies are about 6-9 square inches. (ie. 2”x4” plates)

Youth and Admiration

1/25

Promise

1/25

You are the Only One

1/25

Ezekiel Etchings

I began reading the book of Ezekiel from the Bible in September, and as I began reading it, I felt so inspired and in awe of all of the imagery being described. I began to feel a very strong need to make new pieces of artwork with this imagery for an upcoming show in NYC, Clio Art Fair. This guy Ezekiel is given visions by God where he sees the sky opening up with four creatures, “each of the four had the face of a man; and on the right side each had the face of a lion; and on the left the face of an ox; each also had the face of an eagle.” (Ez. 1:10) Then comes forth God speaking from his throne and giving Ezekiel instruction to go among the Israelites, who were a rebellious people at the time, “though briers and thorns are all around you and you live among scorpions, do not be afraid…” (Ez. 2:6b) and to warn them that God’s promises remain true, that those who did not turn from their wicked ways would perish and pay for their sins. God was sending Ezekiel to them to save them from this, to warn them, because He gives us second chance after second chance and just wants us to know Him and love Him. And with second chances only going so far, rather than letting judgment come to His people, God made the ultimate sacrifice of sending His Son down to die for our sins, rise from the grave with the keys of victory so we don’t have anything keeping us from Him and His love now.

I made all of these pieces in about 1-2 weeks. I did not have any reason to make these pieces on my own, I didn’t want to, and there were so many reasons to give up through the exhaustion I went through to get the work done. But the Lord called me to this, and I didn’t want to shy away and fall into fear, like I have in the past. There was no option for me except to follow the Lord, because of the love He has for me and the love I have for Him. He doesn’t lead us to do something without walking us through it. I worked under the Holy Spirit with all of these pieces, with thorough instruction through every single process. God gave me peace, joy, and rest through it all. He never left my side. He comforted me, and my love did not waiver, because He blesses those who walk alongside Him.

It is in my heart to reach hardened hearts of New York City with the love and power of God.