the dream and the dreamer

these are solarplate photogravure intaglio artist's proofs for my show, recomposing the spaces, at rivet gallery.

whats that? whats a "solarplate photograve intagla-ma-thingy?" now that i've briefly explained how to make a drypoint print (here), i can sort of explain what a solarplate photogravure is:

basically, way back when (1830's), i guy named henry fox talbot (really famous photographer) came up with a way to make prints of his photos. simply put, he would use a bunch of chemicals (gelatin, potassium dichromate, ferric chloride) to etch an image into a copper plate. then he could print his photos by inking the plate and running them through a press. this process is called photogravure, and it is a huge pain in the ass to do.

so in modern times (about 10 years ago i think), someone came up with a much less toxic process - although, still a pain in the ass, slightly less so - the solarplate. you began with an image. the process was specifically designed for photographs, but i, however, use a drawing (why? because its crazy). after scanning the drawing i print it on a high quality film transparency. now it starts to get a little complicated...

solarplates (not the ones that hemp-necklace wearing people put on their roofs) are orange light-sensitive plastic plates with a metal backing. the plastic is soft and delicate until exposed to light which hardens it, so you have to keep them in the dark. working in a darkroom, i put the transparent drawing on film upside down (reversed) on the solarplate. i then expose it to light (the amount of time is predetermined by testing smaller areas). where the light is blocked out by the linework and shading the plastic stays soft.

the plate is now put in a tray of water and gently brushed by hand. this rubs the plastic away where it wasnt hardened by light. so now you have an image etched into the plate, and you exposed it to some more light to harden it completely. at this point the plate can be inked up and run through a press the same way i print my drypoints.

i cant imagine that there are more than a handful of people in the world right now who go through the trouble to reproduce a drawing this way, but the final image is much more beautiful and rich than the original. as with my previous solarplates i've yet to make an edition run, and probably never will.

sustaining the note

this is the largest of the paintings for my solo show, recomposing the spaces, at rivet gallery.

le buffoon

oil on canvas

11'' x 14''

the somnolence

drypoint

3'' x 9''

so what is drypoint? well, its a really old form of printmaking like etching and engraving (called intaglio). how does it work? well, like this:

first, you wanna get yourself a copper plate. without getting too anal about the details, you prep the plate by sanding, filing, and polishing until its nice and smooth. then you need a really sharp scratching tool. steel needles were traditionally used, but i have a diamond-tipped needle attached to a wooden stylus (fancy word for stick).

you basically draw your image by directly scratching it onto the plate. this is pretty tricky to get the hang of at first because you cant really see what youre doing. it takes thousands of little scratches to shade an area in, and until you make a test print you wont be sure how dark an area will be. the problem with making a lot of test prints is that every time a plate is run through a press it wears the image out a little bit. this is why printers began numbering their print editions. the earlier the print, the better the image. drypoint plates wear out the fastest, so this print has only two artist's proofs (sometimes labeled test prints) and one final print.

to make a print you have to ink up the plate. first, though, you have to mix up your ink to the desired color and add some wiping compound and linseed oil. then you delicately apply the ink with a tarlatan (fancy word for crusty cheese cloth). if you rub too hard you will damage the plate. different hand-wiping techniques can greatly add to the unique characteristics of every individual print.

now your ready to print. wet and blot your paper, place it on the plate, and run it through an etching press. and thats it in a nut shell. also, please ignore the girl in the photos, i promised her i wouldnt use them.

some press in the sunday paper

heres an article in the Columbus Dispatch on Rivet Gallery and my show, recomposing the spaces - click me to read.

the duet

oil painting in an antique frame for my current show, recomposing the spaces, at Rivet Gallery. click here for the full show and availability.

oil on board

24'' x 16''

the philosopher and the poet

these are two of the smallest paintings i've ever done. they are 1.5'' x 2'' and encased in tintype cases from the mid to late 1800's. they are part of my recomposing the spaces show at rivet gallery. click here to see the show.

floating and drifting

these are two small paintings for my show, recomposing the spaces, at rivet gallery. click here for the whole show, details, and availability.

the sermon

this is the first of many posts for my upcoming show, recomposing the spaces, may 1st at rivet gallery (please contact them for any inquiries about availability). i've made the switch to oil paints for the exhibition.

this painting is additionally for the blog super punch's tarot card deck celebrating their 3rd anniversary. information about the deck is posted here (the full deck should be posted there by the end of april).

oil on canvas

26'' x 36''

über cute preview

four person show with okkle, heidi kenney, bukubuku at rivet gallery opening feb. 6th, 7 -10pm. this is my stuff for it. click here for the entire show and details of my pieces.

heavy hearts

limited edition of ten solid pewter cast hearts for Dragon Con are available only through Rivet Gallery. each heart was hand forged by myself in a pewter alloy consisting of 92% tin, 7.75% antimony, and .25% copper. they weigh just under 1 lbs. each and are 2.75''h x 2.5''w x .75''d. each one has an edition number lightly etched on his back.

read on for more information about them and how they were made:



this is the original sculpt. it was made like most of my sculptures out of poplar wood and williams rod.

and heres the little guy ready for the first half of the mold.














you can see pour spouts have been added as well as "spruing," or air vents made with thin copper wire. this will lessen the chance that air will be trapped in the arms and legs. he's boxed up in a wax based clay called plastilina. the bolt heads and negative slots make a locking system for the two halfs of the mold to fit nicely together.


the mold is an rtv silicone designed to withstand the 500+ temperature of molten pewter. before each side was poured, it had to be vaccum pumped, for even small air bubbles in the mold when heated to the working temperature will cause distortions. a few additives are then applyed to the surface of the mold to help with surface tension and mold preservation; without them, you will get horrible deformations and pock marks.


the pewter is poured from a crucible into the mold and takes about an hour before it can be demolded. heres a couple hearts cooling on the window sill next to my blow torch.

heres one playing on my shelf.
at this point, the pour spouts are removed with a bandsaw and then filed. after the spruing and chasing is filed too, they are buffed out on a wheel.










molten metal tends to do whatever molten metal wants to do resulting in each heart having its own unique surface characteristics. to bring those out, they were given a patina consisting of hydrochloric acid, silver nitrate, copper sulfate, and other things that caused burns on my arms. they were then ever so gently buffed and rubbed finish.

i probably acquired several new forms of cancer from making these, so i hope you enjoy them.

the birthday bat

the extremely rare, and highly flamable, birthday bat makes an appearance for laura kuenzli, the owner of rivet gallery. thanks for all the support laura, and happy birthday. i probably wont be making too many of these little f-ers.

mighty meese and danger meese

new meeses for a cartoon themed show i co-curated with rivet gallery. "we'll be right back... after these messages" opens saturday, august 1st. i will be present for the opening. click on the links for more info.

t-shirts coming soon...

exclusive Rivet Gallery t-shirts will be available soon. If you are interested, please contact http://rivetgallery.com/.