Offing
This animation is a short meditation; a grounding art work that offers a moment for stillness and focus.
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 is a simple dissolve filter of graduating still images. The animation begins with an atmospheric effect 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 work references energy, light, and third-eye consciousness.
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 full series of mezzotint prints 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 offers filters that have effects and qualities borrowed from fundamental printmaking techniques.
Flower cloud (with audio)
Spit bite on copper plate etching.
An audio track accompanies the animation. Turn up your speakers.
Paris clouds
Mezzotint and roulette engraving on copper plate.
The source for the basis of the cloud imagery was an oil painting by surrealist Rene Magritte titled La Bataille de L’Argonne (1959).
Religiosity
Photo-etching and engraving on copper plate.
Original imagery 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 produced a continuum (similar to still images that form the moving image in a film reel). Each print was scanned and imported into an editing software to produce the animation.
The etching series’ can be viewed on the Prints page. Documentation for the Points of Light exhibition at Stride +15 gallery space can be viewed on the About page.