Sentience was recently selected to participate in the Contemporary Northwest Print Invitational at Davidson Galleries in Seattle, WA., August 2019. I’m particularly pleased with the background. It’s what etchers call a “happy mistake”.
Tag: 9X12
Everything is a Cycle
The umber plate is comprised of plant matter I gathered in my garden. I love how soft ground picks up the finest detail. The black plate has some soft ground but was mostly created using various depths of aquatint. My background is science and I’m continually thrilled with what I see around me.
Nautilus I
There are so many colors and textures beneath the waves. Planning this I walked along the beach, went to the aquarium and of course perused the library. After all that I still spent several days moving my sketched objects around the plate. Two plates were used. The upper green formation is a kale leaf and the bottom is a type of moss.
Patterns
This etching is a chine colle. I etched the woman’s outline on the plate and then lost my direction, so I put it away for a couple years. Eventually I put the tree in and then to balance it I added the tattoos. I spent a lot of time trying to balance this piece – I learned that it pays to plan a little more.
Coral Blossom
This etching was an experiment. I used the back of a copper sheet found in the recycle. It was deeply etched where the acid had eaten around the masking tape used to protect the back. I just kept adding lines to the plate until I decided I had better quit. I added the embossing because it fit in a frame better. This was my first embossing experience – but you will see more of it in my later prints.
Okeanos
This is one of my early etchings. I love pattern and detail – which shows in this piece.
In Paris
This Parisian kindly agreed to be photographed. I loved his clothing and endeavored to closely copy it.
California Dreaming
The final press run was a monoprint to finish the clouds
Nature & Nuture
This print delights me. The book is a leather bound volume of Locke’s essay – “Human Understanding” published in 1857. I own that book. On top of it is a pear, grown on a neighbor’s tree and a small bird nest that fell out of one of my trees. I had never etched a bird nest and I struggled with this. Being a person with a love of science I drew it exactly as it was. I could have shaped it more dramatically and pretty but that’s how it was, rather crunched with twigs in disarray.
Vicki Platts Art 