A Fountain In Savannah Printmaking By Jerry Di Falco

Year:

Medium:

Etching Print

Size - (USA):

11 W x 15 H x 1 D (inches)

Size - (metric):

27.9 W x 38.1 H x 2.5 D (centimeters)

Theme:

Botanical

Edition:

Original

Artwork ID:

607090

PDF Copy:

Artwork Info Sheet (PDF)

Artwork Description:

This work was printed and published by the artist in 2017 at The Center for Works on Paper, which is on the Philadelphia campus of The Fleisher Art Memorial. The etching was executed on two zinc plates, and DiFalco employed the techniques of Intaglio, Chine colle, Aquatint, and Drypoint. Five separate baths in a Nitric acid were used to arrive at the final, desired image, which is based on the Forsyth Park Fountain in Savannah, Georgia, USA. DiFalco based his original drawing for the print on a photograph taken in either 1939 or 1944 by the artist Frances Benjamin Johnson, born 1864 and died 1952, one of the first openly lesbian photographers of her day. The Johnson photo is a part of the US Library of Congress, in the Carnegie Survey of the Architecture of the South Collection. Call Number is LC-J7-GA- 1195, Prints and Pictures Department. DiFalco frequently uses multiple plates to produce one printed image. Each plate measured seven inches wide by five inches high or 17.780cm by 12.700cm. A blend of colors, including gold, was applied to the plate before mixing and wiping. DiFalco used oil-based etching ink, Charbonnel brand, and printed on RiveBFK white paper from France. The overall image size is about ten-inches high by seven-inches wide, and the printing paper was cut to eleven-inches by fifteen inches. This etching of the Savannah Fountain, which was made famous in the film MIDNIGHT IN THE GARDEN OF GOOD AND EVIL directed by Clint Eastwood, is presented in 4 Editions. THIS WORK OF FINE ART IS SHIPPED TO THE COLLECTOR WITHOUT A FRAME OR MAT. THE SHIPMENT MATERIALS ARE HEAVY WEIGHT AND PROFESSIONAL. THE ETCHING IS FIRST WRAPPED IN ARCHIVAL GLASSINE AND THEN PLACED BETWEEN TWO ACID FREE BOARDS. THIS IS THEN PLACED IN A PROFESSIONAL CARDBOARD SHIPMENT BOX, WHICH IS PACKED WITH BUBBLE WRAP. THE SHIPMENT PRICE IS ADDED TO THE SALE PRICE. In the Chine Colle Process, methylcellulose powder is reconstituted by mixing it with spring water and then applying the clear viscous substance to hand-dyed mulberry-bark paper from Thailand, Brand Unryu. In Japan, Unryu translates as CLOUD DRAGON paper because it has long swirling threads of kozo fibers integrated in it, thereby giving the texture and visual effect of clouds. Kozo fibers come the branches of the mulberrybush, specifically the innermost of three layers of bark, which must be removed, cooked, and beaten before the sheets are formed. Kozo is harvested annually. The treated Thai paper is then allowed to dry overnight and I cut it to fit the plate areas where I want color to exist in the print. These stenciled mulberry-bark papers are first dampened misted with water and placed upon the already inked and wiped etching plate. The printing process continues, and a multi-colored image on paper resulting. This hand-done process is a difficult and laborious one, which I do myself every step of the way.

Artwork Keywords:   Original Printmaking

Materials:   Etching Prints