Snow And Spring Sky Printmaking By Jerry Di Falco

Year:

Medium:

Etching Print

Size - (USA):

24 W x 18 H x 0.5 D (inches)

Size - (metric):

61.0 W x 45.7 H x 1.3 D (centimeters)

Theme:

Rural

Edition:

Original

Artwork ID:

639613

PDF Copy:

Artwork Info Sheet (PDF)

Artwork Description:

The full title is SNOW AND SPRING SKY IN LAMA DEI PELIGNI. A blend of oil based, French inks were employed in this etching, which was printed on RivesBFK white paper. The techniques of intaglio and Chine colle combine to give this winter scene a poignant mood. The work, printed on a zinc plate that measured nine inches high by twelve inches wide or 22.860cm by 30.480cm, required three individual baths in nitric acid. The print itself measures about thirteen inches high by seventeen inches wide, or 33.020cm by 43.180cm. It ships in a mat and frame whose size is about eighteen inches by twenty-four inches, or 45.720cm by 60.960cm. This specific print, Number Two of Five, is from the First of Four Editions. All editions are limited to five etchings. A mulberry bark paper from Thailand, infused with Japanese kozo threads and treated with methylcellulose, was employed in the Chine colle process. Di Falco printed this editionon a Charles Brand industrial sized floor press, which was made in New York City. This work is based on original drawings adapted from a photograph taken by Di Falco in 1990. While he was living in Madrid, the artist drove to this Italian village, Lama dei Peligni in the Central Province of Abruzzi, to explore the area where his paternal grandfather was born in the late 1800s. The following text outlines the artist s Chine collé, or Chinese Pasting, techniqueMethyl cellulose powder is reconstituted with spring water and applied to hand-dyed mulberry bark paper infused with kozo threads--Brand Name Unryu--from Thailand. The treated paper is then allowed to dry overnight and then cut to fit the etching plate areas where color is desired in the finished print. These stenciled and hand-cut mulberry-bark papers are first dampened and next placed upon the already inked and wiped etching plate. The printing process continues, and a multi-colored image on paper results. Side note about KozoIn 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 kozo bush, specifically the innermost of three layers of bark, which must be removed, cooked, and beaten before the sheets are formed. Kozo is harvested annually.

Artwork Keywords:   Intaglio, Italy, Village, Abruzzo, Snow Scene, Mulberry Bark Paper, Etching Ink On Paper, Original Printmaking

Materials:   Etching Prints