Going Up
Joyful woman rises
Media: Intaglio etching (see definition tab) and colored pencil
Dimensions: image 13” x 24”; framed 19” x 30”
Background story: I have always been fascinated by clouds in the sky and have incorporated them into many of my pieces. In this work, the sky has gone from horizontal to vertical—a visual metaphor for ‘rising up.’ The expansive use of white space in the work is the place where the joyful woman releases regrets, difficult experiences, and emotional baggage as she peacefully rises into her new future.
Amelia Island: I am overjoyed with the beautiful, expansive clouds over the Atlantic Ocean and the river marshes here, especially at sunrise or sunset. One day, while I was walking on the beach, a powered paraglider flew overhead. I thought, “Wouldn’t it be nice if that were a hot air balloon silently drifting through the sunrise.” I immediately thought to add the sunrise colors of a new day to the clouds in this work.
Nature facts: Why not plan to catch an unbelievably magnificent sunrise or sunset? Here is a couple of different links to find out the times for daybreak and dusk on Amelia Island:
https://www.timeanddate.com/astronomy/@4145972
https://sunrisesunset.willyweather.com/fl/nassau-county/amelia-island.html
SHIPPING NOTE: This is a large piece! Please contact the Gallery at galleryguild@yahoo.com for shipping costs if you are not local. (Free local delivery within 32034. Select “Pickup in Gallery“ as your shipping option.)
More about Marcia DeFalco
Marcia’s editions are in very small, hand-pulled editions. The Artist Proof (AP) is a way for the artist to assess what has been produced on the plate and to experiment with different colors and combinations of colors before deciding on a final edition. An original print when combined with other media such as colored oil pencils, watercolors, collage, assemblage, or pen and ink is one of a kind.
What is mixed media art?
Mixed media describes artwork in which more than one medium or material has been employed. Assemblages, collages, and sculpture are three common examples of art using different media. Materials used to create mixed media art include, but are not limited to, paint, cloth, paper, wood and found objects. The first modern artwork to be considered mixed media is Pablo Picasso's 1912 collage Still Life with Chair Caning, which used paper, cloth, paint and rope.
What is a fine art print?
It is an original work of art drawn and designed by the artist. Because each print is made -- inked and pulled by hand printed usually on hand-made, acid free paper -- each is considered an original work of art produced in limited editions. Prints are graphic arts because they were among the earliest forms of mass communications.
The richness and variety of the hand-printmaking process has always attracted fine artists. Some of the old and modern masters include Durer, Ernst, Lasansky, Goya and Picasso.
There are many forms of printmaking. Some examples include:
Monoprints, etchings (including intaglio), lithographs, linoleum or linocut, and woodcut.
What is an intaglio etching?
A metal plate is first covered with an acid-resistant ground. The original drawing is transferred to the dried ground then a needle is used to redraw the lines. After parts of the metal are exposed, it is placed in an acid bath where the initial line drawing is eaten or etched into the metal to create depressed lines. Shading, depth and additional detail are created with other techniques and through multiple submersions in the acid to etch the plate.
The final plate is individually hand-inked and rolled through a press, printing on wet paper, pulling one print at a time off the metal plate.
What is chine colle’?
A piece of Oriental, handmade paper is pre-glued and pressed into the surface of the print as it is run by hand through a press. “Chine” is the French word for China, referring to the fact that the thin paper originally used with this technique was imported from China.
What is a lithograph?
This method of printing is based on the immiscibility of oil and water. The image is drawn with oil, fat, or wax-based substances onto the surface of a smooth plate. The surface is treated with a mixture of acid and gum Arabic, etching the portions of the plate that are not protected by the grease-based image.
When the plate is subsequently moistened, these etched areas retain water; an oil-based ink is applied and is repelled by the water, sticking only to the original drawing. The ink is finally transferred to a blank piece of acid-free, hand-made paper, producing a print limited number of signed pieces of art.
What is a woodcut?
The oldest form of printmaking, woodcut is a relief process in which knives and other tools are used to carve a design into the surface of a wooden block. The raised areas that remain after the block has been cut are inked and printed, while the recessed areas that are cut away do not retain ink and will remain blank in the final print.
Multiple colors are printed individually after cutting away the surface for the previous color after printing it; the paper must be perfectly registered each time; the process is repeated until the surface is devoid of the image and no more prints can be made.
What is a linocut?
Lino printing is a form of fine art printmaking where the printing plate is cut into lino. Yes, lino as in linoleum, as in the floor covering. The lino is then inked, a piece of paper placed over it, and then run through a printing press or pressure applied by hand to transfer the ink to the paper. The result, a linocut print. Because it's a smooth surface, the lino itself doesn't add texture to the print.