Hand colored Intaglio etching on Somerset Satin White Paper
10 x 8
Available
$2,400.00 USD
Plum Tree Hc. TP is a mixed technique rare hand-colored hard ground etching with aquatint done between 1994 - 2021. The image plate size is 10” x 8” and the torn-down paper size measures 13” x 11”. This impression is annotated “Hand-colored Trial Proof” in the lower left and signed by the artist in the lower right. The trial proof was printed by the artist. There is a small pinhole in the top margin made while the proof was pinned to the studio wall for evaluation.
This rare hand-colored etching is available from the the Fine Art Inns for $2,400.
The intaglio trial proof which forms the foundation of this image was created in 1994 in the early stages of plate development. It did not fully contain all the image elements that can be seen in the end stage of the trial proofing process. This underdeveloped trial proof allowed for more freedom in composing the shapes of the branching and the tree blossoms during the careful meditative hand-coloring process applied in 2021. The hand-coloring media is a mix of watercolor and oil paint. The hand-coloring was finished with a varnish to enrich the color saturation.
The trial proof included the printed cerulean blue aquatint color of the background in the image and the contrasting rusty yellow ocher ink color seen in the etched lines of the architectural ornamentation and the random tinting and delicate textural marks that integrate with the background blue. This particular blue and yellow ochre color combination were inspired by colors at the bottom of the UC Berkeley Strawberry Canyon swimming pool which I swam in almost daily while I was developing the plates for the Plum Tree edition series. I was captivated by the penetrating sunlight which continually shifted these delicate color interactions on the floor and wall of the swimming pool.
The Japanese plum tree in the image is based on an actual tree near my printmaking studio in Emeryville, California. The architectural ornamentation juxtaposed in the image is patterned after a large window on the front of an old house on MLK Boulevard in Berkeley. I passed this house regularly when I rode my bike from my apartment near campus to my studio. I whimsically thought of the building as the Pig Nose house. I had the intricate Japanese stamp mark, which represents my name, made during a trip to Tokyo. I have rarely used the stamp on my prints. The mark seen here is one of the few. The Tama Art University Museum in Tokyo purchased a proof of the first Plum Tree edition variation.
My earliest recollection of being deeply entranced by the exuberance and joyful enthusiasm of fruit tree blossoms happened when I was a young child. There was a moderate-sized cherry tree orchard not too far from where I lived that I used to play in. I have a memory of running and high jumping through the orchard in springtime when it was exploding with fragrant blossom. It made me feel like I could fly.
Now, when I admire and contemplate the expressive vibrancy and energy of blossoming trees I have reverence for the fleeting nature of flowers and I reflect on the marvelous beauty and brevity of moments and I feel really grateful.
Plum Tree Hc. TP is a mixed technique rare hand-colored hard ground etching with aquatint done between 1994 - 2021. The image plate size is 10” x 8” and the torn-down paper size measures 13” x 11”. This impression is annotated “Hand-colored Trial Proof” in the lower left and signed by the artist in the lower right. The trial proof was printed by the artist. There is a small pinhole in the top margin made while the proof was pinned to the studio wall for evaluation.
This rare hand-colored etching is available from the the Fine Art Inns for $2,400.
The intaglio trial proof which forms the foundation of this image was created in 1994 in the early stages of plate development. It did not fully contain all the image elements that can be seen in the end stage of the trial proofing process. This underdeveloped trial proof allowed for more freedom in composing the shapes of the branching and the tree blossoms during the careful meditative hand-coloring process applied in 2021. The hand-coloring media is a mix of watercolor and oil paint. The hand-coloring was finished with a varnish to enrich the color saturation.
The trial proof included the printed cerulean blue aquatint color of the background in the image and the contrasting rusty yellow ocher ink color seen in the etched lines of the architectural ornamentation and the random tinting and delicate textural marks that integrate with the background blue. This particular blue and yellow ochre color combination were inspired by colors at the bottom of the UC Berkeley Strawberry Canyon swimming pool which I swam in almost daily while I was developing the plates for the Plum Tree edition series. I was captivated by the penetrating sunlight which continually shifted these delicate color interactions on the floor and wall of the swimming pool.
The Japanese plum tree in the image is based on an actual tree near my printmaking studio in Emeryville, California. The architectural ornamentation juxtaposed in the image is patterned after a large window on the front of an old house on MLK Boulevard in Berkeley. I passed this house regularly when I rode my bike from my apartment near campus to my studio. I whimsically thought of the building as the Pig Nose house. I had the intricate Japanese stamp mark, which represents my name, made during a trip to Tokyo. I have rarely used the stamp on my prints. The mark seen here is one of the few. The Tama Art University Museum in Tokyo purchased a proof of the first Plum Tree edition variation.
My earliest recollection of being deeply entranced by the exuberance and joyful enthusiasm of fruit tree blossoms happened when I was a young child. There was a moderate-sized cherry tree orchard not too far from where I lived that I used to play in. I have a memory of running and high jumping through the orchard in springtime when it was exploding with fragrant blossom. It made me feel like I could fly.
Now, when I admire and contemplate the expressive vibrancy and energy of blossoming trees I have reverence for the fleeting nature of flowers and I reflect on the marvelous beauty and brevity of moments and I feel really grateful.