So this is the black and white version of the crazy, glittery hand-colored piece I put up a couple of weeks ago.  This, along with "Touched" and "Little Bird, Little Nest" is what I managed to complete over the last 10 weeks.  There was another (really big) plate that I worked on, but the stupid cold that I got completely derailed my work on it.  I'll admit, I feel like I didn't get much work done this quarter.  Only three complete plates is pretty skimpy by my standards (especially considering how much time I had to work in the studio).  I'm not going to beat myself up over it too much more, but needless to say I wasn't thrilled.

One of the things that was different about the evolution of this image is that I didn't have any plan when I started working on it.  My standard operating procedure is to have the image somewhat worked out in my sketchbook before needle ever hits copper.  The "erasing" procedure (scraping and burnishing) is tedious and time-consuming, so unless something is sticking out like a sore thumb, it's usually a lot better just to add to whatever you've got than it is to reduce.  However, my long-time instructor takes an opposite approach (usually by loosely sketching on a prepared plate with a china marker, and taking things from there), and I figured I'd give that approach a try.

So, the first thing that I drew was the herd of people at the bottom of the plate.  I drew their heads misshapen (as if their brains had atrophied, and no longer filled up their skulls), and gave them a sort of blindfold contraption (not a true blindfold, but more as if what they are seeing and hearing is being chosen for them and delivered to them through the contraption).  Their smiles aren't theirs, but a facsimile drawn on a piece of duct tape and used to cover their real mouths.  I etched the people, and nothing else on the plate initially.

Like I had said earlier in the post about the color version, I happened across a book about blacklight posters at the bookstore, and it made an immediate impression on me.  I figured I needed to add some sort of "trippy" image to contrast the very cattle-like part that was already there.  I've had this idea rolling around in my head about how literally everything needs USB ports any more, and after playing around with that thought in my head (and seeing a white iPod cord laying around), I decided that the Sun's teeth weren't teeth, but USB ports, from which the snakes would plug in and terrorize everyone, if they could only be bothered to notice.  I drew the Apeman in the tree there because I was thinking over the piece in my truck on the drive over to the studio, and the Kinks' "Apeman" popped up on my Zune (lyrics).

From there, it took a lot of work to get the image to work in black and white.  Despite (obviously, considering the blacklight poster idea) initially conceiving of this as something to hand-color, the print still needed to work in black and white.  So it took a couple of rounds of aquatint, a stab at soft ground, a couple further line etches, and some burnishing to create highlights to push it to a point where I think it stands on it's own.  You'll probably have to judge that for yourself, but from where I'm sitting, it's in the ballpark of okay.

One last thing about this print - although a common response to my work is that I'm either high as a kite or clinically insane (neither of which is true), I don't really get that from my own stuff.  I mean, it makes sense to me, even if I'm intentionally distorting things.  When this thing started to round into shape, I was kind of taken aback.  Even more so since it was pretty much the product of my subconscious - I just started drawing without any results in mind.  I had to set it aside for a time to come to terms with what I had drawn before I could set about turning it into a good drawing (and not just a rough draft).  I don't mind it now, but there were a couple of weeks where I'd alternate between not being able to look at it and staring intently at it, wondering where the hell that had come from.

Aw well.  The chicken wings were delicious, and there'll be a new Thunk in short order.  Until then...

c.