Intaglio 2019 Gallery | Roberta Jean Smith

: CloudWalker II, Limited Edition of 20, $315 each. I like to imagine endangered species free from poaching threats, so cloud walking fills the bill. These guys are peacefully walking in the clouds enjoying their freedom. This etching with aquatint and burnishing was done at Josephine Press in Santa Monica printed by I. Henriquez in an edition of 20 on Somerset paper. 2PP, 3AP, 1BAT. Signed, dated, numbered. Certificate of Authenticity provided.

: Endangered Friends, Limited Edition of 20, $815 each. My Intaglio prints tend to be large for the medium. I guess that’s because I’m a painter who prefers to work on larger canvas, but I have always loved drawing and nothing captures the power of the line better than etching, engraving, or drypoint. This print uses etching and aquatint to capture my latest protest print about killing rhinos, let alone how earthlings are endangering other magnificent creatures, as well as our youth through climate change. I suppose this work is a little gloomy, but I want it to be “in your face”. Work was done at Josephine Press in Santa Monica, CA, with an edition of 20, printing done by S. Waco, on Somerset paper. 2 PP, 3AP, 1 BAT. Signed, titled, dated. Certificate of Authenticity provided.

: CloudWalker Sleeping, Limited Edition of 20, $995 each Soap ground aquatint and etching on copper plate 18×24 inches printed on Somerset paper 25×30 inches by master printer Courtney Sennish at Crown Point Press along with 2 artist proofs. Certificate of authenticity provided. Each print numbered, titled, signed, and dated. Rhinos like to snooze and, while sleeping, they curl their legs under their bodies and tilt their heads while leaning in one direction. Adorable and heart warming. Only their amazingly shaped ears move, often in opposite directions. (Rhinos have excellent hearing that compensates for their poor eyesight.) This image finds Cloudwalker peacefully settled among swirling dark clouds created by my soap ground technique to contrast with his tranquillity.

: CloudWalker Forming, Limited Edition of 20, $980 each. Soap ground Aquatint on copper plate with image 18×24 inches on Somerset paper, 25×30 inches, from an edition of 20 printed by Master Printer Courtney Sennish at Crown Point Press with two artist proofs. Certificate of Authenticity provided. Each print numbered, signed, titled, and dated. Protecting wildlife in their habitats should be a top priority for all, but I am especially drawn to rhinos. As an artist, I love their bizarre, ad hoc features: bad eyesight, fat bellies, knocked knees, funny ears, misplaced horns, pathetic tails, and skin formed like medieval armor that offers scant protection. And, they sleep late and wander around after dark. (What’s not to love?) When I was young, I spent my daydreaming hours looking for recognizable shapes in the clouds. This print is called “Cloudwalker Forming” in remembrance of my childhood idle days watching the sky.

: Protecting CloudWalker, Limited Edition of 20, $995 each. Etching, sugar lift, spit bite, and aquatint on copper plate 18×24 inches printed on 24×31 Somerset paper by master printer Courtney Sennish at Crown Point Press along with two artist proofs. Certificate of Authenticity provided. Each print numbered, titled, signed, and dated. So far, I’ve completed 7 intaglio prints on saving rhinos, and I intend to do more as workshops become available. An ancient craft perfected as armor decoration during the age of medieval knights, etching captures draftsmanship and conveys powerfully the direct expression of lines. “Protecting Cloudwalker” shows a knight guarding a free spirited rhino. I left my rhino white with cleanly drawn lines standing in an environment filled with wispy clouds contrasting with the dark bold strokes of the armored guard.