Press Release
January 19th 2013
Katsuhiko NAKAJIMA
Engraving / Watercolor EXHIBITION
Fusion of engraving technique and the watercolor technique
It is March 3 from February 21, 2013
Gallery MUGI
1. Encounter with the copperplate engraving
It was 2004 that I began copperplate engraving production.
I enjoyed to make pictures of plants and scenery sketching in an interval of the bird watching which I began in the 1970s. And I went out in bird watching in Canada and Australia including overseas travel from 2000. The sketching in these destinations is big pleasure.
A relationship is in 2004, and I entranced to "HANGA-AOIMI" that it is the copperplate engraving classroom of the Sayama-City Public Hall. I learned the basics about various technique of the copperplate engraving by the artist Mr. Teruo AOKI, he died in June, 2012.
There was the advice of the teacher and exhibited it at a 2008 80th “SHIN-KOUZOU Exhibition”. I exhibited it at every year and won "a prize for study" by the 2012- 84th “SHIN-KOUZOU Exhibition”.
By the way, the watercolor, I won "an excellent prize" in the second whole country thumbhole open call for participants exhibition by Association of Japan Modern Art (2010).
2. Fusion of a watercolor and the print
I discovered that an effect same as the grisaille method of painting (I draw the part of the shadow in gray and sepia before coloring) that was one technique of the watercolor in a engraving work. This was big gain.
I make the part of the shadow with the color of the gray to emphasize a black and white part of the copperplate engraving more, and shadow becomes clear when I color it afterwards, and a tone of nature is provided.
The coloring to copper engraving was used for a natural history pictures and was using it widely in the Europe. I am strongly attracted by this natural history pictures, and it is an opportunity to learn a copperplate engraving.
The copperplate engravings are classified in five methods by the production method, technique.
Etching, a soft ground, aquatint, dry-point and mezzotint.
● Etching: Corroding a copper sheet with acid and make the negative plate of the intaglio.
● A soft ground: Coating a copper sheet at a ground and after pushing cloth or a leaf to the top, and having removed a ground, corroding with acid and make the negative plate edition of the intaglio.
● Aquatint: Fixing powder of the pine resin to a copper sheet as a most moving passage agent-proof and make condition by degree of the coarseness and minuteness and corroding and make a negative plate with acid.
● Drypoint: A method ( not use the medicine) scratching with a needle made by steel to a copper sheet directly, and to drawing pictures. Similar technique has roulette and a burin.
● Mezzotint: Painting pictures to the minute thing which amaging on the surface of the copper sheet using needle and make a negative plate.
3. Method of copying the form of the thing, and to stick
The print copies the form that I pictured in the first edition. There is the method to copy form elsewhere.
There is frottage in the representative technique by a method to copy the form of the thing (It’s resemble soft grand technique).
● Frottage (frottage) comes from French frotter. Puting the top on the board of the tree, the uneven thing including the coin, and the surface design is copied by paper when rubbing with pencils and etc. A work provided in this way is called a work by the frottage technique.
● The words that the collage means French "pasting" in one of the technique of the modern painting with collage (collage). It is creation technique that putting every property and the inconsistent subject matter (including a press-cutting, wall paper, documents, miscellaneous objects) without the normal drawing method, and to be able to stick. New expression is possible when I perform the use (including the collage) of one's own copperplate engraving in a watercolor using this technique.
4. New expression by the combination of the technique
I was able to get new self-expression by using these technique compositely.
I explain the example in the next production process.
① I copy a worm-eaten leaf in the paper by frottage.
Because dead leaves fragile, I wet it by a sprayer once and catch the leaf in the newspaper and do a weight. It becomes smooth for copying.
② I stick the copperplate engraving which I print it to the Japanese paper which I prepared for particularly and took on ① (collage).
The method to produce the printing block of the copperplate engraving uses the technique of etching and the aquatint mainly.
I print it on the ultrathin Japanese paper that the back is transparent with ink of black and the sepia and take it.
③ I cut the outside along the outline of the picture of the Japanese paper.
④ I draw an illustration of insect and background.
I draw an insect and the scenery with a pencil. I soak a shadow in stumps then. I put a color of the gray system on the part of a stronger shadow (grisaille). Shadow becomes clear, and can emphasize a three-dimensional impression by doing it this way.
⑤ After having done coloring to a background part, I make light coloring on a leaf or an insect (watercolor).
Finally I make a stain with coffee and make the matter with the atmosphere with other material.
There is the method that using the thing which printed one's own watercolor and copperplate engraving on an ultrathin Japanese paper to do frottage. In addition, there is a method to give light coloring after having made a grisaille on a print. Besides, there are methods (back coloring) I color the back side after having printed it on a Japanese paper, and to give a color on the surface. The pair is a lot, and various expressions are possible.
THE END
January 19th 2013
Katsuhiko NAKAJIMA
Engraving / Watercolor EXHIBITION
Fusion of engraving technique and the watercolor technique
It is March 3 from February 21, 2013
Gallery MUGI
1. Encounter with the copperplate engraving
It was 2004 that I began copperplate engraving production.
I enjoyed to make pictures of plants and scenery sketching in an interval of the bird watching which I began in the 1970s. And I went out in bird watching in Canada and Australia including overseas travel from 2000. The sketching in these destinations is big pleasure.
A relationship is in 2004, and I entranced to "HANGA-AOIMI" that it is the copperplate engraving classroom of the Sayama-City Public Hall. I learned the basics about various technique of the copperplate engraving by the artist Mr. Teruo AOKI, he died in June, 2012.
There was the advice of the teacher and exhibited it at a 2008 80th “SHIN-KOUZOU Exhibition”. I exhibited it at every year and won "a prize for study" by the 2012- 84th “SHIN-KOUZOU Exhibition”.
By the way, the watercolor, I won "an excellent prize" in the second whole country thumbhole open call for participants exhibition by Association of Japan Modern Art (2010).
2. Fusion of a watercolor and the print
I discovered that an effect same as the grisaille method of painting (I draw the part of the shadow in gray and sepia before coloring) that was one technique of the watercolor in a engraving work. This was big gain.
I make the part of the shadow with the color of the gray to emphasize a black and white part of the copperplate engraving more, and shadow becomes clear when I color it afterwards, and a tone of nature is provided.
The coloring to copper engraving was used for a natural history pictures and was using it widely in the Europe. I am strongly attracted by this natural history pictures, and it is an opportunity to learn a copperplate engraving.
The copperplate engravings are classified in five methods by the production method, technique.
Etching, a soft ground, aquatint, dry-point and mezzotint.
● Etching: Corroding a copper sheet with acid and make the negative plate of the intaglio.
● A soft ground: Coating a copper sheet at a ground and after pushing cloth or a leaf to the top, and having removed a ground, corroding with acid and make the negative plate edition of the intaglio.
● Aquatint: Fixing powder of the pine resin to a copper sheet as a most moving passage agent-proof and make condition by degree of the coarseness and minuteness and corroding and make a negative plate with acid.
● Drypoint: A method ( not use the medicine) scratching with a needle made by steel to a copper sheet directly, and to drawing pictures. Similar technique has roulette and a burin.
● Mezzotint: Painting pictures to the minute thing which amaging on the surface of the copper sheet using needle and make a negative plate.
3. Method of copying the form of the thing, and to stick
The print copies the form that I pictured in the first edition. There is the method to copy form elsewhere.
There is frottage in the representative technique by a method to copy the form of the thing (It’s resemble soft grand technique).
● Frottage (frottage) comes from French frotter. Puting the top on the board of the tree, the uneven thing including the coin, and the surface design is copied by paper when rubbing with pencils and etc. A work provided in this way is called a work by the frottage technique.
● The words that the collage means French "pasting" in one of the technique of the modern painting with collage (collage). It is creation technique that putting every property and the inconsistent subject matter (including a press-cutting, wall paper, documents, miscellaneous objects) without the normal drawing method, and to be able to stick. New expression is possible when I perform the use (including the collage) of one's own copperplate engraving in a watercolor using this technique.
4. New expression by the combination of the technique
I was able to get new self-expression by using these technique compositely.
I explain the example in the next production process.
① I copy a worm-eaten leaf in the paper by frottage.
Because dead leaves fragile, I wet it by a sprayer once and catch the leaf in the newspaper and do a weight. It becomes smooth for copying.
② I stick the copperplate engraving which I print it to the Japanese paper which I prepared for particularly and took on ① (collage).
The method to produce the printing block of the copperplate engraving uses the technique of etching and the aquatint mainly.
I print it on the ultrathin Japanese paper that the back is transparent with ink of black and the sepia and take it.
③ I cut the outside along the outline of the picture of the Japanese paper.
④ I draw an illustration of insect and background.
I draw an insect and the scenery with a pencil. I soak a shadow in stumps then. I put a color of the gray system on the part of a stronger shadow (grisaille). Shadow becomes clear, and can emphasize a three-dimensional impression by doing it this way.
⑤ After having done coloring to a background part, I make light coloring on a leaf or an insect (watercolor).
Finally I make a stain with coffee and make the matter with the atmosphere with other material.
There is the method that using the thing which printed one's own watercolor and copperplate engraving on an ultrathin Japanese paper to do frottage. In addition, there is a method to give light coloring after having made a grisaille on a print. Besides, there are methods (back coloring) I color the back side after having printed it on a Japanese paper, and to give a color on the surface. The pair is a lot, and various expressions are possible.
THE END
The private exhibition is next month. It comes over soon.
