Linda Adato : City with a Twist 

(two plate color etching, aquatint and soft ground)

(Master Printmaker & Contemporary Artist - 1942-2021)

"My etchings and monotypes depict diverse architectural themes: ancient ruins, New York City buildings, bridges, and my own backyard. I enjoy exploring the geometry of the structures in these images and capturing the light at a certain moment or time of day.

I am attracted to the interplay of light and shadow which is especially amenable to the etching process. I start the image abstractly from the forms observed. The intaglio technique of line, aquatint, and soft ground lend themselves well to finding the lights and rich darks in these images. The colors, always an interesting challenge, are applied "a la poupee" i.e., inked and wiped on the plate prior to printing. One or two plates are used for each image depending on the needs of the composition and complexity of color application, I do not so much execute the initial idea as I develop it in the course of the intaglio process. As I take a journey from drawing to final print, each proof tells me where to go and what can be.

For the monotype (a unique printed impression), I use oil paint on a metal plate and transfer the image to paper through my etching press. This technique differs from painting in that the paint is embedded in the paper rather than sitting on the surface. Thus I find a subtly distinctive quality to the monotype. As a printmaker, using both etching and monotype, I have a wider variety of methods to explore the urban landscape." - Linda Adato