My initial interest was to watch Bills’ 1977 video interview with Dan Smith (OUR Dan Smith!) with Dan talking about making etching and litho inks and why, while he worked on making a batch of etching ink.  Bill’s UW (University of Washington) video students were making this documentary as an assignment.  It is so interesting to see how Dan wanted to make the best printmaking inks available to artists such as himself, because he could not find the high quality inks he wanted to work with.  It was fascinating to watch “Making Etching Ink: Featuring D.G. Smith – Artist and Entrepreneur”!  You can watch a 2 1/2 minuet trailer at that link.

 

Bill told us that Dan Smith made the small batches of etching and litho inks and gave them to some UW printmaking students (Dan taught litho at UW in 1976) to test out in their work.  In the video when talking about one of the reasons why he began making inks, Dan says, “I’m into making perfect materials“.  A couple of other phrases really caught my attention; “One of my most favorite pigments is Lamp Black” and Dan goes on to explain why (incredibly rich color) as well as some background info on Lamp Black.  Later Dan makes a really poignant comment that I know many Artists also feel, “I don’t know how to make Art a bigger part of the world.“  I hope you have an opportunity to watch the video (now DVD) someday, it’s very interesting to watch what was originally a student assignment interview of someone who eventually turned his passion for making the BEST Art Materials for Artists into the Art business we know as DANIEL SMITH: Artists’ Materials.  And today that passion still continues to make the highest quality Artists Inks and Paints in the world!

 

Bills’ demo set up added another level of interest because his handcrafted “Halfwood Presses” were amazing sculptures on their own.  The photos on line do not do them justice, they are exquisitely detailed, and while working presses, they look as if they should be on display.  Bill brought his personal Mini Halfwood Press as a display which has a couple of unique and charming features.  The first was a clock embedded in the fine woodwork, and the second….well it has a music box mechanism in it and Bill surprised and charmed several DS store staff when it began playing!

 

For the part of the demo where Bill was pulling intaglio prints, inked in DANIEL SMITH etching ink, off the copper plate, he used a brand new, never-been-used press (#49) to test it before sending off to it’s new owner in Australia.  So not only was Bill debuting press #49, he was also pulling prints off a plate he made to commemorate his DVD of Dan Smith that he had not printed from before….pure performance!  Bill believes printmaking is a performance art and this demo was absolutely a performance.  I hope you get a chance to see his Interactive Printmaking FREE Demo this Sunday at the Bellevue DANIEL SMITH Store:

 

Sun July 26th from 12 to 2 pm Special Time!
INTERACTIVE PRINTMAKING: Daniel Smith Etching Ink DVD
Bill Ritchie Pulling Prints!
emeralda.com

 

Thank you Bill!

[ And Thank You for the wonderful print, I will treasure it! ]

 

Every Day,  Express Yourself  with  ART….
 
~Deborah Burns
 
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This Saturday, the Bellevue DANIEL SMITH Store will have Artist Gail Baker demonstrating Acrylic Painting: “Acrylics in the Rough“.  It’s FREE, so come by and get some great Acrylic Painting tips from Gail.

“My plan is to give a background of the DVD we made in the 1970s, then play the DVD. While it’s playing, I’ll quietly print an etching I made, titled Portrait of Daniel Smith - using ink made by Daniel Smith, Inc. and on a Halfwood Press I designed.’- Bill Ritchie”