Post #6 of What’s in My Drawers- Firenze VIII.

A dream come true for an artist early in her career, 3 weeks studying printmaking in Florence, Italy.  Countless hours exploring the museums and streets of the center of the Italian Renaissance, it was there at the Uffizi Museum, I saw Botticelli’s famous painting, Birth of Venus which is at the heart of this print.  Hungry to absorb it all, I collected postcards of these masterpieces. Back at the studio at Santa Reparata Graphic Art Centre (now the SRISA,) I created a series of collograph (colloage) plates of layered and incised cardboard and Carborundum grit (abrasive material that is available from very fine to coarse) that created a mezzotint effect when inked like an etching, and then relief rolled color on the surface. These plates were then printed on an etching press and the iconic images I had been collecting became a pictorial and visceral record of what became a pivotal point in my life.

Collograph with Chine Collé, ©NanciHersh

Firenze VIII, collograph with chine collé, 15″ x 11″ unframed, ©NanciHersh $150.00 unframed free shipping (also available framed- photo on request)

Shortly after returning home, I filed for divorce and then, enrolled in grad school at the University of Hawaii. Many years later, these images evoke a time of adventure, passion, great beauty and, above all, a commitment- to grow and to follow my path.

 

 

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