E.137 By the sea 2006

• I. 1st state of 4

  

  Etching. A square, flat-topped wooden structure on five columns stands on a curved beach. On the right is a prominent light pole, and there are trees on the distant promontory. The subject is comparatively loosely etched and the sky is blank.

  Impression on wove paper, printed by Rick Amor in his Alphington studio. Inscribed in pencil, below the plate mark: lower left: ‘1-1’; lower centre: ‘By the Sea’; lower right: signed and dated ‘R Amor 06’.

• II. 2nd state of 4

  Much new etching has been added, most noticeably to the wooden structure, which is now distinctly lit from the right. The lower right corner has been burnished. There are two variant impressions of this state.

  1. Impression on wove paper, printed by Rick Amor in his Alphington studio. Inscribed in pencil, below the plate mark: lower left: ‘1-2’; lower centre: ‘By the Sea’; lower right: signed and dated ‘R Amor 06’.
  2. Impression on wove paper, printed by Rick Amor in his Alphington studio. Inscribed in pencil, below the plate mark: lower left: ‘2-2’; lower centre: ‘By the Sea’; lower right: signed and dated ‘R Amor 06’.

• III. 3rd state of 4

  

  The sky now has wispy clouds. More etched hatching has been applied to the wooden structure, and a line has been added to mark the horizon. The plate has been re-etched and consequently the etched lines are now thicker.

  Impression on wove paper, printed by Rick Amor in his Alphington studio. Inscribed in pencil, below the plate mark: lower left: ‘1-3’; lower centre: ‘By the Sea’; lower right: signed and dated ‘R Amor 06’.

   

• IV. 4th and final state

  Drypoint accents have been added to the wooden structure in order to intensify the dark shadows, while its illuminated receding side has been burnished to lighten it further. The sea to the right of the structure has been burnished. There are two variant impressions of this state.

  1. Impression on wove paper, printed by Rick Amor in his Alphington studio. Inscribed in pencil, below the plate mark: lower left: ‘1-4’; lower centre: ‘By the Sea’; lower right: signed and dated ‘R Amor 06’.
  2. Impression on wove paper, printed by Rick Amor in his Alphington studio. Inscribed in pencil, below the plate mark: lower left: ‘AP’; lower centre: ‘By the Sea’; lower right: signed and dated ‘R Amor 06’.

• IV.a. 4th and final state (Featured Image)

  

  Drypoint accents have been added to the wooden structure in order to intensify the dark shadows, while its illuminated receding side has been burnished to lighten it further. The sea to the right of the structure has been burnished. There are two variant impressions of this state.

• No edition

• Comment

  This tiny image is not based on a single view but has been assembled from a combination of sources, including a view of Port Melbourne beach (which in 2015 became the site of a new quay) and a wooden structure from the Yarra River, relocated by Amor to the beach. Variations on this structure occur in several etchings, including Structure with vapour trails, 1993, reworked 1995 (cat. no. E.084), Yarraville, 1994 (cat. no. E.089), and By the river, 1995 (cat. no. E.101).

  In making the present work, the challenge for Amor was to obtain a convincing sense of massive scale within a miniature format.