E.113 Kevin Lincoln 1998

• I. 1st state of 5

  

  Drypoint. A half-length portrait of Kevin Lincoln, against a blank background. Lincoln is turned in three-quarter profile to the left, has spectacles, and wears a jacket and sweater. There is evidence of burnishing around the head.

  Impression with rich burr, on wove paper, printed by Rick Amor in his Alphington studio. Inscribed in pencil, below the plate mark: lower left: ‘1 [circled]’; lower centre: ‘Kevin Lincoln’; lower right: signed and dated ‘Rick Amor 98’.

• II. 2nd state of 5

  Drypoint modelling has been added to the face and the jacket, and a horizontal line has been ruled along the bottom of the plate.

  Impression on wove paper, printed by Rick Amor in his Alphington studio. Inscribed in pencil, below the plate mark: lower left: ‘2 [circled]’; lower centre: ‘Kevin Lincoln’; lower right: signed and dated ‘Rick Amor 98’.

• III. 3rd state of 5

  Two fine, parallel vertical drypoint lines now extend up from the sitter’s left shoulder, near his head, to just below the plate mark. Drypoint hatching has been added beside the head at the right, as well as to the sitter’s right shoulder and to his spectacles. There are three variant impressions of this state.

  1. Impression with even film of light grey plate tone, on wove paper, printed by Rick Amor in his Alphington studio. Inscribed in pencil, below the plate mark: lower left: ‘3 [circled]’; lower centre: ‘Kevin Lincoln’; lower right: signed and dated ‘Rick Amor 98’.
  2. Darker, selectively wiped impression with strong burr, on wove paper, printed by Rick Amor in his Alphington studio. Inscribed in pencil, below the plate mark: lower left: ‘4 [circled]’; lower centre: ‘Kevin Lincoln’; lower right: signed and dated ‘Rick Amor 98’. Although inscribed ‘4’, this is an impression of the third state.
  3. Dark impression with much plate tone, on wove paper, printed by Rick Amor in his Alphington studio. Inscribed in pencil, below the plate mark: lower left: ‘5 [circled]’; lower centre: ‘Kevin Lincoln’; lower right: signed and dated ‘Rick Amor 98’. Although inscribed ‘5’, this is an impression of the third state.

• III.b. 3rd state of 5

  

  Two fine, parallel vertical drypoint lines now extend up from the sitter’s left shoulder, near his head, to just below the plate mark. Drypoint hatching has been added beside the head at the right, as well as to the sitter’s right shoulder and to his spectacles. There are three variant impressions of this state.

• IV. 4th state of 5

  Etching has been added to much of the plate. A loosely cross-hatched vertical panel has been etched behind the sitter’s head, and there is now a band of irregularly drawn shading below the figure. At the left is a sketchy rendering of studio paraphernalia. Much delicate etched modelling has been added to the face, neck and jacket. There are two variant impressions of this state.

  1. Cleanly wiped impression on wove paper, printed by Rick Amor in his Alphington studio. Inscribed in pencil, below the plate mark: lower left: ‘6 [circled]’; lower centre: ‘Kevin Lincoln’; lower right: signed and dated ‘Rick Amor 98’. Although inscribed ‘6’, this is an impression of the fourth state.
  2. Dark impression on wove paper, printed by Rick Amor in his Alphington studio. Inscribed in pencil, below the plate mark: lower left: ‘7 [circled]’; lower centre: ‘Kevin Lincoln’; lower right: signed and dated ‘Rick Amor 98’. Although inscribed ‘7’, this is an impression of the fourth state.

• V. 5th and final state (Featured Image)

  

  Much new work in drypoint has been added to the vertical panel behind the head, to the face, and to the jacket.

  Cleanly wiped impression with rich burr, on wove paper, printed by Rick Amor in his Alphington studio. Inscribed in pencil, below the plate mark: lower left: ‘8 [circled]’; lower centre: ‘Kevin Lincoln’; lower right: signed and dated ‘Rick Amor 98’. Although inscribed ‘8’, this is the fifth and final state.

• Edition, 1998

  Variable edition of four numbered impressions, on wove paper, printed by Rick Amor in his Alphington studio. The edition included two artist’s proofs. Each impression is inscribed in pencil, below the plate mark: lower left: ‘[status of impression]’ [or] ‘[I through IV]/IV’; lower centre: ‘Kevin Lincoln’; lower right: signed and dated ‘Rick Amor 98’.

  Edition sheet size: 382 x 280 mm

• Comment

  Rick Amor and Kevin Lincoln (b. 1941) have been friends for many years, and both artists have made portraits of each other. Amor has painted a caricature of Lincoln, as well as a portrait in oils (Niagara Galleries 1996), with E.113 being his most recent portrait of his friend; it was made when Lincoln was fifty-seven years old.

  The portrait was first scored in drypoint, directly in front of the subject, in Amor’s Alphington studio and was subsequently worked up and completed. Having achieved a good likeness by the second state, Amor turned to the setting, providing a stabilizing geometry behind the sitter. This geometry reflects the careful placement of elements in Lincoln’s own works and also illustrates Amor’s method of working out his compositions by means of calculated, grid-like structures.

  Amor has explained that the unusual way he numbered the edition impressions in this instance is due to the fact that he did not wish to print a big edition.