E.125 Near the mill 2001; reworked 2006

• I. 1st state of 4, 2001

  

  Etching. A view of a suburban park with a central path and, on the lawn at right, a man striding towards the right. At the left is a light pole, behind which is a bare tree. In the distance is a row of cypresses, behind which rise two tall chimneys and a tall rectangular building. The sky is closely etched with irregular rows of horizontal lines and there are cumulus clouds in the upper right corner.

  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: ‘Near the Mill’; lower right: signed and dated ‘Rick Amor 01’.

• II. 2nd state of 4, 2001

  Several white highlights in the cumulus clouds have been burnished to blur and soften their distinct shapes. The right contour of the trunk of the tree behind the light pole has been lightened by burnishing.

  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: ‘Near the Mill’; lower right: signed and dated ‘Rick Amor 01’.

• III. 3rd state of 4, 2001

  The top of the far left cypress has been darkened with more etching. 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: ‘1-3’; lower centre: ‘Near the Mill’; lower right: signed and dated ‘Rick Amor 01’.
  2. Dark impression with plate tone, on wove Magnani paper with watermark, printed by Rick Amor in his Alphington studio. Inscribed in pencil, below the plate mark: lower left: ‘2-3’; lower centre: ‘Near the Mill’; lower right: signed and dated ‘Rick Amor 01’.

• First edition, 2001

  Edition of thirty numbered impressions, on Magnani Acquerello paper, printed by Rosalind Atkins at the Australian Print Workshop, Fitzroy (Melbourne), July 2001. The edition included three artist’s proofs and two APW workshop proofs. Each impression is inscribed in pencil, below the plate mark: lower left: ‘[status of impression]’ [or] ‘[1 through 30]/30’; lower centre: ‘Near the Mill’; lower right: signed and dated ‘Rick Amor 01’.

  Edition sheet size: 250 x 280 mm

• IV. 4th and final state, 2006

  The plate was reworked in April 2006. The walking figure has been burnished away, the central path has been shaded with loose horizontal hatching, and much new cross-hatching has been added to the sky and clouds. Areas of the building at right have been burnished, giving greater visibility to the cypresses in front; burnishing has also been applied to the trunk of the tree nearest the light pole. The overall result of the reworking has been to evoke the effect of stormy light. There are two variant impressions of this state.

  1. Selectively wiped impression with light plate tone, on wove paper, printed by Rick Amor in his Alphington studio. Inscribed in pencil, below the plate mark: lower left: ‘1-1’; lower centre: ‘The Mill’; lower right: signed and dated ‘Rick Amor 06’. Although inscribed ‘1-1’, this is an impression of the fourth and final state. (Featured Image)
  2. Cleanly wiped impression on wove Magnani paper with watermark, printed by Rick Amor in his Alphington studio. Inscribed in pencil, below the plate mark: lower left: ‘AP’; lower centre: ‘Near the Mill’; lower right: signed and dated ‘Rick Amor 06’.

• IV.a. 4th and final state, 2006 (Featured Image)

  

  The plate was reworked in April 2006. The walking figure has been burnished away, the central path has been shaded with loose horizontal hatching, and much new cross-hatching has been added to the sky and clouds. Areas of the building at right have been burnished, giving greater visibility to the cypresses in front; burnishing has also been applied to the trunk of the tree nearest the light pole. The overall result of the reworking has been to evoke the effect of stormy light. There are two variant impressions of this state.

• Second edition, 2006

  Edition of thirty numbered impressions, on wove Somerset paper, printed by Andrew Gunnell at Chrysalis Publishing Studio, East Melbourne. The edition included a printer’s proof, five artist’s proofs and an hors commerce impression (subsequently hand-coloured). Each impression is inscribed in pencil, below the plate mark: lower left: ‘[status of impression]’ [or] ‘[1 through 30]/30’; lower centre: ‘Near the Mill’; lower right: signed and dated ‘Rick Amor 06’.

• Comment

  This view is of Alphington Park, which is around the corner from Amor’s home. The park borders what was once the manufacturing site of Amcor (formerly that of Australian Paper Manufacturers (APM)), whose buildings and chimneys feature in this etching. The mills have gone and the large site, which was sold in 2013, is, at the time of writing (2017), being redeveloped as a residential area. Amor made E.125 as a fundraiser for Alphington Primary School; the entire first edition was sold, and the school was able to buy a pottery kiln.

  The major change in the development of this etching occurred in the 2006 version, in which the walking figure at the right was removed. In emptying the gardens of human presence, Amor shifted his focus to the depiction of evocative atmospheric effects.

  For another etching of a subject in the artist’s local neighbourhood, see Winter, Alphington, 1998 (cat. no. E.114).