E.069 Sea structures 1992

• I. 1st state of 13

  Mezzotint. A wooden platform, raised on seven supports, stands in the sea. To the left of the platform is a tall navigational marker, which leans to the right. The sky is black but there is a glimmer of light on the horizon. The subject has been lightly burnished in.

  Impression on wove Moulin du Gué paper with watermark, printed by Rick Amor in his Dunmoochin studio. Inscribed in pencil, below the plate mark: lower left: ‘1 [circled]’; lower right: signed and dated ‘Rick Amor ’92’.

• II. 2nd state of 13

  The subject has been progressively lightened, and waves are now discernible, as are clouds.

  Impression on wove BFK Rives paper with watermark, printed by Rick Amor in his Dunmoochin studio. Inscribed in pencil, below the plate mark: lower left: ‘2 [circled]’; lower right: signed and dated ‘Rick Amor ’92’.

• III. 3rd state of 13

  

  The highlights have been lightened, and clouds are now visible at the left as well as the right. The sea is now clearly turbulent.

  Impression on wove BFK Rives paper, printed by Rick Amor in his Dunmoochin studio. Inscribed in pencil, below the plate mark: lower left: ‘3 [circled]’; lower right: signed and dated ‘Rick Amor ’92’.

• IV. 4th state of 13

  The plate has been further lightened through burnishing, and the top of the leaning marker is now much clearer.

  Impression on wove BFK Rives paper, printed by Rick Amor in his Dunmoochin studio. Inscribed in pencil, below the plate mark: lower left: ‘4 [circled]’; lower right: signed and dated ‘Rick Amor ’92’.

• V. 5th state of 13

  The definition of the image has been progressively burnished in.

  Impression on wove BFK Rives paper, printed by Rick Amor in his Dunmoochin studio. Inscribed in pencil, below the plate mark: lower left: ‘5 [circled]’; lower right: signed and dated ‘Rick Amor ’92’.

• VI. 6th state of 13

  Highlights have been burnished into the contours of the platform’s three supporting columns on the left, and there has been much delicate progressive burnishing overall.

  Impression on wove Moulin du Gué paper, printed by Rick Amor in his Dunmoochin studio. Inscribed in pencil, below the plate mark: lower left: ‘6 [circled]’; lower right: signed and dated ‘Rick Amor ’92’.

• VII. 7th state of 13

  Highlights on the marker have been further burnished, and now appear brighter.

  Impression on wove Moulin du Gué paper, printed by Rick Amor in his Dunmoochin studio. Inscribed in pencil, below the plate mark: lower left: ‘7 [circled]’; lower right: signed and dated ‘Rick Amor ’92’.

• VIII. 8th state of 13

  The image appears to have been lightened overall by means of burnishing.

  Impression on wove BFK Rives paper, printed by Rick Amor in his Dunmoochin studio. Inscribed in pencil, below the plate mark: lower left: ‘8 [circled]’; lower right: signed and dated ‘Rick Amor ’92’.

• IX. 9th state of 13

  

  The sea and sky are now uniformly light, and the subject emerges clearly through the darkness.

  Impression on wove BFK Rives paper, printed by Rick Amor in his Dunmoochin studio. Inscribed in pencil, below the plate mark: lower left: ‘9 [circled]’; lower right: signed and dated ‘Rick Amor ’92’.

• X. 10th state of 13

  The subject is even clearer and the highlights on the marker appear very bright.

  Impression on wove Moulin du Gué paper, printed by Rick Amor in his Dunmoochin studio. Inscribed in pencil, below the plate mark: lower left: ‘10 [circled]’; lower right: signed and dated ‘Rick Amor ’92’.

• XI. 11th state of 13

  The clouds at the upper right appear to have been burnished in order to achieve a better balance with the highlight at the top of the marker.

  Impression on wove Arches paper with watermark, printed by Rick Amor in his Dunmoochin studio. Inscribed in pencil, below the plate mark: lower left: ‘11 [circled]’; lower right: signed and dated ‘Rick Amor ’92’.

• XII. 12th state of 13

  The clouds at the upper right have been burnished at their very top edge.

  Impression on wove Arches paper, printed by Rick Amor in his Dunmoochin studio. Inscribed in pencil, below the plate mark: lower left: ‘12 [circled]’; lower right: signed and dated ‘Rick Amor ’92’.

• XIII. 13th and final state (Featured Image)

  

  The clouds at the upper right have been burnished yet again and are now considerably lighter.

  Impression on wove Arches paper, printed by Rick Amor in his Dunmoochin studio. Inscribed in pencil, below the plate mark: lower left: ‘Bon à tirer’; lower right: signed and dated ‘Rick Amor ’92’. Although inscribed ‘Bon à tirer’, this is the thirteenth and final state.

• No edition

• Comment

  The composition of this mezzotint brings together two separate structures that Amor sketched during the boat trip he took on 20 February 1992, with three of his artist friends, to the mouth of the Yarra River: a tall navigational marker and a wooden platform. Here the two motifs have been placed side by side, and transposed from their river setting to a stormy sea.

  It is an inherent aspect of the mezzotint process that the subject is brought into being progressively, as light tones are obtained through incremental burnishing. The steps taken in the creation of a new state may appear to be very slight, and it can therefore be difficult to be certain when a change has been made to the plate and a new state produced. Such is the case here. Nevertheless, we are guided by the fact that Amor himself says that he takes a proof of a mezzotint only when necessary, that is, only when he has made a change to the plate. Hence, when state proofs of mezzotints have been recorded in his intaglio record books, it is reasonable to assume that each one represents a change having been made to the matrix.

  Contrary to expectations, Amor finds that mezzotints require more pressure when printing than do other intaglio prints. His records indicate that he had planned to print an edition of ten impressions of E.069, but, having proofed it so many times, he decided not to return to it.

  The other intaglio prints that resulted from Amor’s drawing excursion on the Yarra in February 1992 are River marker, 1992 (cat. no. E.065), and Sea structure, 1992 (cat. no. E.067).