E.022 Sleeping woman 1990

• I. 1st state of 4

  

  Etching. A fair-haired sleeping woman is depicted in right profile against a dark background, her head resting on a pillow. She wears a sweater, and her arms are folded. The pillow is shaded lightly with diagonal etched hatching.

  Impression on cream wove BFK Rives paper (according to Amor’s intaglio record books), 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 ’90’.

• II. 2nd state of 4

  More strands of hair have been introduced, and sketchy linear shading has been added to the pillow, the sleeves and the part of the garment that lies just below the woman’s folded arms. There are two variant impressions of this state.

  1. Selectively wiped impression with plate tone, on cream wove paper, 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 ’90’.
  2. More cleanly wiped impression on cream wove 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 ’90’. Although inscribed ‘3’, this is an impression of the second state.

• III. 3rd state of 4

  

  Burnishing has been applied to the sleeve highlight, to the hair and to the etched shading of the cheek.

  Impression on cream wove 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 ’90’. Although inscribed ‘4’, this is the third state.

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

  

  Loose, sketchy etching has been added to the pillow, and the previously light area of the right sleeve has been covered with fine oblique hatching. More etched strands have been added to the hair, and there is now a small area of shading on the visible wrist. The woman’s eyebrows have been burnished.

  Impression on wove paper, printed by Rick Amor in his Dunmoochin studio. Inscribed in pencil, below the plate mark: lower left: ‘A/P’; lower right: signed and dated ‘Rick Amor ’90’.

• Edition, 1990

  Nominal edition of ten, but, according to Amor’s intaglio record books, only two impressions were printed and numbered. These are on wove BFK Rives paper (according to the intaglio record books) and were printed by Rick Amor in his Dunmoochin studio. The record books indicate that the edition included three artist’s proofs, but only one has been sighted. Edition impression 2/10 has been examined. It is inscribed in pencil, below the plate mark: lower left: ‘2/10’; lower centre: ‘Sleeping Woman’; lower right: signed and dated ‘Rick Amor ’90’.

  Edition sheet size: 380 x 283 mm

• Comment

  The subject of this etching is Meg Williams, the artist’s partner, whose likeness here is immediately recognizable. The etching was not done from life, but is based on two drawings in Amor’s 1988–89 sketchbook: one is of the head and torso, in left profile, the other of the sleeve and its folds.

  The progression of states shows a shift from light towards darkness, as the face in repose evokes deep sleep.