E.157 Storm 2009

• I. 1st state of 9

  

  Etching. A view of the sea from a rocky shore towards a low horizon, with a white crested wave rolling in and breaking up in several places. In the sky is a huge storm cloud but the upper right corner of the sky is blank. There is a margin of 2 mm between the plate mark and the image.

  Unevenly printed, dry impression on wove BFK Rives paper, printed by Rick Amor in his Alphington studio. Inscribed in pencil, below the plate mark: lower left: ‘1-1’; lower centre: ‘Storm’; lower right: signed and dated ‘R Amor 09’.

• II. 2nd state of 9

  The central part of the billowing cloud has been burnished to provide greater clarity of form. Oblique hatching has been added to the sky to the right of the cloud.

  Unevenly printed impression on wove BFK Rives paper, printed by Rick Amor in his Alphington studio. Inscribed in pencil, below the plate mark: lower left: ‘1-2’; lower centre: ‘Storm’; lower right: signed and dated ‘R Amor ’09’.

• III. 3rd state of 9

  

  Drypoint has been added to the horizon and to the rocks in the foreground.

  Tonally balanced impression on wove BFK Rives paper, printed by Rick Amor in his Alphington studio. Inscribed in pencil, below the plate mark: lower left: ‘1-3’; lower centre: ‘Storm’; lower right: signed and dated ‘R Amor ’09’.

   

• IV. 4th state of 9

  More drypoint has been added to the sea and the foreground rock, to the underside of the cloud at left, and internally at its centre.

  Strong, dark impression on wove BFK Rives paper, printed by Rick Amor in his Alphington studio. Inscribed in pencil, below the plate mark: lower left: ‘1-4’; lower centre: ‘Storm’; lower right: signed and dated ‘R Amor ’09’.

• V. 5th state of 9

  More drypoint hatching has been added to the underside of the cloud. There are two variant impressions of this state.

  1. Dark impression on wove BFK Rives paper, printed by Rick Amor in his Alphington studio. Inscribed in pencil, below the plate mark: lower left: ‘1-5’; lower centre: ‘Storm’; lower right: signed and dated ‘R Amor ’09’.
  2. Light, dry impression on wove BFK Rives paper, printed by Rick Amor in his Alphington studio. Inscribed in pencil, below the plate mark: lower left: ‘2-5’; lower centre: ‘Storm’; lower right: signed and dated ‘R Amor ’09’.

• V.a. 5th state of 9

  

  More drypoint hatching has been added to the underside of the cloud. There are two variant impressions of this state.

• VI. 6th state of 9

  It is difficult to tell where changes have been made, and it is possible that this impression is a third impression of the fifth state.

  Impression with light plate tone, on wove BFK Rives paper with watermark, printed by Rick Amor in his Alphington studio. Inscribed in pencil, below the plate mark: lower left: ‘1-6’; lower centre: ‘Storm’; lower right: signed and dated ‘R Amor 09’.

• VII. 7th state of 9

  Several curved strokes have been added to the sky above the clouds at the upper centre, and the billows have been darkened with the addition of further etching. The light patch in the cloud at the left edge has been expanded through burnishing. There are two variant impressions of this state.

  1. Cleanly wiped, light impression on wove BFK Rives paper, printed by Rick Amor in his Alphington studio. Inscribed in pencil, below the plate mark: lower left: ‘1-7’; lower centre: ‘Storm’; lower right: signed and dated ‘R Amor 09’.
  2. Dark impression on wove BFK Rives paper, printed by Rick Amor in his Alphington studio. Inscribed in pencil, below the plate mark: lower left: ‘2-7’; lower centre: ‘Storm’; lower right: signed and dated ‘R Amor ’09’.

• VII.b. 7th state of 9

  

  Several curved strokes have been added to the sky above the clouds at the upper centre, and the billows have been darkened with the addition of further etching. The light patch in the cloud at the left edge has been expanded through burnishing. There are two variant impressions of this state.

• VIII. 8th state of 9

  The underside of the largest wave has been lightly burnished. There are two variant impressions of this state. Impression VIII.b is extensively touched with pen and ink over pencil, and with touches of chalk, principally in the clouds and in the previously blank upper right corner.

  1. Impression on wove BFK Rives paper, printed by Rick Amor in his Alphington studio. Inscribed in pencil, below the plate mark: lower left: ‘1-8’; lower centre: ‘Storm’; lower right: signed and dated ‘R Amor 09’.
  2. Dark impression on wove BFK Rives paper, printed, and extensively touched with pen and ink over pencil, and with touches of chalk, by Rick Amor in his Alphington studio. Inscribed in pencil, below the plate mark: lower left: ‘1-9’ [over an illegible erased inscription]; lower centre: ‘Storm’; lower right: signed and dated: ‘R Amor ’09’.

• VIII.b. 8th state of 9, extensively touched with pen and ink over pencil, and with touches of chalk

  

  The underside of the largest wave has been lightly burnished. There are two variant impressions of this state. Impression VIII.b is extensively touched with pen and ink over pencil, and with touches of chalk, principally in the clouds and in the previously blank upper right corner.

• IX. 9th and final state

  The amendments drawn over impression VIII.b have been carried here with etching. There are three variant impressions of this state.

  1. Dark impression with much plate tone, on wove BFK Rives paper, printed by Rick Amor in his Alphington studio. Inscribed in pencil, below the plate mark: lower left: ‘1-10’; lower centre: ‘Storm’; lower right: signed and dated ‘R Amor ’09’. The plate tone on this impression extends over the margin.
  2. Cleanly wiped impression on wove BFK Rives paper, printed by Rick Amor in his Alphington studio. Inscribed in pencil, below the plate mark: lower left: ‘2-10’; lower centre: ‘Storm’; lower right: signed and dated ‘R Amor ’09’.
  3. Cleanly wiped impression on wove BFK Rives paper, printed by Rick Amor in his Alphington studio. Inscribed in pencil, below the plate mark: lower left: ‘3-10’; lower centre: ‘Storm’; lower right: signed and dated ‘R Amor ’09’. (Featured Image)

• IX.c. 9th and final state (Featured Image)

  

  The amendments drawn over impression VIII.b have been carried here with etching. There are three variant impressions of this state.

• No edition.

• Comment

  This etching is after a small painting, Sky study, 2009 (now destroyed) (Liverpool Street Gallery 2009), and is oriented in the same direction. The subject is based loosely on cloud studies that Amor made on site at Flinders on the Mornington Peninsula. Nevertheless, in its present configuration, it has its source largely in memory.

  The early states of E.157 are tonally close to the painting, in which the clouds presage a storm. However, in the final state, with the darkening of the whole sky at the right of the composition, Amor moved the etching in a darker direction, with the sea now in the midst of a roiling storm.

  Despite the many careful adjustments made to the copper plate as he worked through the nine states of this print, Amor decided against printing an edition, and cancelled the plate.

  The plate has not been located.