Bill Murphy, professor of art, has been teaching printmaking at Wagner since 1984, in the studio located in Parker Hall’s basement. Murphy is well-known for his own etchings and lithography. Here, he shares his expertise in drypoint etching, a style of intaglio printmaking, with students.
2. Joanna Catalano ’18 is a theater design, technology, and management major and an art minor. “It just came to me,” she says of her design. “I draw faces a lot. I like how the print turned out. I like how it makes my style look nostalgic. I usually use color. I love color. But this class is making me like black and white more.”
3. Ink is added to the plate. It sits in the lines and on the raised edges, or burrs. Burrs are unique to dry point etching and come from the act of scratching lines directly into the plate.
4. The inked plate is placed on the press bed and covered with dampened paper. The hand-cranked press applies an even pressure that transfers the ink from plate to paper. This press is about 50 years old and was made by Charles Brand, a famous manufacturer.
5. Mckenzie Kupres ’18 reveals her final print. An arts administration major, she is also president of the Wagner Choir. Last spring, she went on the choir tour in Spain and captured this image of the palm trees at sunrise in Malaga, on the country’s southern coast.
