Line Etchings
Until I was five and a half, I grew up in the city of Chicago. Everywhere we needed to go was in a different building and it was fascinating to me how some businesses were in buildings that suited them perfectly like the butcher and shoe shop with their ground-floor large windows displaying their goods while other businesses, like the dentist, were hidden within tall unassuming buildings down narrow hallways and behind frosted-windowed doors. Some buildings were short and old, some tall and shiny. Some were plain and others had an enormous amount of detail and I wondered who were the people who took the time to create such beautiful buildings?
I draw observers of history. Buildings have seen the worst and best of humanity, seeing everything but revealing nothing. They are secret keepers, quiet and respectful of those who constructed them and those who worked and lived in them. They are protectors, strong and providing shelter for those who need it. They oversee the progress of civilization losing touch with nature as the population booms and more buildings are needed. And although their forms and details can be beautiful, they are not braggadocious, they stand proud and down to earth.
I see cities themselves as gatherers, bringing populations together into one big stage production. It’s a place where I can be incognito while being in plain sight, observing a dance of chaos where everyone’s rolls intermingle perfectly. While a city’s occupants forge ahead with their day, tourists meander appreciating the beauty, endless forms, winding streets, and surprising details. How they function together amazes me. Although there is a chaos to the city, I feel calm surrounded by the beautiful protectors.
Printmaking is mostly a community event with artists working together. My process is a solitary one as the details of one line etching can take me up to 400 hours to complete. While working on my city scenes I live within my art, looking around the corner of every building and down every alley, seeing how the older and newer buildings compliment and interact with each other and with the people around them. I also think about their histories and what they have seen and will see.
Watercolors and Drawings
After creating etchings for over 20 years, I decided that I wanted to try my hand at color and a move to Germany gave me the perfect opportunity to do so. Finding inspiration was especially easy when I happened upon the works of Raoul Dufy. His loose hand made me want to be able to take a break from the tight lines in my etchings and explore. The result is a burst of color combined with drawing. As much as I try to stay loose, the detailed work I’m known for with my etchings creeps into my watercolors.
DeAnn L. Prosia
Until I was five and a half, I grew up in the city of Chicago. Everywhere we needed to go was in a different building and it was fascinating to me how some businesses were in buildings that suited them perfectly like the butcher and shoe shop with their ground-floor large windows displaying their goods while other businesses, like the dentist, were hidden within tall unassuming buildings down narrow hallways and behind frosted-windowed doors. Some buildings were short and old, some tall and shiny. Some were plain and others had an enormous amount of detail and I wondered who were the people who took the time to create such beautiful buildings?
I draw observers of history. Buildings have seen the worst and best of humanity, seeing everything but revealing nothing. They are secret keepers, quiet and respectful of those who constructed them and those who worked and lived in them. They are protectors, strong and providing shelter for those who need it. They oversee the progress of civilization losing touch with nature as the population booms and more buildings are needed. And although their forms and details can be beautiful, they are not braggadocious, they stand proud and down to earth.
I see cities themselves as gatherers, bringing populations together into one big stage production. It’s a place where I can be incognito while being in plain sight, observing a dance of chaos where everyone’s rolls intermingle perfectly. While a city’s occupants forge ahead with their day, tourists meander appreciating the beauty, endless forms, winding streets, and surprising details. How they function together amazes me. Although there is a chaos to the city, I feel calm surrounded by the beautiful protectors.
Printmaking is mostly a community event with artists working together. My process is a solitary one as the details of one line etching can take me up to 400 hours to complete. While working on my city scenes I live within my art, looking around the corner of every building and down every alley, seeing how the older and newer buildings compliment and interact with each other and with the people around them. I also think about their histories and what they have seen and will see.
Watercolors and Drawings
After creating etchings for over 20 years, I decided that I wanted to try my hand at color and a move to Germany gave me the perfect opportunity to do so. Finding inspiration was especially easy when I happened upon the works of Raoul Dufy. His loose hand made me want to be able to take a break from the tight lines in my etchings and explore. The result is a burst of color combined with drawing. As much as I try to stay loose, the detailed work I’m known for with my etchings creeps into my watercolors.
DeAnn L. Prosia
