Staff Report
In-Town Gallery's August exhibition combines stained-glass creations by Carolyn Insler with Linda Thomas' etchings. The theme of their collaboration is water and the objects associated with it.
Their exhibit, "Sea To See," illustrates the characteristics of two diverse artists and their mediums.
Insler's stained-glass work is eclectic. She combines many textures and colors, and enjoys working with flowing lines -- much like those found in the nautilus shell.
More than 35 years experience have honed her skills in the creative process of turning raw materials into functional and decorative windows, lamps and wall art. They are constructed with traditional stained-glass methods using copper foil and lead came.
For the "Sea To See" collection, she visited both the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, gathering shells to incorporate into her new designs.
For her portion of the exhibit, Thomas used various printmaking techniques, which included intaglio, aquatint and chine colle along with hand-coloring on antique book paper.
"I use my drawings to create trial prints and experiment with inks and papers until the textures and values on the image are interpreted and re-interpreted to my satisfaction," she explained in her artist statement.
Intaglio etching requires that the artist draw into a metal plate with a stylus, leaving the image to be printed recessed below the surface. The plate is put into an acid bath, and the acid-etch procedure creates lines and tonal effects. The incised plate is filled with ink, and the surface is wiped clean. Dampened paper is then positioned on top of the plate and, under pressure from the press, the paper is forced into the intaglio, where it picks up ink from the recessed areas and lines.
These original hand-pulled prints, existing in multiple impressions, have experienced a slight variation due to the gradual breakdown of the plate after several passes through the press. When the edition is complete, the plate is destroyed.
In-Town Gallery, 26 Frazier Ave., is open 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday-Saturday and 1-5 p.m. Sunday. Call 267-9214.