Britta Ambauen

A Year in Italy
This collection of intaglio etchings represents the experiences of a young woman living in Italy and traveling throughout Europe. The images capture the loneliness of being away from home along with the beauty of seeing new places. The printmaking technique, developed in the sixteenth century, provides an old-world feel to modern work.

 

 

 

A year abroad is an indulgent experience. There is novelty in every detail. The mundane is extraordinary. Studying in Florence for one year taught me many things. I learned to speak Italian at a functioning level for daily life. I learned how to rent a flat and make homemade pasta. I learned how to ride the rails to spend weekends in every corner of Europe. I learned how to live on my own away from everything and everyone familiar. I learned how to make multi-plate color etchings from my printmaking professor. Each of the images in this series represents an event, place or story. Together they compose a visual journal that will help preserve the memories of my year abroad.

Printmaking balances rigidity with a lack of control. These pieces are intaglio etching made with one to three plates. The lengthy process of turning the original conception into a reality involves countless steps: sketching, burnishing, prepping, transferring, scratching, etching, painting-out, etching, inking, whipping, polishing, soaking, blotting, printing, and then repeat steps three through twelve at least nine more times. The result almost inevitably takes on a quality unintended by the artist, which might be welcomed or berated. This process gives an image history. The product has looseness and spontaneity that is traditionally presented very cleanly and simply. I love all of this about printmaking. The method allows me to get into a groove when I work, following the steps I have set for myself and straying from them when I choose. Time to think is built into the meticulous parts of the process; everything happens slowly. My professor in Florence called printmaking the art form for the long distance runner, not the sprinter.

~Britta Ambauen