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Deborah Davis Fine Art 43 Deer Drive Claverack, New York Phone: 518-828-2939 |
“From Dark to Light” |
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Scheck’s mezzotint prints push the limits of conventional printmaking methods. The most revolutionary of Scheck’s innovations is in the area of plate preparation. Although mezzotints, invented in the mid 17th century, are one of the oldest printmaking forms, very few contemporary artists work with mezzotints due to the tediousness of the plate preparation stage. A “rocker,” which is a spade-like instrument with many teeth, is traditionally used to rock over the surface of the metal plate to create countless burrs, which yield the rich, velvety surface texture for which mezzotints are known. It is this rocking process upon which Scheck has improved. Traditionally the creation of imagery is done with a burnisher and scraper after the plate is rocked. However, Scheck begins the imagery process at the outset during the rocking stage with tools and techniques he has invented, to better achieve the desired effects, tonal values and details of the image.
Scheck has had solo exhibits in Manhattan, the Hudson Valley, Washington, D. C., and was chosen by Bill Moyers for a feature on PBS as part of the series “Creativity with Bill Moyers.” |
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Gerald Scheck has had a long career as a painter, sculptor and a professional welder. However, in the 90s he was introduced to printmaking by a friend and fellow printmaker and since that time he has created many prints in various forms in his studio in the Catskill Mountains. Working mainly in intaglio - which he etches on aluminum plates - he creates landscapes and nature scenes with an eerie realism. The color tones in his work are largely monochromatic, which recall the work of 17th century masters.