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Openning of the Exhibition " New Territory" by Philippe Emmanuel Lamesch
The Consul General of Luxembourg Mr. François Knaff & Mrs. Carine Knaff-Feipel cordially invite you to the opening of “ New Territory", Prints By Philippe Emmanuel Lamesh on Thursday, September 16, 2010 from 6:30 pm to 9:00 p.m at the Luxembourg House.
RSVP by September 14, 2010
Tel: ( 1-212) 888-6664
Email: newyork.cg@mae.etat.lu
“New Territory”
Philippe Emmanuel Lamesch, printmaker
Philippe Emmanuel Lamesch was born and raised in Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg. He did his undergraduate degree in Belgium and moved to Boston in 2001 to pursue his graduate work in molecular biology. He also enrolled in classes at the ‘School of the Museum of Fine Arts’ where he met Catherine Kernan, a well-known printmaker, who introduced him to different printmaking techniques and became his teacher and mentor for the next four years.
Philippe had his first solo show in Luxembourg in 2003, and was a finalist of the international art competition ‘Biennale d’Esch’ in Luxembourg in 2003 and 2006. He also participated in several group shows in Boston between 2002 and 2006.
Soon after his move to California in 2007, Philippe successfully applied to become an artist-in-residence at the prestigious KALA Art Institute in Berkeley. Marked by his training in biology, Philippe has always been attracted to the aesthetics of organic shapes. Printmaking, and especially etching, offered him the tools to create these types of imagery. His most recent series, which includes 'The Factory' and 'Fraternalism', is dominated by intriguingly ambiguous shapes that explore the boundaries between organic and mechanical forms.
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www.philippelamesch.com
A quick guide to the printmaking techniques used by the artist
Etching
Etching is the process of using strong acid or mordant to cut into the unprotected parts of a metal surface to create a design. When ink is wiped onto the processed plate, only the areas roughened by the exposure to the acid will hold ink. As it is hard to use more than one color of ink per plate, printmakers typically use multiple plates of the same size that they overlay to create a multi-color print.
Aquatint is a variation of etching in which particles of resin are evenly distributed on the plate, and then heated to form a screen ground of uniform but less than perfect density. After etching, any exposed surface will result in a roughened surface that can hold ink. Areas that are to be light in the final print are protected by varnishing between acid baths. Aquatint plates are often combined with other techniques such as hardground lines and photoetching.
The Factory, 2010 (Aquatint & Photoetching)
Monoprint & Monotype
Prints made using the monoprinting and monotyping techniques share the characteristic that they are always unique pieces. The difference between monoprinting and monotyping is that monoprinting uses at least one plate that can be reproduced (etching, woodcut, etc..) while monotyping only uses plates that have no permanent marks, such as plexi glass. As a result, series of similar prints can be generated using monoprinting (see ‘Acrobats’) while just one impression can be obtained using monotyping. Monoprints are known as the most painterly method among the printmaking techniques. Hence, a monoprint is often regarded as non-editionable kind of print and is essentially a printed painting.
Acrobats, 2008 (Monotype Plexiglass/Photoetching)
Photoetching
A photo-sensitive coating called ‘Ecoresist’ is applied to the plate by the artist. Light is projected onto the plate as a negative image to expose it. The plate is then placed in the developer solution. Once the image is visible, the plate is placed in acid to be photo-etched. Once the photo-etching process is complete, the plate can be worked further using drypoint, more etching, engraving, etc.
Magma, 2009 (Photoetching, Mezzotint)
Spitbite
Spitbite is a technique where the acid is applied directly on the aquatinted surface of the copper plate. This is fundamentally different from most other etching techniques where the preparation of the plate and the etching process are completely separate processes. Spitbite allows the artist to be spontaneous and etch the plate at the very moment where the acid soaked brush hits the plate. Spitbite is especially well suited for artists who like to create soft, painterly shapes and watercolor like effects. Variation of etching time and acidcon centration can result in beautiful multi-dimensional imagery.
Limbo, 2009 (Spitbite Aquatint)
