David Blackwood at the AGO

A couple of weeks ago, we joined some friends to visit the show of David Blackwood's etchings at the AGO. I have had the opportunity, in the past, to view only a few of David Blackwood's prints in person and have been captivated for hours over the reproductions in books but I was not at all prepared for this wonderful display of his work. I was (am still) so in awe. It was a couple of weeks ago that we went and I keep thinking about the work, the imagery of the Eastern Canadian landscape,big sky, big ocean, the Newfoundlanders, the boats, ice and I just do not have the words to express how intensely and quietly complex they are. There are so many of his masterfully rich works and just not enough time to take them all in, on just one visit. So I have go back and spend the day or maybe two and sit with them, each one a story I want to hear. One thing that I was really impressed with was a room devoted to the various stages of his etching process, starting with the sketches, then the multiple proofs at numerous stages of etching and finishing with the final state of the plate, the print that would become the edition. In the centre of this room was a display case with the copper plate he used to print this image and the tools used to create the plate. If you are at all curious about the printingmaking process or a fan of etching, you really should go. I think you will enjoy it thoroughly.