Exposé by Gerald Scheck
After more than thirty years as a painter, sculptor and professional welder, Gerald Scheck produces mezzotint prints which 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, thus yielding the rich, velvety surface texture for which mezzotints are noted. It is this rocking process upon which Scheck has improved, as traditionally the creation of imagery is done with a burnisher and scraper, after the plate is rocked, but Scheck has managed to begin 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 imagery detail.
Scheck was chosen by Bill Moyers for a feature interview on PBS as part of the series “Creativity with Bill Moyers” which further led to inclusion in articles in Smithsonian Magazine among others. Scheck’s works are fine examples of superb draftsmanship and a keen understanding of the subtle movements and linear plays prevalent in objects and phenomena of the natural world.
Etchings by Gerald Scheck are on display at Pariah Fine Art, 113 N Water Street, Lancaster, PA from November 17 through December 31, 2012. An opening reception will be held Saturday, November 17 from 4pm to 8pm.
Pariah Fine Art 