FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Mary Ellen Reis Development and Outreach Coordinator St.

Johnsbury Athenaeum 1171 Main St. St. Johnsbury, VT 05819 Phone: 802-748-8291, ext. 306 Email: mreis@stjathenaeum.org Website: www.stjathenaeum.org Date: February 5, 2013

ST. JOHNSBURY ATHENAEUM HOSTS LECTURE ON INTAGLIO PRINTMAKING St. Johnsbury, VT The St. Johnsbury Athenaeum is pleased to welcome area artist and instructor Bill Darling, for his lecture titled, "Creative Process and the Art of Intaglio Printmaking. The lecture and demonstration is scheduled for Wednesday February 13th at 7 p.m. in the Art Gallery. Darling is the first guest speaker in a series of nine lectures presented as part of the 2013 Arts and Culture Series at the Athenaeum. We are very pleased to welcome Bill to the Athenaeum. The Intaglio printmaking process has a marvelous history and we have several prints in our collection that will be available for viewing during this event, says Bob Joly, Curator of Collections. Intaglio printmaking has a history that extends back to the 1400s. "Intaglio" is a regional term from northern Italy that means "incised line. Each print made with the intaglio process is an original fine art print, not a commercially made duplicate of an original. Lines are incised into a copper plate using a variety of techniques that either dig directly into the copper with a sharp tool or eat away a line or a pattern using an acid bath. Ink is rubbed into the incised lines, and paper is then softened by dampening and is placed over the inked plate. Then plate and paper are sent through a press under high pressure, where the paper is forced into the lines to pick up the ink as well as to create an embossed, dimensional image that expresses the form or depth of each line. Intaglio printmaking's beginnings are obscure, but evidence exists that the process evolved from the work of goldsmiths and armor makers. The craftsmen would rub ink into their carved lines and place a sheet of paper over the inked impression and burnish the back of the paper, creating an exact record of the design. It was not long before artists discovered the creative potential of this process.

An example of this transition can be found in the work of Martin Schongauer, a fifteenth century gold and silver smith, who created prints that were widely known throughout Northern Europe. His print, The Temptation of St. Anthony, directly influenced the early career of Michelangelo. With the exception of minor variations, the intaglio process has remained unchanged from the 1400s to this day. In this presentation, Darling will show examples of his drawings, intaglio plates and prints that illustrate this medium's connection to creative process and why this ancient form continues to thrive as a medium of contemporary artistic expression. Darling will ink one of his intaglio plates and print it using a historic antique press. "I love intaglio," says Darling. "The excitement of this medium, for me, is the interface of craft and draftsmanship, with the serendipitous effects inherent to the process. Artists are drawn to complex mediums that require invention and a sense of play. For me, intaglio is the great game." As a professional artist and instructor for 30 years, Mr. Darling's work is exhibited internationally. Notable commissions and permanent collections include; Representing the United States in The International Collection of Shirakawa, Japan; The Art Students League of New York; Il Bisonte, Florence Italy; and locally St. John's Church in St. Johnsbury for his life sized sculpture of Christ Crucified. Darling is an instructor of Fine Art at St. Johnsbury Academy. He is founder and co-artistic director with his wife, artist Kim Darling of "The Intaglio Society. They conduct drawing and printmaking workshops each Spring in Florence, Italy. Intaglio Society recently organized and hosted the Dia De Los Muertos Festival in St. Johnsbury. He is Master Printer and co-owner with Kim of Gatto Nero Studio and Gallery on Eastern Avenue and Life Member of The Art Students League of New York. The Arts and Culture Series at St. Johnsbury Athenaeum invites area professionals to share their experiences with the community. The lectures are open to the public and admission is by donation. The next lecture, scheduled for March 20th, welcomes area author Nancy Marie Brown for her lecture on The Song of the Vikings, Snorri and the Making of Norse Myths. For additional information and the 2013 schedule of the Arts & Culture Series, please contact the Athenaeum at 802-748-8291 or visit the website www.stjathenaeum.org.

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