I pulled together the ideas that were swirling in my head for the center mezzotint in the Doors/Keys Triptych. First there is the idea about doors and decisions and how they both affect our lives. Then there are the thoughts about a catalyst or key to the decisions that we make. I decided to emphasize the idea of keys as a solution to the dilemma of decisions.

My wife’s father was a locksmith and one day I found a metal cake tin practically overflowing with old keys. There were probably 700-800 keys in this tin box. Finding these keys while working on the second door mezzotint was my ‘key’ to how to finalize this triptych series.

There were all sorts of keys in this box, keys for locks, keys for doors and keys for boxes or chests, etc. The variety was immense and some keys were very old while others contemporary. This reinforced the idea of different keys for different decisions. There seemed to be a key for just about any decision one had to make.
I made a select group of keys to use in my centerpiece mezzotint and arranged them in a pile that would fit the proportions of the copper plate that I had already textured. I transferred an image of this group to the plate without knowing what else was going to appear in the final completed mezzotint.

I enjoy working on prints for which I haven’t made a complete plan. The mezzotint technique is tedious enough without just copying an image that you have already solved the compositional and philosophical problems for, and drawn out completely. It is fun to decide as you go along what you want to add as imagery. Sometimes it gets me into trouble and I take a long time to decide what to add next according to the composition, tonal values and philosophical idea that I want to illustrate. But for me being able to change or add things as I go along gives me a sort of spontaneity with a technique that takes a lot of time.

After I scraped and burnished the first phase of the keys to the copper, I had to decide what else to add to the image. I would like to mention here that I usually scrape and burnish the forms on the plate at least three times. Unfortunately, with mezzotint it is almost impossible to get the correct tonal values with the first scraping and burnishing.

I initially use the scraper and burnisher to just get the chosen images on the copper plate. When I add another image, it is the same process. When almost all of the composition has been applied, I start scraping and burnishing again to balance the gray tones and define a light source. The final working of the plate is just making minimal adjustments to the imagery and tonal values. So, every square inch of my mezzotint prints is worked at least three times.

During this entire process I can stop and make a proof print at any time. Depending on the complexity of the images, I make from around five proofs to sometimes as many as 10-12 proofs before the plate is finished. Although with mezzotint one wants to make as few proof prints as possible because the plate wears out faster than other intaglio techniques. If you make a lot of proof prints you can reduce the number of good final prints for the edition.

So now with the keys on the plate, what to do next? To tie this plate into the triptych and the other door prints I added doors. These doors are from my imagination and symbolize the complexity and multiplicity of doors, keys, decisions, catalysts and life.

To emphasize the idea of the keys as a major feature I floated my favorite key in front of the doors. This was probably the oldest and most worn key from the tin box and it appealed to me because of its age, style and texture. It lent an atmosphere of history to the print.

I added the walls and starburst behind the doors to bring them forward visually and lighten up the background. The water was added as a symbol of the ocean and the ocean of possibilities that appear in our lives. The giant spring adds a mechanical aspect which reflects back to the doors and locks. All of these symbols, help illustrate my ideas as they developed during the creation of this print.

When I think of keys, I always think of a very important key from my childhood. For Christmas one year my uncle sent my brother and I metal wind-up toy cars. They had a key that wound a spring which propelled the car over the floor. The key in the center print, over the doors, is this key. It winds the giant spring beneath the doors and gives this triptych a reference to movement. I still have that key and the cars.

Author: Chris Nowicki | Archive | Email | Voicemail #14
    Professor of Printmaking at the Eugeniusz Geppert Academy of Fine Art and Design in Wroclaw, Poland.

Categories:Fine Art Art:Printmaking Technique:Mezzotint Materials:copper plate