Doorway - Etching and aquatint- 2012 - 23.75 " x17.75 " - Edition 30 - $900

This is another view drawn at the Cape Ann Tool Company in Rockport, MA. Here, I'm peering through a crumbling, open-ceilinged boiler room and into a darkened corridor, as trees and vines snake up the walls around me. This is a view that I discovered several years ago while working on my etching Pigeon Cove. Returning this fall to draw on site, I worked for 7 sessions outdoors on the preparatory drawing, and later developed this print through 10 states in the studio.
Below, the preparatory drawing (pencil on paper, 30" x 22.5", 2011) done plein air, and a view of the location while in progress:

Both compositionally and in terms of subject matter, this print was directly inspired by several etchings that I've long admired. One is James Mcneill Whistler's masterpiece The Limeburner (Etching, 1859, 9 3/4" x 6 7/8"):

Another inspiration was Sydney Hurwitz' Bethlehem XIII (Aquatint and Watercolor, 1998, 22" x 30"), an impression of which I am lucky enough to have hanging on my living room wall:

Recent discussions among the Rockport town council lead me to believe the Tool Company's days are numbered. This structure, which has been my muse for several years now, will likely serve as the subject matter for my next few works as well.

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