Renowned American photogravure artist Peter Miller launches a collection of intricate prints at the Frederick Harris Gallery.
His work, which begins as a photograph and ends as an ink print on washi paper, has received acclaim in Paris, Moscow and New York, and is on permanent display at the Smithsonian Institute.
The 19th-century technique is a meticulous one that only a few dozen artists practice worldwide.
In this form of intaglio printing, a copper plate is coated with a gelatin tissue that has been exposed to light in contact with a film positive and then etched through a series of chemical baths.
Ink is applied to the plate and finally pressed to washi paper.
“I’m not trying to recover some lost past,” says Miller, 72, standing next to an Ettan printmaking press from California.
“I am using this technique because I think it’s the best way to express the images that I want to show.”
Whether depicting dried konbu seaweed, snow-clad peaks or remote Nepalese hamlets, Miller says he attempts to evoke the same message as 12th-century Chinese artists who portrayed humans’ insignificance amidst the immensity of nature.
Photos for his recent fishnet series were taken at coastal villages around Japan.
Others were shot while hiking in the Himalayas, exploring glaciers in Norway and visiting rural Russia where “they put milk in the refrigerator to keep it warm.”
Miller, who now uses a digital Nikon D800 camera, believes art is more relevant in a world where modern media is competing for viewers’ attention.
“I look at the artwork as a way to immerse yourself in the moment,” he says, thumbing through sheets of copper plate he custom orders from an industrial metal provider.
“To be fully aware of the enjoyment of the moment, it’s one of the most difficult things to do.”
Gallery Exhibition
Feb 27–Mar 19
Gallery Reception
Free
Open to adults, invitees and Members only
