Meditation at Fishtree - Limited Edition 10 of 55 Print

This is an etching that expresses a certain mystical idea which was conceived as a result of experiences in dreams. The concept of a Fishtree is a development from the Birdtree and the Mushroomtree that I have seen in my dreams. In this work the tree is full of fish, and the fish have faces hidden inside the leaves and the foliage of the tree. Because this, like many other of my etchings, is a five surfaces work, the tree is composed out of five plates, this gives it a certain presence. The philosopher, seated on a chair on the seashore, is meditating at the phenomenon of Fishtree, while all around, the fish are coming out and going back into the ocean and the flock of birds go from the sky into the tree as if inside that tree they are 'laundered' in a reversed evolutionary motion to become fish. So while the philosopher is meditating the world around is buzzing with life and activity. The man on the bicycle usually resembles an angel in my work. I see angels as busy agents riding on bikes. This thinking is a long development, and somehow it is also rooted in the Flan O'Brian's book, The Third Policeman, that left a deep impression on me years ago. In the process of working on this curious multi-plates etching, something quite extraordinary took place which was utterly unexpected. During the spillage of chemicals and laying materials in the Ferric Chloride biting in sugar lift aquatint process, it happened that a certain area around the tree was protected from the bite while the sky area all around it was well bitten. The clear protected area remarkably took the shape of a face staring right back from the tree area at the philosopher. So it happened that the Fishtree is meditating back at the philosopher or the artist, the meditation happens in two directions, the world is thinking back at the thinker. In the final appearance of this etching the face around the tree is clearly visible and it became a wonderful part of the whole composition. This is a five plates etching, five surfaces well registered one upon the other to create a potent fabric of lines and pigments.

Printmaking:Etching on Paper

Artist Produced Limited Edition of:1

Size:11.8 W x 9.4 H x 0.1 D in

Delivery Time:Typically 5-7 business days for domestic shipments, 10-14 business days for international shipments.