Water Dragon Moon, Chinatown, 1948 - Limited Edition of 4 Print

A NOTE ON PRICING: The Price is $550. Shipment costs bring this to $615. You, the collector, initially see a price of $615.00 for my hand-printed and framed etching. When you deduct the 35% commission taken by saatchionline, I have a profit of $357.50. However, my profit of $357.50 has other deductions. The buyers 15% discount of $53.10—brings my profit to $305.00. Next, after deducting my costs to make and package the work (which includes printmaking ink, printmaking paper, a shipment carton, bubble wrap, a frame, a mat, and other framing costs), my profit decreases another $75.00. This brings my profit to about $230.00, but this does not account for other costs I incur like, : 1) the time it took me to produce the work; 2) my costs to use the printing studio; 3) my travel expenses to and from the studio; and, 4) utility costs in the studio. These easily bring my profit down another $175.00. Therefore, I clear about fifty-five US dollars. ABOUT THE ARTIST’S ETCHINGS: DiFalco first creates a number of original drawings, which are usually based upon photographic images that he finds via research into university, library, or historical archives. He presents here some details about the ETCHING process, in order to explain to you about the complexities and time consumed in creating an etching. I work on a metal etching plate, usually zinc, and begin by filing its sides and corners to forty-five degree angles; the tool used for this is called a flat, metal bastard file. My plate is then cleaned of all dirt and grease; and next, it is coated with a liquid or ball ground composed of mineral spirits and beeswax, which dries for a period of at least eight hours. I then “draw” into the ground with various tools, including needles. My next step involves placing the zinc plate, which now contains lines and other exposed metal areas, into a bath of spring water and Nitric acid. This intaglio process lasts for a period of seconds to minutes, before the plate is then removed from the acid and rinsed with tap water. Turpentine and alcohol are then applied to the plate to remove the ground, thereby exposing the “etched” areas and lines. The plate is ten washed and coated again with a ground for the next working. Shaded areas can be created through the AQUATINT process, which uses pulverized resin crystals. The acid bath again reworks the plate, which is again cleaned, and reworked. If I wish, an etching needle may be used to draw directly onto the ungrounded plate (DRYPOINT). This process can contain many more steps and tools, depending upon what the artist desires. After several re-workings, the plate is then applied with etching ink and wiped before it is run through the printing press. This particular etching was created with the studio techniques of aquatint, intaglio, drypoint, and Chine collé. The zinc etching plate measured ten inches high by eight inches wide, which is consequently the image size. French, oil base ink (Charbonnel brand from Paris) was used, as well as RivesBFK white printmaking paper. The print size measures about fifteen inches by eighteen inches high. This hand-pulled print required a total of eight individual baths in Nitric acid for me to achieve the final design. I first created two original drawings from which to work, and based these drawings on a 1948 photograph from the Free Library of Philadelphia’s digital collection. This photo was taken in Philadelphia’s Chinatown by the firm of Parker & Mullikin and features The South China Restaurant at 913 Race Street. The work features the SECOND EDITION of FIVE EDITIONS; moreover, each of the FIVE editions are limited to only four hand-pulled etchings. Each of the five editions are executed indifferent ink colors; therefore only a total number of twenty etchings (in four groups of five different colors) exist. Entitled “WATER DRAGON MOON, CHINATOWN, 1948”, the print shows the artist’s expert use of balancing light and shadow, as well as his skill in creating visual illusions through line-work. The moon and sidewalk (colored orange and pink respectfully) was created via the Chine colle process. This technique uses mulberry bark paper and is explained in detail later. The artwork comes complete with an archival mat and painted wood frame that measures twenty-eight inches high by twenty-two inches wide. A protective, brown paper frame backing is glued securely to the work. The price also includes the shipment carton, all shipment costs, all protective and weatherproofing packing materials, and a Certificate of Authenticity signed by the artist. DiFalco used an industrial size, floor model Brand printing press, manufactured in New York City. He completed this Second Edition at The Center for Works on Paper in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (associated with the Fleisher Art School’s Open Printmaking Studio for Professional Artists). The following outlines DiFalco’s Chine collé, or Chinese Pasting, etching technique. Chine Collé, which translates from the French as Chinese pasting, is a process in which colored and treated paper is attached to the etching plate before the printing press is activated. Di Falco mixes Methylcellulose powder with spring water and then paints the resulting clear viscous substance onto hand-dyed mulberry-bark paper from Thailand. In Japan, Unryu translates as CLOUD DRAGON paper because it has long swirling threads of kozo fibers integrated in it, thereby giving the texture and visual effect of clouds. Kozo fibers come the branches of the kozo bush, specifically the innermost of three layers of bark, which must be removed, cooked, and beaten before the sheets are formed. Kozo is harvested annually. The treated Thai paper is then allowed to dry overnight and I cut it to fit the plate areas where I want color to exist in the print. These stenciled mulberry-bark papers are first dampened or misted with water and placed upon the already inked and wiped etching plate. The printing process continues, and creates a multi-colored image on paper.

Printmaking:Aquatint on Paper

Artist Produced Limited Edition of:4

Size:17 W x 21 H x 1 D in

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