Bill Ritchie design work in Virginia
  
in the

Hilary Meehan Collection

  
Hilary's assembled DIY Mini Etching Press. She began
to use it right away, saving the finishing of the
black walnut parts and giving it a name for later .

DIY Mini Etching Press No. 30

Specifications: Made in 2016. Mini Etching Press. Serial No. mep60030. Specifications: Top and bottom rollers are 1.5 inches in diameter and 6 and 5.5 inches long, respectively. The bed is 3/8 x 6 x 14.5 inch polycarbonate with steel rack; overall length is 15 inches; overall width is 9 inches; overall height is 10 inches; weight, about 16 lbs; hand-welded stainless steel drive wheel is 8 inches diameter. Bed is rack-driven, approximating a 6:1 mechanical advantage. Wood is solid American black walnut. Pressure screws are linked and synchronized. Includes two etching felts, chase, user's manual and tools for assembly and tuning. A proof copy of Bill Ritchie's book, "A Printmaker's Tale" was included, gratis, plus the print below.

About Hilary Meehan: Hilary Meehan owned Lantana’s Gallery and Fine Gifts located in Southport, North Carolina. Soon after getting her press, she went to Penland to do papermaking and printmaking, and sent a sample image, below, with: "This is handmade paper with all natural plant fiber overlays . . . with grass, banana tree fiber & cochineal dyed iris fiber among other things!" Later Hilary moved to Richmond, Virginia.

Ritchie's comment: On a trip to the Northwest, and visiting Seattle's Pike Place Market, Hilary saw Ethan Lind printing his etchings on a Mini Etching Press. She bought one of his prints and kept his card. A year later, she contacted me and we settled on sending her a DIY Mini Etching Press kit, along with a plate, proof, paper and a sample of Charbonnel Aqua Wash ink to get started at a workshop in North Carolina.

Snapshots from a workshop Hilary did in December, 2019;
"While a rubber carving isn’t maxing out the use of the press, it sure makes a better print than spoon rubbing!" -HM

Special to Hilary Meehan

To meet immediate needs of a plate to print, Hilary's package included an etched copper plate of a reproduction of a Salvador Dali etching (below) and a proof of it, plus paper and ink to help get started at a workshop she had coming up right away.

  
Left, 5 7/8" x 3 7/8" Monoprint. Intaglio. Black line etching after Dali on pre-printed tone plate in aua blue with
tints of pink ink. Vermillion stamped & signed. Right, Bill printing at his Sip 'N Print debut in Seattle's Nabob Bar.

Ritchie's artist statement: "I proposed developing a business around printmaking with the Sip 'N Print concept where people meet to interact with printmakers. The printing plates are prefabricated. The 2016 series started at The Great Nabob Bar, which is across 5th Avenue North where my studio is located. I etched a plate after the Cervantes portrait by Salvador Dali and I etched the words, "Cervantes after Salvador Dali" on the bottom." BR

See the Patron's List for more peoples' collections - click here

Email: ritchie@seanet.com