Bill Ritchie' design and art in Washington State
in the
Constance Speth Collection
This is a trial proof, a facsimile of Constance's impression
Collection III: Part of the Children's Game
Provenance: Print. Intaglio. Printed from two etched, aquatint & engraved copper and zine plates, printed in burnt sienna, black, red, ochre oil-base inks. Image 19 1/4 X 17 3/4 inches on 24 X 22 3/4 in Rives BFK. No. ___. Signed lower right. Also in the collections of Patricia Austin, Billie Jane Bryan, Don Marshall, Dr. Charles McCann, the University of Washington, Kobe Art Museum (Japan), Reino Randall Estate, Lynda Ritchie, Nellie Sunderland, The Evergreen State College, Trippe Collection, Rob Walker and others.
Exhibitions: Collection III: Part of the Children’s Game was exhibited in the National Print and Drawing Exhibition at Western Illinois University, Macomb (1970); Invitational Group Exhibition, Dick White Gallery, Seattle; 40th International Print Exhibition, Seattle Art Museum; National Print Exhibition, University of the Pacific, Stockton, CA (1969); National Print Exhibition, State University College, Potsdam, NY; Invitational Print Exhibition, University of Kentucky (1971); Invitational Traveling Print Exhibition, Kobe, Japan and Washington State (1970-71); National Print Exhibition, Honolulu, Hawaii; Invitational Print Exhibition, University of Wisconsin, Green Bay (1971); Seattle Art Museum’s Rentaloft.
Bill Ritchie's comment: “Over the course of about a year, this print incorporated states of mind I was going through in 1967-68, the animal creature and finally ‘planting’ the tree symbolically on the horizon. I introduced a fascinating game structure, like a playing field. ‘The Children's Game’ refers to the naïveté and the fun of game-play. But there is a sense of foreboding: the games children play can lead to games that adults play and not always in the best interest of human kind. This time was during the Viet Nam conflict. I saw the tree driving along the north side of Lake Union to my UW job. I became fond of it as it was solitary, growing on the brow of a hillock. I had photographed it and incorporated it into this print (which was my first photo-etching). Then, one day, driving by, I saw it ripped out of its place and thrown on a pile of dirt in the back of a dump truck to be hauled away to make room for a condo.” – Bill Ritchie
Ritchie's comment: I met Constance (we called her "Connie) when I was an undergraduate at Central Washington University. It was a state college then, known for its art education work as well as fine arts, crafts and design.
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