Jutta Votteler - Artist Statement
Over the past twenty years, I have become a keen observer of the world around me and have continued to incorporate my journeys into my art. My experiences are the seed from which my art grows, and the interpretation is what makes the art unique. There is the visible world… and then there is the artist’s imagination. My etchings are what happens when these two meet.
Many of my works were inspired by my travels, by journeys all over the globe. I portray the natural world by using colors and forms to convey not just a scene but a feeling. Animals feature prominently in many of my works; my portfolio is like a safari, with birds, fish, seals, hippos, rhinoceroses, cats, insects and many other exotic creatures.
But my daily strolls and my everyday life give me subject matter as well. Take an “ordinary” object, like a vase of flowers, a tree, or a table laden with food. Why should these be any more or less worthy of an artistic subject than anything else? I try to find something magical in each of these scenes – place a love letter next to the flowers, fill the tree with magical creatures, or invite a tiny yellow bird onto the dinner table. In this way, I can playfully present my perceptions of a cosmos still full of magic and enchantment. Everyone sees the same things; not everyone sees them the same way.
I feel very strongly that an artist’s medium is an integral part of the piece itself. My preferred medium is etching. The foundation of the etching is the plate, a piece of copper or zinc that is coated with a thin layer, or “ground,” of acid-resistant resin. As the artist scratches away the ground with a needle, exposing but not penetrating the metal, the design slowly emerges. Once the design has been finished, the plate is placed in an acid bath. The acid attacks the exposed lines until the artist has achieved the desired exposure, when the plate is taken out of the acid solution and the remaining resin is removed. For printing, the plate is warmed slightly, coated with ink, and carefully wiped so that the ink remains in the grooves but not on the surface of the plate. Finally, the plate is put through an etching press with soft, absorbent paper. Only a limited number of top-quality prints can be made from a plate and some artists even destroy their plates after the prints have been made. For most of my works, I produce a limited edition of 120 prints; however, some pieces are in editions of 120 or 250. For all limited editions, each print is signed, and numbered.
Many consider etching to be one of the most versatile of all the graphic media due to the endless effects it allows a skilled artist to achieve. For my part, I love the degree of skill and attention-to-detail that is required to create a truly vibrant and compelling print.
Jutta Votteler
November 2002
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Many of my works were inspired by my travels, by journeys all over the globe. I portray the natural world by using colors and forms to convey not just a scene but a feeling. Animals feature prominently in many of my works; my portfolio is like a safari, with birds, fish, seals, hippos, rhinoceroses, cats, insects and many other exotic creatures.
But my daily strolls and my everyday life give me subject matter as well. Take an “ordinary” object, like a vase of flowers, a tree, or a table laden with food. Why should these be any more or less worthy of an artistic subject than anything else? I try to find something magical in each of these scenes – place a love letter next to the flowers, fill the tree with magical creatures, or invite a tiny yellow bird onto the dinner table. In this way, I can playfully present my perceptions of a cosmos still full of magic and enchantment. Everyone sees the same things; not everyone sees them the same way.
I feel very strongly that an artist’s medium is an integral part of the piece itself. My preferred medium is etching. The foundation of the etching is the plate, a piece of copper or zinc that is coated with a thin layer, or “ground,” of acid-resistant resin. As the artist scratches away the ground with a needle, exposing but not penetrating the metal, the design slowly emerges. Once the design has been finished, the plate is placed in an acid bath. The acid attacks the exposed lines until the artist has achieved the desired exposure, when the plate is taken out of the acid solution and the remaining resin is removed. For printing, the plate is warmed slightly, coated with ink, and carefully wiped so that the ink remains in the grooves but not on the surface of the plate. Finally, the plate is put through an etching press with soft, absorbent paper. Only a limited number of top-quality prints can be made from a plate and some artists even destroy their plates after the prints have been made. For most of my works, I produce a limited edition of 120 prints; however, some pieces are in editions of 120 or 250. For all limited editions, each print is signed, and numbered.
Many consider etching to be one of the most versatile of all the graphic media due to the endless effects it allows a skilled artist to achieve. For my part, I love the degree of skill and attention-to-detail that is required to create a truly vibrant and compelling print.
Jutta Votteler
November 2002
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