The Print Maker 1954

Clarence E. Sherdon made this print, The Print Maker, using an unknown printmaking process. The artist meticulously renders the world with closely hatched and cross-hatched lines. It’s a process of building up the image bit by bit, a real labor of love. Look closely, and you can almost feel the texture of the block. The lines aren't just about depicting what's there, they also have a life of their own. See the way he renders the hands, so central to the printmakers craft? They are large and in charge, powerful, even looming over the tools of the trade. The black ink sits on top of a layer of ochre, which creates a subtle tension. There is a second design, a vase of foliage, which looks as if it has been collaged into the scene. Sherdon has given us a glimpse into the working life of a printmaker. Sherdon was a contemporary of the better known American printmaker, Leonard Baskin. Both artists were interested in the human figure, but where Baskin's work often tends toward the monumental, Sherdon's is more intimate. It’s a reminder that art is an ongoing conversation, full of questions rather than answers.