Art exhibit: Necropolis Series by Darel Grothaus
From September 30th through November 16th, Episcopal Church of the Redeemer will display selections from the Necropolis Series by Seattle artist Darel Thomas Grothaus.
There will be an opening reception and a talk by the artist on October 11th from 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM.
From the artist’s Web site:
In the decades spanning 1870-1920, funeral statuary reached a zenith not seen since the Roman early Christians in the 3rd - 5th centuries AD. This work cut primarily by a dying breed of European master craftsmen flourished in the wealthier metropolitan areas of the United States during this brief renaissance of 50 years. Unfortunately over the past two decades through weathering, vandalism and theft these monumental works are rapidly disappearing from cemeteries across the nation.
Over the last several years my interest continued to grow and I began capturing and collecting these graceful works in a series of over 3000 photographs taken throughout the United States. After selecting 50 individual pieces for the series it became apparent that merely printing them on paper would not do justice to the original character and nature of these eroding sculptural masterpieces, they required something stronger than paper. I began a series of experiments developing a method of transfer printing the photographs onto large tablets of plaster in order to further enhance their source material, stone.
Each piece is original, and completely made by my hand in a complex multistage process. I begin by custom sizing and casting the roughly 2’x3’x2”, 50 lb tablet from Hydrostone plaster. When sufficiently cured I carefully prepare the transfer and print the photographic image by hand onto the front surface of the tablet, and then crack, carve and distress the piece. By making my own metallic gilded paints and slowly building successive layers of wash surrounding the background area of the central statuary image I have been able to achieve a rich and complex illuminated surface treatment. The final step is a glaze of mud into the distressed surface cracks and sealant coats of matte varnish.