Jane Eppel

Jane Eppel is a South African printmaker based in the Cape Peninsula, the smallest yet richest of the world's six Floral Kingdoms. Inspired by nature, her work focuses on the abundance and diversity which daily surrounds her.

'Namesake' is Eppel's latest offering of etchings: a contemporary interpretation of the traditional genre of botanical art. These ten copperplate etchings are intricately detailed studies of local daisies – depicted singly, in sequence, or knotted into suggestions of further shapes and signs. The quietness of the works belies the physical rigour of their making: copperplate etching is a very laborious process; from preparing the sheets of copper to finally etching the needle-drawn lines in ferric chloride, a work can take Eppel weeks and even months to complete.

About and Statement of Jane Eppel

Though true to the ready familiarity of its subject matter, Eppel's flowers are not indebted to the conventions of photorealism: they operate as a form of storying, each of the works taking its place within a series of interlinked points, stages and movements. The artist’s eye is an obsessive one, probing the sensitivity of every stigma and stamen and matching their specificity with the exactness of her incisions. Yet the micro gives way to the macro and some of the flowers allude to seemingly more remote forms – to the imagined lines of a constellation and the orbital planes of a planet or, conversely, to the smallest unit of an atom or the bonds of a molecule.

Eppel’s latest etchings will be exhibited in London at Everard London, from 27th April - 29th May 2018. (80 Fulham Road London, SW3 6HR +44 (0)20 7590 9991). She will exhibit alongside her husband, South African artist Nic Bladen, who is known for his extraordinary cast botanical sculptures.

Exult

Detail of Exult

Opening Close

Detail of Opening Close

Quest

Detail of Quest

Waiting for You

Detail of Waiting for You

World

Detail of World

World ii

Detail of World

Images and Statement Sourced from:
https://www.janeeppel.com

My Thoughts
I have always loved etching as a medium. I find it an exciting, versatile and often surprising.
What I do find a little disturbing when looking at how young people today approach etching now days is a lack of respect for the preparation involved with etching. So when I went to see Jane's exhibition I was so happy.
Let me explain in a bit more detail.
I may be seen as a purist, but I don't think I am. While I absolutely believe that art should constantly be developed and every artist should spend some time experimenting with existing mediums to see how they can bring it into the modern style, one shouldn't confuse experimentation with laziness.
Etching has a lot of preparation work even before you start working on the image. it used to take me hours to polish an etching plate till it was like a mirror. Why? Because if you don't and there are small scratches in the plate, those scratches will hold ink and if that happens your paper will soak up that ink becoming grey. Why don't you want this? Because it becomes very difficult to create sharp contrast if you don't. There are some fundamentals in art and one of them when working in black and white is that contrast. It helps to create drama and sharpness, allowing your subject to stand out and create focal points.
Jane has obviously spent time and effort in her preparation to create works that are clean and clear. Jane works with extremely delicate subject matters and therefore uses a lot of very fine detailing which would not have been visible on backgrounds that were not virgin paper.
Etching to me must be one of the least understood mediums to the general public, precisely because it's a lengthy and time consuming process that few people (public) ever get to see. They don't know that one plate can take hours to polish. They don't know that after each etching technique is applied, the plate is inked up, polished and printed before the next technique is applied. Layer upon layer of techniques and processes and test print after each and every one.
A mistake made during any of these processes can make all that work for nothing as mistakes in etching can be difficult to fix if at all.
While Jane may be using only one technique, that of line, make no mistake drawing on metal is not easy. So to create drawings that look this fluid and fine is to be respected and commended. Timing the acid bites to get fine work, not to allow the acid to bite too much that you loose the detail, but enough to hold the ink, is nerve wrecking.
If you ever have the chance to visit an etching studio, please do so, better yet find one to visit. It is a fascinating process and medium, full of surprises.
I posted the other day about a sculptor Nic Bladen, he is Jane's husband and they are exhibiting together in London at the moment, so if any of you steemians are in London take the time to go and support them and welcome two great South African artists (info below)
Eppel’s latest etchings will be exhibited in London at Everard London, from 27th April - 29th May 2018. (80 Fulham Road London, SW3 6HR +44 (0)20 7590 9991). She will exhibit alongside her husband, South African artist Nic Bladen, who is known for his extraordinary cast botanical sculptures.

Contact Details for Jane Eppel:
https://www.janeeppel.com
[email protected]
https://www.facebook.com/jane.eppel.3

Gallery Information in London where Jane is exhibiting:
https://www.everardlondon.com/