David Smith-Harrison

"Drawing is of central importance to me. I am fascinated with the magic of drawing, of making marks which provide parallels with experience; marks which are able to express my feelings for form, space, light and movement. I also consider drawing to be a very personal, searching process, and a tool for developing my powers of observation and memory. My approach to printmaking relies very much on drawing.

I am attracted to the infinite possibilities of impressing ink onto paper and I find the unique textural characteristics of prints to be stimulating, seductive, and full of subtlety and nuance. My prints evolve and develop slowly. This gradual process allows me to become very involved with the subject. Because of this intense and continual observation, I feel I am able to make a sensitive, and intimate statement about the subject.

I am naturally attracted towards realism and approach my work knowing that both conscious and unconscious influences will impart its direction. I feel that these influences have been the theories of picture-making. I have an enormous respect for the art of the past and particularly for that of the great draftsmen of the Italian Renaissance. I believe that one can retain respect for these masters without necessarily imitating or becoming subordinate to them. I realize that my art comes from both art history and life, and there is succession and lineage in all art.

I approach the making of images seriously and hope that they will reveal something poetic and universally true about the human condition. Converting ideas into marks and lines on the paper or printing plate excites my mind and invigorates my imagination. When this goes well, it provides intense pleasure which delights me and enriches my life, and hopefully the lives of others."

Artist's biography...

Orchard III
Etching and Acquatint, July 2004
Paper size: 26.5 inches X 33.5 inches
Image size: 20 inches X 28 inches
$2500

Hommage Intaglio, 2003 Paper size: 12.75 inches X 11.25 inches Image size: 8 inches X 5.75 inches Edition of 160 $350

Two Windows Intaglio/gravure, 1993 Paper size: 16 inches X 15 inches Image size: 6.75 inches X 6.25 inches Trial Proof $600

Cottonwoods Intaglio, 1994 Paper size: 22.5 inches X 28 inches Image size: 13 inches X 18 inches Edition of 160 $1200

Cottonwoods II Intaglio, 2003 Paper size: 22.5 inches X 13 inches Image size: 17.5 inches X 7.5 inches Edition of 160 $500

Yucatan Paper size: 46 inches X 31.5 inches Image size: 36 inches X 24 inches 46 inches X 31 1/2 inches Edition of 145 ev $5500

La Puerta Intaglio, 1997 Paper size: 22.5 inches X 24 inches Image size: 16 inches X 18 inches Edition of 135 $1000

Rose Intaglio, 2004 Image size: 4" x 6" Paper size: 11 " x 12" Paper: Somerset Satin White Edition Size: 200 $250

Two Palms with Urns Intaglio (hard and soft ground etching, with engraving), 2002 Paper size: 22.5 inches X 30 inches Image size: 17 inches X 24 inches Edition variable ( variations in ink, paper, and coloration) Edition of 200 $500

Grapevine Intaglio, 1997 Paper size: 11 inches X 12 inches Image size: 5.5 inches X 7 inches Edition of 160 $900