Special Exhibit Of DeGrazia Originals

A collection of Ted DeGrazia's original artwork including serigraphs, lithographs and etchings is currently on display and available for purchase at the Tanque Verde branch of the Northern Trust Bank thru December 31, 2004.

This exhibit truly is special in that it gives us a chance to see just how diverse DeGrazia was as an artist. Many people are only familiar with the artist's more traditional works in oil and watercolor, but as anyone who has ever visited the Gallery in the Sun knows, Ted DeGrazia was able to turn just about anything he touched into a work of art. Three of the ways DeGrazia worked his magic are on display in this exhibit. At first glance serigraphs, lithographs and etchings all look like simple drawings, but in reality they are each produced by complex process.

A serigraph is created using a stencil process, the most common of which is the silk screen method. Each color that appears in a serigraph has been applied individually through a separate silk screen that has been blocked out in areas where that particular color doesn't appear in the image. Serigraphs that incorporate a wide variety of colors can require hundreds of individual screens to produce the final product.

The concept behind creating a lithograph is similar in that the image is broken down into individual colors each of which is then applied to the paper separately. The process used to apply the layers of color differs greatly from a serigraph. The artist begins by using a greasy crayon or pen to draw his design directly on a stone, aluminum or zinc plate. The stone is then moistened with water, rolled with ink and pressed onto the paper. When the ink is rolled onto the stone it only sticks to the areas where the greasy design was drawn. The ink is then transferred onto paper when it is pressed against the plate. Each color in a lithograph is applied using a separate plate.

A plate is also used to create an etching. A copper or zinc plate is covered with an acid-resistant ground and the artist uses sharp tools to scratch a design through the ground. The plate is then immersed into an acid bath, allowing the acid to bite into the metal where the protective ground has been removed.  The finished plate is then inked and wiped clean, leaving ink in the crevices of the design that has been bitten into the metal. When the plate is run through a press along with etching paper, the great pressure from the press leaves an ink impression of the etched design on the paper. DeGrazia's "Fantasy Horses" shown here is an example of the finished product.

This exhibit focuses on these three types of artwork. You have an opportunity to not only see DeGrazia's beautiful artwork, but also to purchase rare, limited-edition, DeGrazia serigraphs, lithographs and etchings. Admission is free to view the exhibit at Northern Trust Bank, which is located at 6444 E. Tanque Verde Road in Tucson, Arizona. The bank is open weekdays 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. For more information about the event you can contact the bank at (520) 615-2360 or you can call the Gallery in the Sun at (520) 299-9191.