Landscape, 150 x 180 cm

In short, the subtraction of the upper layers of the paper in chosen parts, brings the inner fibers of the paper to the surface. This makes possible for those engraved parts to absorb the charcoal, showing intense tonal hues through which the landscape is outlined and revealed. Although this technique resembles the classical use of the etching technique, unlike printmaking, the engraved paper constitutes the final work produced. Thus, I refer to the aforementioned technique as paper engraving. This work is one of the two works that that were created in the context of my undergraduate senior project, featuring a large scale landscape.
Nature proved not only to be the ideal visual theme technically for the development of the technique, but also the breaking point for myself as an artist. After hitting many dead ends in the formulation of the carved bits and pieces into a technique, I decided to depict -in a disappointing manner- the view from my window, the small bushes that are characteristic of the Greek landscape. As it turned out, these bushes were not only my breaking point for the formulation of paper engraving as a coherent way of art-making, but also set the ground for the manifestation of my first series of works which were my winning ticket for my first exhibition and Solo Show in Romania. Deciding to stick to the depiction of nature but also go big scale for my senior project allowed me a) to further expand the technicality of paper engraving, whilst b) the landscape itself remains a constant reminder that commitment can and will eventually lead to the opening up of new opportunities in one's life. Once more, I realized that this technique could constitute a more contemporary and novel approach to engraving, that is and I hope will be characteristic of my artistic practice.