To view image click on "Access Content Now" above This abstract image, looking down into an open jewelry box, is an etching by Canadian artist James Boyd. An etching is an intaglio printmaking process where the artist inscribes a line or area into a metal plate. Once the design is complete, the plate is dipped into acid. After cleaning the plate, the artist applies ink to the plate and lays a dampened paper on top, running them both through a printing press. This transfers the image onto the paper. Each colour I this image reflects another run through the press. Unlike most printmakers who create a limited number of identical prints from the same plate, James refused the idea of reproduction in printmaking and only created one unique print from each of his plates. He also developed unique printmaking techniques such as applying paint (instead of ink) to his plate, or expanding the printing surface of his plate with wood or linoleum. By pushing beyond traditional methods, he was able to create a distinctive style. James Henderson Boyd (1928-2002) was born in Ottawa, Ontario and was an accomplished multidisciplinary artist; a skilled painter, printmaker, sculptor, muralist and educator. He studied at the New York Art Student League, and the National Academy of Design in New York. Boyd was a printmaking instructor at the Ottawa Art School and at the University of Ottawa. His work is represented in the City of Ottawa Art Collection
