Etchings by Monika Steinhoff reveal an artist who has found her medium. From the sensitivity and strong feeling of place in her images to the technical skill shown in the final prints, her work manages to combine precision and fluidity, fantasy and realism for maximum effect.
Trees, stark and deeply etched, curved and stretch upward against backgrounds of adobe walls or wide, light-filled skies. Interiors and the streets of New Mexico's high desert towns are shown as informal living spaces. Whether deserted or casually peopled, each scene seems caught in the midst of a story. Her visions are strong, yet playful, with a dreamlike quality that brings a personal surrealism to everyday moments.
From the original sketch, through the transfer to copper plates, the repeated process of etching, the hand pulling of proofs and final aqua tinting, Ms. Steinhoff does every stage herself. The use of Dutch mordant (instead of nitric acid) for etching the plates allows her to vary lines from delicate, intricate traces to broad, black strokes. Aqua tints mixed by the artist in black, earth tones or warm blues give her work a rich texture.
Born on an island in the Baltic Sea and raised in the southern desert of New Mexico, Ms. Steinhoff's artistic career of 20 years spans various mediums. Influenced by Goya, Doel Reed and Peter Milton and by her childhood associations with widely disparate landscapes, her work is a subtle balance of tension and tranquility, light and dark, mystery and realism, always with a hint of loneliness, even in a crowd.
Trees, stark and deeply etched, curved and stretch upward against backgrounds of adobe walls or wide, light-filled skies. Interiors and the streets of New Mexico's high desert towns are shown as informal living spaces. Whether deserted or casually peopled, each scene seems caught in the midst of a story. Her visions are strong, yet playful, with a dreamlike quality that brings a personal surrealism to everyday moments.
From the original sketch, through the transfer to copper plates, the repeated process of etching, the hand pulling of proofs and final aqua tinting, Ms. Steinhoff does every stage herself. The use of Dutch mordant (instead of nitric acid) for etching the plates allows her to vary lines from delicate, intricate traces to broad, black strokes. Aqua tints mixed by the artist in black, earth tones or warm blues give her work a rich texture.
Born on an island in the Baltic Sea and raised in the southern desert of New Mexico, Ms. Steinhoff's artistic career of 20 years spans various mediums. Influenced by Goya, Doel Reed and Peter Milton and by her childhood associations with widely disparate landscapes, her work is a subtle balance of tension and tranquility, light and dark, mystery and realism, always with a hint of loneliness, even in a crowd.