Highpoint Center for Printmaking is pleased to present a selection of new mezzotints from printmaker Linda Whitney. Opening on January 17th, the exhibition will feature over 20 new prints. Come view these incredibly detailed, textural, and awe-inspiring mezzotints. The exhibition and event are free and open to the public.
Mezzotint printmaking is a technique that originated in the seventeenth century, known for producing prints with smooth tonal gradations and deep, velvety blacks. The process begins by using a curved, fine-toothed tool called a "rocker" to create a series of small indentations across the surface of a metal plate. These indentations hold ink and, if left unaltered, would produce a solid black print. To achieve varying tones, the printmaker smooths or burnishes parts of the plate to different degrees, reducing the ink retention in those areas. The smoother regions hold less ink and produce lighter tones, while the rougher, unburnished areas retain more ink, resulting in darker shades.
Ataht ~ Butterfly Dancer, 2023
Mezzotint and earth pigments, 30 x 22 inches
Pilamaya Moon ~ Butterfly Dancer, 2023
Mezzotint and earth pigments, 30 x 22 inches
“My mezzotint images are printed from hand-rocked copper on Hahnemuhle Copperplate paper, and the added color is pigment gathered from the earth. The process is long and gives time for reflection. Each part of this process honors and respects the long history of Indigenous cultures.” –Linda Whitney
Whitney was brought to printmaking through her numerous Indigenous artist friends, and her imagery reflects the reverence for the ceremony and regalia that Whitney experiences while attending powwows. Whitney's experience as an artist living with neurodivergence – as she describes, "seeing backward" – also drew her to print. Her dyslexia aided in the process of needing to imagine the images mirrored from their original composition on a plate.
Linda Whitney is a North Dakota-based printmaker and retired professor emeritus at Valley City State University, ND. Whitney is a descendant of the First Nations in Canada from the Thunder Bay area. She was raised in the Midwest and remains connected to Native culture and ceremony through her Native American friends of the Spirit Lake Nation and her previous husband of the Turtle Mountain band of Chippewa. Whitney spent her career teaching printmaking and lives in her studio with her etching press. She has exhibited throughout North America, Europe, Australia, New Zealand, Serbia, Nicaragua, Russia, India, and China. Her work was given one of four international awards at the last International Mezzotint Festival in Ekaterinburg, Russia, 2019.