LeRoy Neiman Etchings

There are a number of different mediums that visual artists use for their limited edition works. LeRoy Neiman, for instance, in addition to his highly coveted originals in oil, acrylic and mixed media, also creates lithographs, serigraphs, engravings, sculptures, and etchings. And though we've all heard the famous come on line, "would you like to come up and see my etchings?" few people actually know what one is.

"Etching" refers to both the process and the resulting print. An artist takes a stiff metal sheet, usually made from copper, which is called a "plate." The artist coats the entire front of the plate with a waxy substance called a "ground." The artist then takes a sharp instrument, called a stylus, and draws the image through the ground. Once finished, the plate is put in an acid bath, which eats away at the exposed lines, making them deeper still.

Ink is then poured onto the plate, where it settles into the drawn grooves. Heavyweight artist paper is placed atop the plate and is forced into the grooves. When pulled from the master plate, the artist paper now bears the image of the master. Etchings can always be distinguished by their raised marks from being pressed into the master. All etchings are created from the master plate, with no loss of quality from the first in the series through the last.

Atkinson Fine Art is pleased and proud to carry a wide variety of LeRoy Neiman etchings, as well as those by other contemporary American artists. We are always happy, too, to help collectors find unique works which may not be in our immediate inventory. Thank you for your interest in the etchings of LeRoy Neiman and for visiting us today at Atkinson Fine Art.