Valeria Gasparrini
Artist, illustrator
About
Valeria Gasparrini ( Rome, 1964), was formed thanks to a rich contribution of artistic and literary experiences: classical studies, research in ceramics, painting, fresco, engraving, drawing from life; attended the three-year course of illustration at the IED, and was trained in the graphic engraved at the Stamperia del Tevere , in Rome. Today she works as an artist, as an advertising illustrator and freelance editorial, as a teacher of drawing, visual and illustration at Quasar Design University, the Academy of Fine Arts of L'Aquila ABAQ, the American University in Rome AUR. He draws live in theatrical performances, and realizes performances with stage machines of various nature that builds and animates on stage. As an artist he has participated in personal and collective exhibitions, and passionately dedicates himself to the creation of artist’s books, combining his remarkable illustrative nature with the infinite expressive possibilities of engraving techniques.
He has exhibited in Rome, Milan, Bologna, Faenza, Venice, Paris, Luxembourg, Rothemburg. Some of his works are part of permanent exhibitions, such as the ceramic work "Rain" at the International Museum of ceramics in Faenza, the artist book "How many irreplaceable lives", exhibited at the national library of Luxembourg, and its printed version exhibited at the Casa della Memoria in Rome.
They wrote about here
Daniele Scalise, Loris Schermi, Francesca Tuscano, Michèle Wallenborn, Devin Kovach, Sarah Linford, Gianluca Tedaldi. Valeria Bertesina. For interested people, I am writing to offer the highest recommendation for Valeria Gasparrini who has held two engraving workshops for the Rome Center of Architecture and Culture at Woodbury University which I direct. He guided the students' works, taking them from the initial drawings to the creation of the definitive prints and their possible display in an exhibition. I find her one of the most creatively contagious and inspiring people with whom I have had the opportunity to collaborate. Let me take the liberty of offering a few details regarding his remarkable abilities. To begin with, she is a very competent artist in her field. She is also generous in sharing her experience and does so with great enthusiasm. In the initial phase of the projects he offers numerous approaches, both experimental and conventional, with the aim of giving birth to works of art that can then be created on slabs. In the workshops we used zinc and copper plates, and the results were surprising. It featured field sketching exercises, complex mapping projects, and digital plate file translations. It has provided Woodbury with some of the most powerful and transformative learning experiences students have had in Rome; also in relation to what they do at home. Our students love her and she has been there for them every step of the way, teaching them techniques to achieve their creative goals. It is a magical moment when the students complete the drawings, prepare the plates, ink them working in their studio. And then they print them. This would not have been possible for us without Valeria's expertise. Thank you for the opportunity to offer a great recommendation for Valeria and I would be happy to discuss her merits further should you wish to contact me at my email: paulette.singey@gmail.c
Best regards Paulette Singley Woodbury University professor, Director of the Rome Center for Architecture and Culture
Etching technique
Etching is an indirect chalcographic technique. This means that the design made on the metal matrix is not directly engraved, scratching or digging the surface, but the excavation work is done by the corrosive action of an acid. In order for the acid to eat the metal only where we want it to be, the plate is protected by a layer of wax, and the marks we draw when we draw on the plate have the sole purpose of removing the wax and exposing the underlying metal.
Once the design is made on the waxed surface, the plate is put in acid; depending on the time of immersion the sign will be more or less decided, deep, precise; this obviously leaves the field to many possibilities of interpretation. The yield will also change depending on the type of acid, its concentration. Also the process can be repeated several times, overlapping sign to sign.Once removed from the acid bath the plate is rinsed and cleaned from the wax that still covers it; the grooves (marks) are inked, the surface cleaned of excess ink, and finally printed. This type of inking and printing, that is, when the ink is put in the grooves and the matrix is pressed by the press on a moistened sheet of paper, is called chalcographic printing. In chalcographic printing the drawing passes from the grooves to the sheet of paper by the pressure of the press; in typographical printing, instead, the drawing passes from the reliefs on the surface to the sheet of paper, as in the printing with movable characters, for example.
Once the design is made on the waxed surface, the plate is put in acid; depending on the time of immersion the sign will be more or less decided, deep, precise; this obviously leaves the field to many possibilities of interpretation. The yield will also change depending on the type of acid, its concentration. Also the process can be repeated several times, overlapping sign to sign.Once removed from the acid bath the plate is rinsed and cleaned from the wax that still covers it; the grooves (marks) are inked, the surface cleaned of excess ink, and finally printed. This type of inking and printing, that is, when the ink is put in the grooves and the matrix is pressed by the press on a moistened sheet of paper, is called chalcographic printing. In chalcographic printing the drawing passes from the grooves to the sheet of paper by the pressure of the press; in typographical printing, instead, the drawing passes from the reliefs on the surface to the sheet of paper, as in the printing with movable characters, for example.
With regard to matrix preparation, there are many ways to trace the marks on the waxed surface and therefore many different graphic results… Etching is just one of them. Then there are the aquatint, the ceramolle, the sugar way, the “jet” way, the craquelet, the use of the wheel. If the matrix is of copper or bronze, then perchlorine will be used as a corrosive substance, if nitric acid is zinc (in dilutions ranging from 1 part acid to 9 parts water to 1:12) or copper sulphate ( dilution about 1:10, the best reference is the turquoise color that assumes the water); if it is aluminum the copper sulfate with the addition of salt.
Video
LIFE! The second status test
The first matrix we make is called “First Status Test”. Each subsequent change to the same matrix is marked as the next status test: 2,3,4… In this case, after printing the plate for the first time, I decided to enrich and underline the sign; I then covered it again with wax, but this time a pad and a solid wax, to be sure that all the previous marks were well filled and protected. Then I drew it again and put it back in acid again. The final result is a matrix engraved twice, where the signs overlap and integrate with each other.
Etching “The Wood”: backstage
Master preparation, color study, printing steps.
Gravure printing
The phases of chalcographic printing:
ink preparation (medium: linseed oil); metal spatula.
Application of the ink on the matrix with a spatula to remove (plastic). It stretches in the four directions, to make sure you have well saturated with ink all the marks.
Removal with the spatula itself of excess ink.
first roughing with the tarlatan. The starched tarlatan gauze allows a first coarse removal of excess ink.
Cleaning of the matrix with paper. The card and telephone directories is an excellent card :). In theory should be used paper “pelure”, paper similar to tissue, thin and semi-transparent.
Cleaning the edges of the slab
Matrix centering on the printing table
preparation of printing paper: wetting and drying.
Paper centering on the printing surface
Printing with the press
The result: the print is still wet and with fresh ink is put either in a dryer, or between two absorbent surfaces protected by a sheet of tissue paper.
LIFE! The first status test press
A plate of metal is cut to make an etching. After having covered it with a layer of wax, with a tip we “scratche” the drawing, and then the plate is immersed in a corrosive acid. The acid will only corrode the bare metal, creating grooves; these marks will be inked and printed. The status press test is the printing of a matrix that then underwent further interventions, permanently changing its content.