BETWEEN PLANES
EXPLORING SCULPTURE THROUGH PRINT

In Honor of Dewayne Perry (1940-2024)

Between Planes: Prints by Sculptors

November 13 - December 20
Opening Reception: Thursday, November 13, 4-6pm

In 2009, the Westmont Ridley-Tree Museum of Art purchased Jacques Lipchitz’s Bellerophon Taming Pegasus. This lithograph would be the first print by a sculptor purchased through a special print acquisition fund created by Westmont alumni Dewayne (‘62) and Faith Perry (‘62). Thanks to Perrys’ generous gifts over the years, the Museum has added numerous old master prints to the collection, as well as significant works by students and lesser-known artists equally gifted in artistic vision. Today, our collection has grown to more than 475 works on paper purchased through the Dewayne and Faith Perry Print Acquisition Fund. 

One unique area of print collecting in which we have focused is prints made by sculptors. While Westmont has a notable three-dimensional sculpture collection, prints by sculptors are often more accessible while still representing the artist’s three-dimensional proclivities. The print serves as an ideal transitional medium for sculptors, as it fits with the technical know-how, tools and processes, and materials they are familiar with. Works on paper also offer sculptors a medium for exploring narratives, symbols, and personal themes that may be difficult to convey in three-dimensional forms, sometimes revealing a more intimate side of their work. Viewing a sculpture and print together illuminates the full exploration of a theme, with each medium informing the other to create a more complete picture than when exhibited on their own.

This exhibition offers viewers the opportunity to explore artistic vision across two-dimensional and three-dimensional media. Between Planes highlights the innovative intersections between sculpture and printmaking, while also reflecting on the enduring impact of the Perrys’ generosity, which continues to expand the Museum’s collection and deepen our understanding of how artists shape form, space, and imagination across mediums. 

Common types of prints featured in the exhibition:

Monoprint - one-of-a-kind print in which the image can only be produced uniquely once.

Woodcut - relief-printing technique using a design that is carved into a block of wood.

Aquatint (and spit-bite) - for a traditional aquatint, the entire printing plate is covered with a fine powder and then submerged into an acid bath to create a uniform tone across the plate. Spit-bite aquatints are created when the acid is painted directly onto the aquatinted plate, creating a painterly effect.

Serigraph - fine-art silkscreen print (distinguished from commercial screenprinting).

Collagraph - process in which textured materials are glued to a substrate, sealed and inked, then run through the press to create varied texture and depth.

Offset/traditional lithograph- a lithograph is created when the artist draws with greasy crayons on limestone or aluminum, then brushed with a chemical solution and water before being inked. The ink bonds to the greasy marks, and produces a transfer of the image when run through the press. An offset lithograph produces the print indirectly using the transfer of a rubber plate, allowing for faster production of prints.

Etching - a metal plate is coated with an acid-resistant material, such as wax or varnish. The artist scratches the design onto the coated plate, revealing the metal beneath, then submerges the plate into an acid bath to etch the exposed metal. Ink settles into the etched lines and transfers the image onto paper when run through a printing press.

Drypoint - a printmaking technique where an image is drawn onto a plate using a sharp, needle-like metal tool. The resulting image possesses sharp lines with soft, fuzzy edges.

Engraving, etching, drypoint, and aquatint are all intaglio printmaking techniques. "Intaglio" means the image is incised or sunken into the plate, and is the opposite of a relief print in which the image is raised above the surface.