Art + Travel contains recent images by Melbourne based artist Damon Kowarsky of Serbia, Montenegro, Istanbul, Yemen, France, and Saudi Arabia, all made with his characteristic attention to detail and precise, analytical observation of the natural world.
For more than twenty years Kowarsky has travelled the world, making etchings and drawings inspired by the architecture and landscape of the places he has visited.
“Travel has long been an essential part of my practice. While Australia is home, I get most of my ideas overseas. Part of this is about availability. Architecture and the built environment are some of my main subjects. If you want to draw the streets of Paris you have to go there.”
Kowarsky is primarily a printmaking artist who specialises in etching and aquatint on copper plate which is a traditional printmaking technique that dates from the early 1500’s.
Typically, his works begin with his sketchbook drawings which are then interpreted into compositions drawn with a needle point through an acid proof coating on a copper plate. This plate is immersed in acid to bite into the exposed drawn lines to make them deeply embedded in the copper. The plate is then completely covered with ink that is carefully hand wiped away from the surface to leave only the ink trapped in the etched lines. This plate is then printed individually onto dampened paper through a high pressure cylinder etching press. Some prints may have two or three different etched plates to form the final composition.
“There is a lot of technique involved in making an etching but it has always been my aim to make this invisible. … Ultimately I believe the image comes first, and the technique is a way to support it, and hopefully bring joy to the audience.”
Kowarsky is the recipient of numerous awards and is represented in public and private collections in Australia and internationally. He has worked as a scientific, courtroom, and archaeological illustrator.
Featured image: palić, etching and aquatint, 2024, 200 x 220mm
Exhibition runs 14 June – 27 July
