Online Bidding for Norman Rockwell Lithographs Now Open!
Want the whole set?
Please note that the online bidding portion of the auction is for each individual lithograph. At auction close, each piece will be sold to the highest online bidder unless a bid is received for the entire suite that is GREATER than the sum of the individual bids. If you are interested in purchasing the entire Folio of eight framed pieces, please contact Anne Kennedy at anne@taproottheatre.org or (206) 529-3672. Bids for the entire suite must be communicated directly to Anne Kennedy at the information above. Feel free to contact with any questions.
Taproot Theatre Company, in Seattle, WA, is proud to announce that online bidding is now open for Norman Rockwell's Huck Finn Folio! This limited edition suite is copmprised of eight full-color framed lithographs, depicting scenes from Mark Twain's, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and pencil-signed by the artist. The lithographs are on display inTaproot Theatre's upper lobby through August 9th. Online bidding will close on the same date.
This gallery showing coincides with the run of Taproot's production of the Tony award-winning musical Big River:The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, an adaptation of Mark Twain's novel. This unique juxtaposition of visual and performing art, is not to be missed! Art collectors and aficionados, don't miss this unique opportunity to view and own these rare pieces!
“This collection is a good representation of Norman Rockwell’s work depicting one of America’s finest story tellers—Mark Twain,” said Taproot board chair Dennis McCurley, who—along with his wife, Marlene—donated the prints to Taproot to display and offer up for auction. “Both men—Rockwell and Twain—were great story tellers—one with a pen and the other with a brush. Unlike other Rockwell pieces, this Huck Finn Portfolio not only elicits images of Americana, but reminds the viewer of a great Americana literary work of Mark Twain.”
Money raised by the online auction will be used to support Taproot Theatre Company’s multi-faceted production program, which includes Mainstage, Acting Studio and Road Company.
“We hope that this donation can help raise funding to further the critical mission of Taproot to the Greater Seattle community,” McCurley said.
“Norman Rockwell’s art has brought joy to us for many years and we hope other collectors will enjoy this collection for years to come.”
So, tell your friends, family, community, and let the bidding begin!
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About the Lithographic Process...
What is a lithograph?
Basically, it is a print made by using a press to transfer an image that was created initially on stone or metal plate to paper.
Aloys Senefelder, who invented lithography in 1798, preferred to call it "chemical printing", since the process depends on the chemical interaction of grease, nitric acid, gum arabic, and water, rather than the stone from which the name lithography is derived.
How does a lithograph differ from other fine art prints?Lithographs differ from etchings, engravings, serigraphs, and woodcuts in materials and process. As opposed to many other print processes which depend upon incised or carved lines, lithography is a process that depends upon the mutual repulsion of grease and water on a chemically treated, flat surface.
How is a lithograph made?
To make a lithograph, the artist first draws an image, in reverse, on a fine-grained limestone or aluminum plate. For a one-color lithograph, this will be the only drawing. Each additional color will generally require a separate stone or plate.
Artists use the same kinds of tools they would for images on paper or canvas. However, since the basic principle of hand lithographic printing is the natural repulsion of grease and water, the crayons, pencils, and washes used in lithography have a high grease content.
Once the artist has finished drawing with the greasy black pigments, an artisan printer takes over and chemically treats the stones and/or plates to stabilize the image for printing.
How does the printing process work?
After the artist has finished drawing on the plates or stones, the printer sprinkles rosin on the surface to protect the drawing. Then he or she powders the surface with talc which helps the chemical etch lie more closely to the tiny grease dots which compose the drawing.
The etch, which is a solution of gum arabic and nitric acid, is then applied to the stone and left for about an hour to combine with the greasy particles and the calcium carbonate of the stone.
The printer then removes the original drawing materials with a solvent, leaving the greasy image barely visible on the stone. The printing inks, which are also greasy, will adhere to the image area. The stone's surface is kept wet, which prevents the ink from adhering to non-image areas.
At the press, the printer sponges the stone or plate with water, rolls it with ink, and prints a series of "trial proofs": the same image with different color and paper combinations. When the artist is completely satisfied with the result, the final proof is signed by the artist as the bon à tirer ("good to pull"). With this as a standard, the printer is ready to pull the edition.
Once the edition has been printed, the stone or plate is destroyed or erased, ensuring that no more impressions can be printed. The curator checks each impression against the bon à tirer, and then the artist signs and numbers the impression.
In a multicolor print, how does the printer get the colors in exactly the right places?
Generally the same piece of paper must pass through the press as many times as there are different colors. This process requires exact registration with each run, or pass, through the press.
Registration ensures that each color or component of an image is printed in exactly the right area. The printer makes tiny pencil marks on each sheet of paper to be printed and lines them up to correspond with marks on each stone or plate. This way, each impression in the edition is consistent.
(This information was gathered from the Tamarind Institute at www.unm.edu)
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Taproot Theatre Company has been a vibrant member of the Seattle theatre scene for 32 years. During that time, we have developed an effective three-pronged approach to theatre, reaching vast numbers of audience members through programs that challenge, encourage, and inspire.
Road Company
TTC's Educational Touring program (Road Company) exists to reach the hearts and minds of children throughout the Pacific Northwest. We use the creative and captivating medium of theatre to teach life-changing lessons with our productions focused on the burgeoning threats of bullying and harassment in elementary and secondary school settings.
Acting Studio
TTC's Acting Studio was founded in 1992 to provide affordable, encouraging, and artistically challenging classes for kids and adults interested in learning the craft of acting. The year-round curriculum invites students – of all ages - to take creative risks and forge new friendships, as well as encourages families to participate in their son/daughter/parent’s passion, while providing a safe and affirming place for learning
Mainstage
Taproot Theatre Company serves a Mainstage audience unlike any other in Seattle. Patrons from all over the Pacific Northwest and greater Puget Sound Region attend mainstage productions. Many live in Seattle and come specifically from the working neighborhoods of Greenwood and Crown Hill. Taproot’s staff and facility seek to foster community among our audiences by giving them a theatre experience devoid of the elitism and social barriers that some fear.
Each season Taproot offers a wide variety of plays including dramas, comedies, musicals, and new works. Recent Mainstage production titles include Doubt, The Importance of Being Earnest, All My Sons, As You Like It, Mary’s Wedding, and The Fantasticks. Remaining shows in the 2008 season are Susan and God and The Christmas Foundling.
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