“The meaning of a ‘good line’ is so different if talking about story telling or drawing. I like a well drawn line.”
Joel Ostlind
Wyoming native Joel Ostlind is a self-taught artist who spent fifteen years of his life riding horses and herding cattle on large ranches throughout the American West. The “real deal” cowboy is a self-taught artist who was always sketching on the job.
The video above shows the details of his copper plate etchings, as well as etchings colored with gouache, watercolor, and aquatint. Below, Ostlind shares his thoughts on these two closed out print editions that have just arrived at Ann Korologos Gallery. If you are in the midst of a leisurely day, read this Q & A with Joel, stop in the gallery, or take a look at available works here. If you missed one of these editions, this is your lucky day!
“The two closed out print editions, Through the Sage and Morning Light are from the 1990’s,” reflects Joel Ostlind on these ‘new arrivals.’ “I was on a steep learning curve for etching processes and was working with newer techniques. Also, having just quit ranch work a lot of my subject matter dealt with cowboy crews. Compositionally, it is often fun and interesting to gather a bunch of riders and put them to work on a copper plate. I guess composition is a very important word for me. I have always steered clear of narrative art work, where the story is more important than the visual quality. The meaning of a ‘good line’ is so different if talking about story telling or drawing. I like a well drawn line.”
After a print edition is complete and the total number of impressions have been signed, the plate is cancelled which means it has been defaced in some way so that no more prints can be pulled. To me, over-reaching a print edition size means that the collectors are not being respected. I have liked small editions because it is always nice to work on a new plate rather than to print very large editions.”
The two etchings were part of a University of Wyoming solo traveling print show that toured the state for quite a few years. I once saw the list of show destinations around Wyoming. The crate full of my art was better traveled than I.”
“Since I draw every day, the studio is just part of the pattern for me. And it filters out some of the distractions from the world”
