Loading Vraic 1926

Edmund Blampied made this etching, Loading Vraic, with subtle mark-making, creating a world from very little. It's such a process, isn't it, to make an image out of almost nothing? Look at the layering of lines, how they build up these weighty forms of people, animals and seaweed. The textures are incredible! All those tiny scratches and scribbles, and the negative space creating a mood. You can almost feel the dampness in the air. The figures in the foreground are etched with a darker ink to define the tonal contrast. And then, behind them, Blampied sketches the city. You notice the spire first, it’s so clearly defined, and then the city fans out beneath it in a network of hazy lines. There's an economy of line here that reminds me of the work of Whistler, another master etcher. It’s about embracing a kind of ambiguity and a lightness of touch.