Interiors III: Time with Celia 1986

Peter Milton created this print, Interiors III: Time with Celia, using etching, a labor-intensive printmaking process with a rich history. The image is built up through layers of lines, bitten into a metal plate with acid. Each tone, each subtle shift in light and shadow, required careful planning and meticulous execution. Look closely, and you can see the incredible amount of work involved. This wasn't a quick sketch; it was a sustained engagement with the material and the image. The etching medium lends itself particularly well to rendering the play of light and shadow, with a certain silvery quality. The texture created by the etching process gives the image a tactile quality, drawing the viewer into the depicted interior. It's easy to get lost in the subject matter of this artwork, with all its enigmatic details. But it's worth remembering that Milton was deeply engaged with the materiality of printmaking. He wasn’t just reproducing an image; he was crafting it, one line at a time.