John Burroughs 

Curator: This portrait print by M. Paul Roche, simply titled "John Burroughs," immediately makes me think of those old photographs of Civil War generals – the weariness and the wisdom etched into their faces. Editor: Yes, that’s the impression I get, too—a stoic face rendered using line etching, like marks on a copper plate worn from use and dipped in acid. Do we know the date this was made? Curator: Sadly, the artwork is not dated but what captivates me most about this work is how raw and unembellished it is. Look closely, and you see these deliberately scrappy lines giving this face a compelling emotional charge. You see an outdoorsman; his beard a natural outgrowth from his spirit. Editor: Indeed, one cannot divorce the "portrait" style here from the materials themselves. Etching is by its nature reproductive, tied to print culture. Consider how a print like this makes John Burroughs accessible beyond his physical presence. Was it meant to inspire others towards nature writing? Curator: I love that, this work not just as a likeness, but an invitation. The etching itself mirrors nature's unpredictable quality—its controlled, almost surgical, application giving the piece a human feel; lines capturing light, shadow, and character as if conjured spontaneously. The artist could have hidden imperfections. Instead, he lays everything bare on the copperplate for our gaze! Editor: A calculated effect for certain. We’re left with the image itself which feels strangely aged given the medium's ability to produce clear detail and create exact likeness. Still the artist captures what may be most lasting about the sitter and the material, time's effects upon us both. Curator: In the end, the dialogue between artist and material echoes a dialogue between the natural and the human— etched in time for all who pause long enough to see. Editor: Beautifully put. An interesting use of "craft" techniques to produce what seems to be "fine art" in this meditation on the passing of time!