Untitled 1970

Wilford Wayne Kimball Jr. created this untitled print using a traditional printmaking process, likely etching or lithography. The linear quality of the print allows us to consider the artist's working process. Each line, precisely rendered, contributes to the overall composition, which feels both planned and spontaneous. Printmaking is an indirect medium, that requires careful application of technique and considerable planning. The matrix, whether a plate or stone, must be carefully prepared. A design is then etched, or drawn, onto the surface, and then inked. The final image is only realized through the physical act of printing, an action that involves pressure, and a transfer of ink from one surface to another. Kimball’s exploration of form through line is a reminder that all artistic expressions are rooted in specific methods and materials. Understanding these processes allows us to appreciate the labor and artistry embedded within the image. It challenges the notion that art exists solely in the realm of the visual, when it is so evidently tied to physical skill, and material understanding.