Lower King Street c. 1925 - 1935

Elizabeth O'Neill Verner made this etching, Lower King Street, sometime during her career. I love the way she’s used line here; hatching and cross-hatching create areas of tone and shadow. It's like she’s thinking through process; building up a picture bit by bit. The texture in this print is fascinating, the way the lines define the architectural details, but also the soft rendering of the sky. Look closely at the lower part of the image, see how the surface of the road is built up from tiny marks, almost like individual brushstrokes. The whole image is constructed from these tiny marks which give the scene a hazy, dreamlike quality. There's something about the sensibility in Verner’s work that reminds me of Whistler, that same concern with atmosphere and light. Both artists seem to share an interest in the possibilities of printmaking to create images that hover between representation and abstraction.