The landscape was a recurring theme for Blackburn throughout his distinguished career.  We delight in sharing two examples from the series of 20 monoprints made when Blackburn revisited this plate 23 years after first printing it.  The deeply etched non-specific forms lend themselves perfectly to the kind of color exploration possible with viscosity or simultaneous color printing—each color rolled onto the plate in a sequence and printed in a single run through the etching press.  Colors glow, and the prints feel lit from within. 

Blackburn made 20 variations of Organic Forms XX, each with a unique color combination and expression. This process was developed in the 1950s in New York and became standard practice at Blackburn’s Printmaking Workshop.

Other Works by Robert Blackburn