Metamorphosis of a Damsel Fly

Print

-

Saugatuck Douglas Historical Society

Name/Title

Metamorphosis of a Damsel Fly

Entry/Object ID

2020.30.06

Description

This is a multimedia piece done by Ellen Lanyon. In it she takes an etching print and paints with watercolor over the top to add color. The written description suggests it was made at the Ox-Bow. It was made for her friend Jean Palmer's 86th birthday, and gives the date 8/16/78. The title beneath this work reads “detail” and gives the viewer a clue to the simplicity of the work. The simple nature of the design is also what makes it so striking, as the snippet and composition of the hand and damselfly that are both cut off by the border of the work, thus implying movement. We can tell it is an etching print due to the embossing around the edge. This is done in the printing process, because the original design is first made on a metal plate- usually copper.

Artwork Details

Medium

Etching

Subject

Damselfly and hand

Context

made for Jean Palmer's 86th Birthday

Collection

Artworks

Cataloged By

Voss, Mary

Acquisition

Accession

2020.30

Notes

Received from the art collection of Chris Spencer

Made/Created

Artist

Lanyon, Ellen 1926-2013

Date made

Aug 16, 1978

Inscription/Signature/Marks

Type

Inscription

Location

Bottom of print

Transcription

8/16/78=86 OxBow - Love Ellen Lanyon

Language

English

Location

Shelf

AC bay 23 small works

Room

Art Conservation Room

Relationships

Related Person or Organization

Person or Organization

Ox-Bow/Summer School of Art

Interpretative Labels

Label

Ellen Lanyon 1926 - 2013 Detail: Metamorphosis of a Damsel Fly 1978 | Print and Watercolor Notes: Ellen Lanyon had been an icon of the Art Institute of Chicago school for over 60 years. She was also very active at the Ox-Bow Summer School of Painting in Saugatuck, Michigan. Lanyon had taught painting at several institutions, including the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, the Cooper Union and the School of Visual Arts in New York City and she received may awards in her career This watercolor was inspired by the Ox-Bow “in-house” photographer, Wallace Kirkland who used the Ox-Bow natural environment for a series of insects, published in Life magazine. It was a birthday gift to her friend, Jean Palmer. Collection: Saugatuck Douglas History Center Gift of: Chris Spencer in memory of Charles Ashbrenner Accession: 2020.30.06

Create Date

December 7, 2020

Update Date

September 2, 2024