Norman Ackroyd

January 23, 2018

Norman Ackroyd

I came across Norman Ackroyd work when watching “what artist do all day”. He makes beautiful etchings that capture the essence of the British coastline and Islands. His etchings are of a completely different style to any other etchings I’ve really seen so far, they don’t have the scratchy drawing like appearance like other etchings do.

I’ve been looking at his watercolours for my painting unit, to get an idea of how others handle the material. However from looking at his watercolours l can see how it’s greatly affected how he etch’s. Both have soft and hard edges,which merge into the sky. I know that his works are of landscapes, but there also an element of abstraction going on. Although you can tell it’s a jagged cliff face you’re looking at, it’s really just shapes.

I know that his etchings are made in a acid bath, which I’m not for miler with. He is able to create a soft haze to his etchings, adding tone, shadow and highlight. His art stands out from others of his this time, i think this is because he took a more traditional route. He was studying during the time of PopArt, which I’d never of guess from his work.

Watercolours