1978-1979 : Print-Making In William Stanley Hayter's Atelier 17 in Paris, France

These were really some very special as well as formative years for me back in my twenties as I tried many styles and techniques to make prints back then in both the Atelier 17 at 10, Rue Didot back in the artist's quartier of the 14th arrondisement in Paris, France.

Actually, I started before both of these at the Atelier Calvert-Brun learning the traditional techniques of print-making from this old French master himself. I started back at the Atelier Calvert-Brun back in 1978 as I recall. I will check my records and get up to speed here as soon as possible as I am very pleased to have this blog format to talk about this period of my artistic development that is still very much with me and which laid an invaluable foundation. I learned from all three of these places.

At the Atelier Calvert Brun I got my feet wet and started to envision the wonderfully enticing world of one of my then-favorite artists of all time : Rembrandt. I just loved all of his work including all of his etchings. I got turned onto Rembrandt back when I attended prep school at Lawrenceville Prep School ( for young me back then as it was not yet coed ) under the eye of Jack Garver. Jack did watercolors beautifully and in the old world style of artists like Homer and Sargeant : careful renditions of real life from nature outside to sports games like football, etcetera. I often would catch him at his own work in the studio that he taught us in in small classes. I think we developed a nice bond in those two or so years that I took art from him.

I should have done more of that and forgotten about the chemistry as I was never any good at that and I did not feel like I received the instruction that I needed to advance in that. I just did not have the aptitude or the direction or interest in chemistry. Too bad : I lost out because either I did not ask for help or help was never really proffered to me. Either way O was the loser in that as my grade reflected much now to my displeasure. Why is it that unlike Jack Garver in my art class I did not have developed the same bond or accord in chemistry? When is it that teachers and professors don't have to reach out to their students in these small classes? But this is about art and not chemistry : sorry!

At The Atelier 17 I got turned onto the entire modern world of art and print-making and all the people around the world interested in working under the tutelage and eyes of William Stanley Hayter. This was huge for me and something that I value to this day as I met so many budding young artists from around the world. I would love to see some of them today to see what they are up to now. And I did recently last year go on my Father's Day with my two children to Hayter's show at the West Wing Gallery of Art of the Smithsonian Institution that both fired and inspired me once all over again! I loved it and am happy to have had that experience to share with my children.

At the Atelier Joelle Serve 54 ( I believe was the number? ) I was asked to come aboard and teach the " eleves " there and to give them the attention and direction that they needed to do their own print-making. I enjoyed the experience greatly and it gave me a lot of confidence. Joelle had been a student once under Hayter and so she and I met somehow because of this. I do not remember exactly at this point. Anyway, she had trust and believed in me and offered me the job and for doing my work I could print there for free and that saved me a whole lot of money as etching and print-making were quite expensive.

So, I have much more to say about all of this but this is at least a humble start to it all.. Cheers, TONY