James Ehlers, head of the Engraving Arts department at Emporia State University, is an engraver and printmaker who teaches his skills and the art of hand engraving to students at the university.

Recently, two artists met with James in Emporia, Kansas, to work on a few projects and get a better feel of the tools that GRS has to offer during an artist-in-residency program. While working on a variety of copper and steel plates over the course of five days, John Hancock (Professor, Mary Hardin Baylor University, Texas) and Oscar Gillespie (Professor, Department of Art, Bradley University, Peoria, IL) used both hand push and air-powered engraving techniques at the GRS Training Center.

In the demonstration studio at GRSTC, the two artists (along with fellow engraver James Ehlers) cut plates with designs ranging from abstract to surreal.

You can see here that the artwork from each artist is unique and quite different from the traditional scrollwork cut by many engravers who are not printmakers. Oscar Gillespie noted a major difference he has observed between engraving plates for printmaking and engraving a piece such as a firearm. With a plate, one can burnish and sand away a bad cut so that it doesn't transfer ink; however, with a firearm, once that cut is there, little can be done to hide a deep mistake.

Having the artists work with new tools and create some neat plates while visiting GRS was a great experience for all involved. If you are interested in learning more about how you can turn your engraving skills into printed works of reproducible art, call today to speak with one of our friendly sales reps at 1-800-835-3519. Learn more about the Engraving Arts program on the university's website.