One

Bernard Childs

This is one of a series of experimental works created in 1963 in which Childs used a limited amount of heavy zinc plates to gouge, scrape, file, and otherwise form an intaglio, which he would recut and reassemble in between printings - effectlively creating a metal-plate reduction color print. He used rotary burrs, drills, saws, a burin, scraper, burnisher, emeries and files. These weren't editioned but simply called "unique proof" or "epreuve d'artiste". This impression is very deeply bitten and has strong texture, exposing the movement of the power tools on the plate.

An informal catalogue of his works was compiled by his wife, Judith, who notes the plates from this period of experimentation are variously titled "The Fly", "One", "Un", "Two", "Deux", and "Three" (no "Trois" found).