ABOUT THE ATELIER
THE PRESS
Integral to Frances’ work is her Kelton printing press, which arrived in New Orleans over a hundred years ago. The manufacturer is marked in the casting as “M.M. Kelton’s Son, 187 Lafayette St, New York.” Merrill M. Kelton’s Son, Machinists moved to 187-193 Lafayette Street in 1907, thus dating production for this individual press back to the early 1900s. Commonly referred to as a Spider Press due to the long spokes of the wheel resembling spider legs, this model was originally used by the U.S. Postal Service for printing stamps and the U.S. Bureau of Printing and Engraving for currency production. Most of these machines began to disappear around WWII due to demand for scrap metal and then phased out entirely with new technology.
The Spider Press takes a great deal of skill to operate. An enormous amount of pressure is required for this kind of printing. The 6’ wheel allows the spokes to act as powerful levers. This compensates for the lack of gears. To create an intaglio print, first ink is wiped on the upper and lower surface of the copper plate. Next, the ink on the upper surface is wiped away, leaving the incised (Intaglio) lines full of ink. The inked plate is then arranged (registered) on the press with wet paper resting on top of the plate. The master printer then turns the spider wheel, pressing the paper and plate between two cylinders (also called a mangle). The moist paper is molded into the engraved lines. The ink is transferred to the paper. When the inked paper is pulled away from the plate, we have transferred the image. That image is the print.
These prints are sometimes called Intaglios –– the Latin verb itagliare means "to cut.”
photo by Jennifer Shaw
THE PRINTS
All prints are signed, and embossed by Frances Swigart. After printing the image using the Kelton press, Frances often enhances each print using paper manipulations, including water-coloring, gold and aluminum leafing, collage, sewing, and beading. Each finished piece is therefore a unique print.
“I am an artist to the core. That is how I spend my life. I enjoy the traditional methods with no third party interpretation such as a camera. I care about availability of fine original art to all who appreciate it. Etchings have an extraordinary surface, so visually rich. While continuing to print, I also create large format paintings on silver leaf. My hand finds a close relationship between manipulating the metallic surface of traditional leaf on wood with oil paint and manipulating the surface of the copper plate with oil based inks. I enjoy the play between work on very large surfaces and quite small.” – Frances Swigart
Watch Frances Swigart demonstrate her printing process using the Kelton press.
