Artwork of the Month: Planting out 2001 by Anita Klein
01 February 2022
This black and white drypoint print portrays a young woman sat cross legged in the garden holding an upturned sapling in a pot ready to plant in the ground.
The woman takes up the entirety of the composition. Her face is tilted slightly towards the viewer and her glaze looks away as if deep in thought or day dream; her expression conveys a relaxed, gentle smile. She wears a simple check short sleeved shirt and matching shorts, her legs and feet are bare.
Planting Out has been created using a dry point etching technique.
Drypoint etching prints are produced using a copper or zinc plate, a diamond or carbide-tipped needle is then used to draw directly onto the surface of plate to create an image or marks.
The plate is then inked and cleaned, leaving ink only in the drawn or marked areas. Paper is put onto the plate and is placed onto a printing press. The force of the press pushes out the ink and the image is transferred onto the paper.
Planting Out, Anita Klein, dry point etching, 2001, 16 (h) x 13 (w) cm
About the Artist:
Anita Klein’s work conveys intimate, personal celebrations of everyday life using her family as subject matter. Her work presents a gentle humour and sensitivity, touching on personal moments that audiences can identify with from eating dinner, watching tv to watering plants!
The artist uses a number of techniques to produce her work from oil painting to printing processes such as lino prints, etching, silkscreen and ink drawing.
Anita Klein was born in Sydney, Australia in 1960. She moved to London at the age of eleven.
Anita studied at Chelsea College of Art at the Slade School of Fine Art. At the Slade she was mentored by artist Paula Rego. She has stated that Rego encouraged her to draw what she wanted to. Klein began producing work using her life and family as subject matter.
She continues to live and work in London depicting her everyday relationships with her family.
