Tag Archives: illustration

Many of you have been long-time followers of my blog, and have probably wondered where my moniker "Adriprints" comes from.  I don't think I've ever explained it here on the blog.  When I was a student, I studied printmaking.  Printmaking was the medium I chose for most of my illustrations.

one of my prints, cicadas

 I especially love(d) etching, drypoint, and most intaglio techniques. I would draw directly on the a copper or zinc plate or transfer illustrations and then work with acid, scribes, rockers, and other tools to develop the plate's surface into an ink-able plate that I could run through a press.

a plexiglas plate with drypoint illustration on it (photo by Emmy Horstkamp)

Wherever I was, in every stage of my life since then, if I found a printing press nearby, I'd print.  Once I moved to Germany, I found a press, but it was 1.5 hours to and and 1.5 hours back, leaving me with only an hour or two of working time... it was a bit too stressful, but I did manage to print a series even with the limitations.  So, eventually I turned to more immediate mediums like watercolor, graphite, and ink... and then sewing, knitting, and the fiber arts.

Back to the present...

"La Semilla", photo: Emmy Horstkamp

The print that's currently up for bidding is called "La Semilla" and it's from a series called "Los Anones".  It's a pretty personal topic since this series ties closely to my family and my origins. "Los Anones" was the name of an orchard that my family owned in Cuba.  One of the great-uncles was a world traveler and brought back seeds from his travels and would try to grow them in the orchard and this plant, annona squamosa, did really well in Cuba and that's how the orchard got its name.  But, here's the thing, I didn't grow up in Cuba.  I grew up in Florida since my parents were political exiles.  The only physical tie I had to my parents' and grandparents' roots were literally from a tree in my backyard growing up.  It was the only one I knew of its kind - a single anones tree.

photo: wikimedia commons

The print is a botanical illustration of the seed of an anon.  We tried planting the seeds from this tree, but they didn't take.  It hasn't flowered in a while, and I have to ask my mom to see how it's doing.

In any case, my print is now up for sale.  It's the first time I've tried anything like this where an audience can bid what they like for my work.  It's left me a bit vulnerable to say the least.  If small prints are up your alley, and you'd like to make a bid - it's open to worldwide bidders - you can see the auction here.