Convergence: Susan James and Suzy Schultz

“Convergence” presents a dialogue between two artists who utilize the historical medium of photogravure to bridge the gap between contemporary imagery and the enduring soul of the hand-pulled print. By merging their distinct backgrounds in photography and painting, Susan James and Suzy Schultz explore the "making of something new old again," leveraging modern technology to transform photography and drawings into atmospheric, hand-printed etchings. The resulting work explores the intersection of photography and illustration in photogravure.

Susan James approaches the plate as both a photographer and an etcher, viewing her practice as a fusion where digital photography and drawing converge. Adept at both traditional copper plate photogravure as well as more modern Direct-to-Plate (DTP) photopolymer workflows, James translates the complex tonal ranges of her photography and illustrations into the deep, velvety textures of classic intaglio. Her work, which often focuses on the intersection of nature, architecture, and personal narrative, utilizes the gravure process to give contemporary moments a sense of historical weight and permanence.

Suzy Schultz brings the perspective of a painter and drawer (?), renowned for her evocative treatment of the human form and the quiet drama of everyday life. Through solar plate photogravure, Schultz uses modern cliché verre methods to translate her fluid, painterly drawings into etchings on light-sensitive polymer surfaces. Her process preserves the immediacy of the hand-rendered mark while imbuing it with the rich, ink-laden depth of printmaking. In her work, the ephemeral nature of a drawing is recast as a timeless, iconic impression.

Together, James and Schultz demonstrate a shared fascination with the transformative power of “ink and the incised matrix”. “Convergence” is an invitation to witness the intersection of the lens and the line—a space where two different paths meet to find a common, unified language in the etched image.