Carol Wax facts for kids

Carol Wax, born on June 17, 1953, is an American artist, writer, and teacher. She is especially known for her amazing work in a special type of printmaking called mezzotint. The New York Times newspaper even called her a "virtuoso printmaker," which means she's incredibly skilled. She's also an expert in the history of this art form.

Early Life and Education

Carol Wax was born in New York City in 1953. She finished high school in 1971.

She first studied music at the Manhattan School of Music, focusing on playing the flute. She even took special classes with a famous flute player named Jean-Pierre Rampal in France. Carol earned her music degree in 1975 and worked as a professional musician until 1980.

In the mid-1970s, Carol started taking art classes, learning about printmaking. She discovered mezzotint engraving at the Pratt Graphics Center in New York City. Her first art show in a museum was at the Wichita Art Museum in 1986.

Exploring Mezzotint Art

In the 1980s, Carol Wax realized that there wasn't much information about how to create mezzotints. So, she decided to do her own research into old techniques while still making her own art. Mezzotint was first used to copy oil paintings. However, Carol's research uncovered old methods that could be used for new, modern art.

She spent time researching and writing, even more than creating art for a few years. In 1990, she published a book called The Mezzotint: History and Technique. This book shared all her discoveries. It was reissued in 1996. Carol took many of the photos and drew the illustrations for her book.

Her book explained the history of mezzotint and gave detailed instructions for artists today. Experts praised her book, saying it was the first complete study of mezzotint. They noted that Carol brought a "technician's attention to detail" and an "artist's sensitivity" to her work.

Creating, Showing, and Teaching Art

As Carol learned more about mezzotint, her artwork became bigger and more detailed. She started creating amazing effects with light and shadow, making her images look very real and deep. She won over 35 awards in art shows around the world. In 1994, she received a special award for excellence in printmaking.

Carol has also created special mezzotint artworks for different art groups and universities. She even designed a new system in 1996 to make the mezzotint process easier and faster. This invention helps artists prepare their metal plates more efficiently.

She has also organized art exhibitions at places like Bradley University and the New Orleans Museum of Art.

Carol has taught printmaking at several universities, including the Rhode Island School of Design and the State University of New York at New Paltz. She also taught a class about understanding prints at New York University.

In 2002, Carol moved to Peekskill, New York, where she bought a special live/work space for artists. This allowed her to have a bigger studio. In 2003, she got a grant that helped her buy a large etching press. This new equipment allowed her to create even bigger and more colorful mezzotint engravings. She could also use other techniques like stipple and drypoint.

Carol Wax, Catalogue Raisonné/Prints, 1975–2005 (Herakleidon Art Museum, 2006)

In 2006, the Herakleidon Art Museum in Athens, Greece, held a solo show of her work called "Shadowplay." It showed all her prints, including early ones, sketches, and even the metal plates she used. The museum also published a book about her first thirty years as a printmaker. Another exhibition of her work, "Dance of Shadows," was held there in 2011.

Since 2007, Carol Wax has taught printmaking at Montclair State University in New Jersey. She also gives workshops and talks about her art and the history of mezzotint at museums and universities.

Her prints are part of many famous museum collections, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Smithsonian American Art Museum.

Carol describes her art as showing how ordinary things can be extraordinary. She often draws old instruments, machines, and fabrics. She loves how the patterns create rhythms of light and shadow. She uses mezzotint because it's perfect for creating dramatic lighting effects. She wants to show the "soul" in everyday objects.

Understanding Mezzotint: The Art of Darkness

Mezzotint was invented in the 1600s by Ludwig von Siegen. To understand how important this was, imagine a time before cameras or art books with lots of pictures. If you wanted to learn about great painters, you might look at engravings or etchings. But these prints were mostly lines and couldn't show how paint looked or how light and shadow played on a painting.

Then, in 1642, a new art technique appeared in Amsterdam. This technique could reproduce every texture and smooth shade, from the darkest black to bright white. Suddenly, printed portraits could show soft skin tones instead of harsh lines. Light could shimmer on satin and armor, or melt into deep, dark shadows. Artists could finally study prints that showed how painters used their brushes and colors. This invention was as exciting and revolutionary as photography or digital images are today!

Mezzotints are printed like etchings, but the way the image is made is different. In mezzotint, artists work from black to white. Imagine covering a white paper with charcoal until it's black, then using an eraser to draw your picture by removing the charcoal. Mezzotint is similar, but it's done on a thin metal sheet, usually copper.

First, an artist uses a tool called a rocker to create tiny bumps all over the copper plate. If you inked this rough plate, it would print as a solid black. To create lighter areas, the artist scrapes or smooths down these bumps. The smoother the surface, the less ink it holds, and the lighter the shade of gray that prints. Where the bumps are completely removed, the plate prints white. This unique ability to create many shades of gray is why it's called "mezzotint," which means "half-tone" in Italian.

Carol Wax at Tulane University

In 2013, a special gift of artwork was given to Tulane University to help its students. This gift included ten mezzotints by Carol Wax. These artworks have been on display for the public for the last ten years in the Lavin-Bernick Center. Now, these prints are part of the permanent collection at Tulane's Newcomb Art Gallery. The prints on display include Cirque du Sew Lace, Falling Water, Machina, Missing Link, Refractions, Remington Return, Singer II, Telefon, The Hollywood, and Time Lines.

Selected Writings

Carol Wax has also written many articles and essays about art and mezzotint, sharing her knowledge with others.