Carol Wax facts for kids

Carol Wax (born June 17, 1953) is an American artist, writer, and teacher. She is famous for her special way of making prints called mezzotint. The New York Times even called her a "virtuoso printmaker" and "art historian" because of her amazing work and her books about mezzotint.

About Carol Wax

Early Life and Music

Carol Wax was born in New York City on June 17, 1953. She finished high school at Mount Vernon High School in 1971.

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

Discovering Printmaking

In the summers of 1975 and 1976, Carol started taking printmaking classes. She then studied at the Pratt Graphics Center in New York City from 1976 to 1982. This is where she learned about mezzotint engraving. Her first art show in a museum was at the Wichita Art Museum in 1986–1987.

Becoming a Mezzotint Expert

In the mid-1980s, Carol Wax realized there wasn't much information about mezzotint. So, she started her own research into old techniques. She wanted to find out how artists used to make mezzotints.

Mezzotint was often used to copy oil paintings. But Carol's research found old techniques that could be used for new art today. She even spent time at the MacDowell Colony in 1986 to focus on her work. She also received a grant from the New York Foundation for the Arts in 1987.

Her Book: The Mezzotint: History and Technique

In 1990, Carol published her research in a book called The Mezzotint: History and Technique. This book was a big deal! It was published by Harry N. Abrams in the U.S. and Thames & Hudson in the U.K.

Carol took many of the photos and drew the pictures for the book herself. The book has two main parts. First, it tells the history of mezzotint. Then, it explains how to use these techniques for modern art. Experts said it was the "first comprehensive study of mezzotint" and very important. They praised how she used old German writings to find new information.

Making and Showing Art

As Carol learned more about mezzotint, her art became even better. She started making bigger and more detailed prints. She was inspired by artists like Philip Pearlstein. Her prints showed amazing light and shadow, making objects look real and deep.

She won over 35 awards in art shows around the world. In 1994, she received the Louise Nevelson Award for Excellence in Printmaking. This award came from the American Academy of Arts and Letters.

Special Projects and Teaching

Carol has created special mezzotint prints for different groups. These include Cradle Oak Press at Bradley University and the Print Club of Rochester.

In 1996–1997, she had a special studio space from the Marie Walsh Sharpe Art Foundation. This allowed her to try working with pastels and oil paints. She also found ways to make the mezzotint process faster. In 1996, she invented a new system for the "rocker," a key tool for mezzotint artists. This was the first improvement to the rocker in over 300 years!

Carol has also taught art at many universities. These include the Rhode Island School of Design and the State University of New York at New Paltz. She also taught a class on understanding prints at New York University.

In 2002, Carol moved to Peekskill, New York. This city had a program that helped artists buy homes and studios.

A grant in 2003 helped Carol buy a large etching press. This meant she could make her own big, colorful mezzotint prints. 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, had a solo show of her work called "Shadowplay." It showed all her prints, sketches, and even the metal plates she used. The museum also published a book about her art called Carol Wax, Catalogue Raisonné/Prints, 1975–2005. Another show of her work, "Dance of Shadows," was held there in 2011.

Since 2007, Carol has taught printmaking at Montclair State University. She also gives workshops and talks about mezzotint and her own art.

In 2011, she was the main judge for an art festival in Russia. Her prints are now in many famous museum collections. These include the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the National Museum of American Art.

Carol Wax on Her Art

Carol Wax says her art shows how amazing everyday objects can be. She sees magic in things most people don't notice.

She often draws old tools, machines, and fabric. Their patterns create interesting rhythms of light and shadow. She uses these to show her unique way of seeing the world. Mezzotint is perfect for her art because it creates dramatic lighting.

She calls her style "representational" or "still-life." But for her, still-life doesn't mean "dead." She tries to show the "soul" or "life" in things that seem lifeless.

What is Mezzotint?

Mezzotint was invented in the 1600s by Ludwig von Siegen. Imagine a time before cameras or art books with lots of pictures. To learn about art, you had to be an apprentice. You could study etchings, but they couldn't show textures or smooth colors.

Then, in 1642, a new art technique appeared in Amsterdam. It could copy every texture and smooth color, from deep black to bright white! Finally, artists could make prints of portraits with soft skin tones. They could show light shining on silk or armor. This was as exciting as inventing photography! It changed how people could learn about art.

How Mezzotint Works

Mezzotints are printed like etchings. But the way you create the image is different. You work from black to white. Think of it like drawing on white paper. You cover the paper with charcoal until it's black. Then, you use an eraser to draw your picture by removing the charcoal.

In mezzotint, you work on a thin metal plate, usually copper. First, you use a tool called a "rocker" to make the whole surface rough. If you put ink on this rough plate, it would print as a solid black.

To create the image, you scrape or smooth down the rough bumps. The smoother the surface, the less ink it holds. Less ink means a lighter gray shade when printed. Where the bumps are completely removed, the plate prints white.

This technique is called "mezzotint" because it means "half-tone" in Italian. It's special because it can create so many shades of gray.

Carol Wax's Art at Tulane University

In 2013, ten mezzotints by Carol Wax were given to Tulane University. These artworks have been on display for over ten years. They are now 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 by Carol Wax

• "A Historical and Technical Perspective on the Mezzotints of Yozo Hamaguchi" for the exhibition catalog Yozo Hamaguchi: Master of Mezzotint (2006)
• "Singer II" in the exhibition catalog Mezzotints of Yesterday and Today (1992)
• Review of Ellen D'Oench, "Copper Into Gold: Prints by John Raphael Smith", in Journal of the Print World, Fall 1999
• "From an Artist’s Point of View...", essay for the exhibition catalog titled New York Society of Etchers at the National Arts Club (2000)
• "Breathing Life Into Dead Weight," Virtual Typewriter Journal, June 2005
• "Carol Wax On The Black Manner," on the WorldPrintmakers website
• "Ars Ex Machina," Artist's Magazine, November 2007
• "A Conversation with Frederick Mershimer," in Frederick Mershimer: Mezzotints 1984–2006 (2007)
• "Juror's Statement" for the exhibition catalogue. International Mezzotint Festival, Ekaterinburg, Russia,
• "Erasing to Remember", essay for a catalogue of mezzotints by Eduardo Fausti, 2011
• Mezzotint, Art of Darkness, an exhibition of classical and contemporary mezzotints organized by Carol Wax and Earl Retif for the New Orleans Museum of Art, April 27 – July 28, 1996