Rare Mezzotint limited edition “Spanish Rose” by G.H. Rothe For Sale

Limited Edition Mezzotint art piece by G.H. Rothe titled “Spanish Rose” in museum framing: Gold copperplate frame with plexiglass and suede cloth in a 3 matted shadow interior accent. The framed size is 18x16in. This original piece was produced in 1978 and is hand signed on the lower right and is 63/100 edition. The color may have faded over time due to light exposure but it is in overall great condition for its age. This was purchased in 1993 from The Village Gallery in Lake Forest, CA.

About the artist:
Gatja Helgart Rothe (also known as G.H. Rothe) (March 15, 1935 – August 3, 2007), was a German-American artist known for her printmaking, especially mezzotint. In 1978 she moved to Carmel-by-the-Sea, California although she kept a studio in New York.

The open and rural California landscapes influenced her new mezzotints, in which she included mountains, horses and other scenes.

Throughout most of the 1980s and 90s, Rothe had about 10 large shows each year in different US cities. Sylvester Stallone and Clint Eastwood, who were her neighbors in Carmel, both own some of her paintings.

Rothe's highly detailed mezzotints focused on surreal landscapes. Rothe started all her prints by sketching a simple drawing directly onto the plate with a drypoint tool. She used a "rocker" tool to develop the background, rolling and rocking it side to side and piercing the plate with tiny holes for the ink. Using a drypoint tool she further developed the fine details and figures of the drawing. Rothe spent approximately 500 hours working on each plate.

Rothe expanded the technique's possibilities to achieve transparencies and an extensive variety of tonalities. By discovering a way to mix all colors in the same plate, from the darkest to the lightest, and hand-wiping them into one another, she was able to create highlights, hues, and tones impossible to get when inking each color separately.