Towards a Common Goal:
The Collection of Lawrence Hamlin, Master Printer
The greatest joy in having these prints in my collection is to have the memory of the artists I worked with. Each of the projects I was included on, as either a head printer or assigned to assist another printmaker, was a gift. The fact that I have these prints to remind me of that time, a time of intense self-learning, all-the-while expanding my own art making in ways that cannot be described fully. Each artist brought a unique style and way of working that challenged me in every way, technically, emotionally, and physically. It was my job to help an artist make “their” work. Often people think that a master printer works in collaboration with artist. This would suggest that the work of art is influenced, thereby expressive of both the artist and the master printer. It is not, or rather it should not be.
As an art student I had admiration for contemporary artists and their work. I was drawn to west coast artists at the time; Wayne Thiebaud, Richard Diebenkorn, David Hockney, Ed Ruscha, William Wiley, Nathan Oliviera and more. That draw took me from undergraduate school on the east coast to a Master’s degree in San Francisco. San Francisco was amazing at that time. A vibrant community of artist famous and not. I was the epitome of starving art student having the time of my life gallery hopping and experiencing both the history and the ongoing excitement of seeing new shows. The list of working, “famous” artists was something I only saw in books and art magazines on the east coast. Two years after getting my Master’s degree I heard of an opening for a printer at one of the most important print shops of the time. A place I had heard about in college a place that was the first place I went to visit when I moved to the Bay Area. I knew of this place because it was a gallery and workshop entirely dedicated to printmaking. A medium that I loved! I was beyond thrilled when I got the job.
I have never been starry eyed about famous Artists but I have always been interested in how artists make work. This printmaking job offered me a behind the curtain experience that has forever altered my own way of making art. That said, I have grown to admire the artists I worked with, learned from, and got the amazing opportunity to watch their creative process come to life.
My collection of prints has been so important to me as they remind me of the time in the studio. The time it took to bring them to life. Art making takes time. Art viewers forget this. Never has an artist had an idea and it materialized before them. In printmaking, the making of art is challenging, thoughtful and never a straight path to completion. Each print in my collection is hours of experience, labor and creative genius by the Artists (along with a printer who can help bring an artist vision to life). It is not a collaboration in a creative sense. It is a working relationship between artist and technician to help an artist make their work come to life in print form. Each print in my collection has my hand in the making, yet not a one of them is my creative work. It was my skill. I learned at the press that my job was to make prints that represented the Artist own best work.
Lawrence Hamlin
Richard Diebenkorn (1922-1993)
High Green Version I
Lot 87
etching and drypoint with aquatint in colors and scraping and burnishing, on Somerset paper, 1992, signed, dated and annotated 'I' in pencil, numbered 12/65 (there were also ten artist's proofs), published by Crown Point Press, San Francisco
Image: 39¾ x 22¾ in. (1010 x 578 mm.)
Sheet: 52½ x 33¾ in. (1334 x 857 mm.)
Estimate:
$80,000-120,000
Richard Diebenkorn (1922-1993)
Blue Softground
Lot 89
etching with aquatint in colors inked à la poupée, on buff Rives paper, 1985, signed and dated in pencil, numbered 'TP D' (one of seven trial proofs, the edition was 35 plus ten artist's proofs), printed by Lawrence Hamlin, published by Crown Point Press, San Francisco
Image: 13⅛ x 23¾ in. (352 x 603 mm.)
Sheet: 26 x 35¾ in. (660 x 908 mm.)
Estimate:
$3,000-5,000
Richard Diebenkorn (1922-1993)
Blue with Red
Lot 90
woodcut in colors, on Echizen Kozo Moshi paper, 1987, signed and dated in pencil by the artist and the printer, numbered 19/200 (there were also twenty artist's proofs), published by Crown Point Press, San Francisco
Image: 33¾ x 23 in. (857 x 584 mm.)
Sheet: 37¼ x 25⅜ in. (946 x 645 mm.)
Estimate:
$15,000-20,000
Wayne Thiebaud (1920-2021)
Eight Lipsticks
Lot 91
drypoint in colors, on wove paper, 1988, signed and dated in pencil, numbered 'A.P. 10/10' (an artist's proof, the edition was 60), printed by Lawrence Hamlin, published by Crown Point Press, San Francisco
Image: 7 x 6 in. (178 x 152 mm.)
Sheet: 14 x 12 in. (356 x 305 mm.)
Estimate:
$30,000-50,000
Wayne Thiebaud (1920-2021)
Country City
Lot 92
etching and drypoint with aquatint in colors, on Somerset Satin paper, 1988, signed and dated in pencil, numbered 'A.P. 10/10' (an artist's proof, the edition was 60), printed by Lawrence Hamlin, published by Crown Point Press, San Francisco
Image: 21¾ x 31¾ in. (552 x 806 mm.)
Sheet: 30¾ x 40⅝ in. (781 x 1032 mm.)
Estimate:
$12,000-18,000
Wayne Thiebaud (1920-2021)
Van
Lot 93
drypoint in colors, on Somerset paper, 1989, signed and dated in pencil, numbered 'A.P. 10' (an artist's proof, the edition was 50), printed by Lawrence Hamlin, published by Crown Point Press, San Francisco
Image: 8⅞ x 11⅞ in. (225 x 302 mm.)
Sheet: 16¾ x 19 in. (425 x 483 mm.)
Estimate:
$4,000-6,000
Anish Kapoor (B. 1954)
Untitled A
Lot 102
aquatint with hand-applied red pigment, on Somerset paper, 1991, signed and dated in pencil, numbered 'II' (from the edition of nine unique variants), printed by Lawrence Hamlin, published by Crown Point Press, San Francisco
Sheet: 43⅝ x 30¼ in. (1108 x 768 mm.)
Estimate:
$7,000-10,000
Anish Kapoor (B. 1954)
Three prints by the artist
Lot 104
including: Untitled (I), aquatint in colors, on wove paper, 1988, signed, titled and dated in pencil, numbered 'AP. 10'; Untitled (II), aquatint in colors, on wove paper, 1988, signed, dated and titled 'II' in pencil, numbered 'A.P. 10'; together with Untitled (III), aquatint in colors, on wove paper, 1988, signed, titled and dated in pencil, numbered 'A.P. 10.', each printed by Lawrence Hamlin, published by Crown Point Press, San Francisco
Largest Image: 35½ x 44⅝ in. (902 x 1133 mm.)
Largest Sheet: 53⅛ x 42⅛ in. (1349 x 1070 mm.)
Estimate:
$7,000-10,000
Robert Bechtle (1932-2020)
Sunset Street
Lot 106
etching in colors, on Somerset paper, 1982, signed in pencil, numbered 'AP 10' (an artist's proof, the edition was 50), published by Crown Point Press, San Francisco
Image: 15⅞ x 23¾ in. (403 x 603 mm.)
Sheet: 22½ x 29¾ in. (572 x 756 mm.)
Estimate:
$1,500-2,000
John Cage (1912-1992)
EninKa No. 40
Lot 108
monotype with branding, on smoked gampi Chine collé to wove paper, 1986, signed, titled and dated in pencil, from the series of 50, published by Crown Point Press, Oakland, California
Sheet: 24⅝ x 18½ in. (625 x 470 mm.)
Estimate:
$1,500-2,000
Judy Pfaff (B. 1946)
Eleven prints by the artist
Lot 112
lot 112, including: Six of One: five prints, five woodcuts in colors, on Japon paper, 1987, each signed, titled and dated in pencil and numbered variously; together with Half a Dozen of the Other, the complete set of six prints comprising five drypoints, five aquatints, four etchings and one relief print in colors, on Japon paper, 1991, each signed, titled, dated and numbered 'A.P. 10', each printed by Lawrence Hamlin, published by Crown Point Press, San Francisco
Largest Image: 36 x 44⅞ in. (914 x 1140 mm.)
Largest Sheet: 57⅛ x 69⅜ in. (1451 x 1762 mm.)
Estimate:
$5,000-7,000
Sol Lewitt (1928-2007)
Color & Black
Lot 115
the complete set of four etchings with aquatint in colors, on Somerset Textured paper, 1991, each signed in pencil and numbered 'AP 10/10' (an artist's proof set, the edition was 25), printed by Lawrence Hamlin, published by Crown Point Press, San Francisco
Largest Image: 10⅞ x 11 in. (276 x 279 mm.)
Sheet: 24½ x 24 in. (622 x 610 mm.)
Estimate:
$4,000-6,000