Bridge Press & Brian D. Cohen's Etchings
- hallieskrause
- 6 days ago
- 2 min read
Brian D. Cohen returns to this year’s book fair with over a hundred different prints, mostly etchings, as well as one artist’s book, a few trade books, and cards. The last time Cohen showcased was in 2019, where he was able to see old connections and create new ones; he's back this November after being in treatment for leukemia for years. His work is at times quiet and contemplative, while at others sharply detailed and lively. There is a large variety of subject matter, but an overarching sense of incredible skill in printmaking.
Cohen studied an array of subjects while in school at a Quaker liberal arts college, including philosophy, literature, art history, and architecture, and his work has been influenced by these subjects throughout the years. He first got involved in printmaking while teaching at a New England boarding school, but moved onto creating his own images with etching. Cohen has collaborated with bookbinders Linda Lembke, Sarah Creighton, and Lisa Hersey (Antler Editions in Easthampton). Bridge Press was named as such partly because he “. . . loves the idea of bridging the work of printmakers, printers, and bookbinders . . .” and appreciates that “. . . book arts are so collaborative,” and also for his affinity with bridges. He even has a book of prints of bridges, all masterfully rendered.
The collaborative aspect is very important to him, and he worked closely with typographers and printers Dan Carr and Julia Ferrari in designing and printing. Cohen has primarily printed his own plates, nearing one thousand in number, though in the recent years, since his illness, he has enlisted the help of a master printer to create editions of his work. In addition to his work as a printmaker, Cohen was a teacher in Vermont for 35 years.
One of his favorite pieces that he has made is titled Pierrot Lunaire, based on a series of poems by Belgium poet, Albert Giraud, set to music by Arnold Schoenberg. The poems had been translated only to German, so Cohen went back to the original French and translated them to English; the book is printed in all three languages, in three different typefaces, and each plate is printed twice, as an etching and as in relief. He calls Pierrot Lunaire his “magnum opus.”
Cohen’s work is expansive and beautiful, spanning years of a life dedicated to the craft of etching and creating community with other artists. He now resides in Maine and is coming back to Northampton both to see his son, a professional musician who lives in town, and to have his work be seen and appreciated.
Come see what Bridge Press has to offer at the Northampton Antiquarian Book, Ephemera, and Book Arts Fair on Friday, November 21st, 5 -8 pm and Saturday, the 22nd, 10am - 4pm in the Community Arts Trust at 33 Hawley Street.
For advance tickets and fair information: click here
