Janita Wiersma details her experience as Blackwood’s studio assistant from 2011 to 2022. In this image essay, she shares technical insights and personal anecdotes that offer a behind-the-scenes perspective on the acclaimed printmaker’s practice

“He felt that the copper plate was like a piece of music; everyone interprets it differently, and he wanted to play it the way he heard it.” 

As a student of printmaking Janita Wiersma always had an acute awareness of David Blackwood’s impact on Canadian art, but it wasn’t until she became his studio assistant in 2011 that she truly understood the complexity of his creative process.

Her journey alongside Blackwood began when she had just returned home from studying for a Fine Arts degree with a focus on printmaking at Mount Allison and Concordia Universities. Over the next eleven years, Wiersma evolved from an awe-struck rookie assistant to an integral part of Blackwood’s practice, and a beloved friend to the legendary printmaker. She supported Blackwood’s work during his long recovery from a life-threatening illness and in his final days of practice before his passing in 2022.       

Wiersma carries a deep knowledge of Blackwood’s approach to printmaking. Developed over the course of his career, his process consisted of several key phases: a full-scale pencil drawing, transferring this drawing to the plate, applying a powdered resin known as ‘aquatint’ for texture, etching the plate with acid, and printing a series of ‘proofs’ to check the development of the image through to its final stage. 

In this image essay written for Foyer, Wiersma details her experience assisting Blackwood with four of his seminal works. For each, she shares technical insight and personal anecdotes that illuminate her special relationship with Blackwood. All these works are on view now as part of David Blackwood: Myth & Legend at the AGO. 

*This excerpt is from the Gallery’s Foyer publication – a weekly, online magazine. Full story linked HERE.