New Art Exhibit Features Innovative “Solarplate” Etching Process

“Solar Impressions,” a new art exhibit, has opened at the Gold Coast Arts Center in Great Neck, bringing together the works of more than 40 artists including internationally acclaimed American painter Eric Fischl. Each work of art is a representation of an ongoing exploration of the Solarplate etching process. Artworks in the exhibit are available for sale to the public, according to Regina Gil, Founder and Executive Director of the Gold Coast Arts Center. The artists have priced the art well to make them affordable to art lovers and collectors.

“‘Solar Impressions’ presents the public with a display of unique and creative works of art using Dan Welden’s innovative process now used by artists and art students around the world,” said Ms. Gil. “This is an opportunity for everyone to acquire some of these outstanding pieces.”

Noted artist, master printmaker, educator, and author, Dan Welden, was among scores of artists and art lovers on hand at an opening reception that took place on Sunday, January 26, 2020. Welden, director of Hampton Editions, Ltd., in Sag Harbor, is the developer of the Solarplate etching process, which uses light-sensitive material applied to a metal plate, and then hardened by the sun. The innovative process is a simpler and safer alternative to traditional etching that uses corrosive acids and is used at universities and art schools all over the world.

Welden, whose 50-year career includes collaborations with numerous artists, including Willem and Elaine de Kooning, Jimmy Ernst, James Brooks, Kurt Vonnegut, and Eric Fischl, is among those on display at the Gold Coast Arts Center Gallery. Mr. Fischl’s work graces the cover of the “Solar Impressions” souvenir catalog guide.

The “Solar Impressions” exhibit runs through April 10, 2020, and curated by Jude Amsel, Gallery Director. The gallery is open tom the public and is free. For more information about “Solar Impressions,” including gallery hours, visit www.goldcoastarts.org, or call 516-829-2570.

Printmaking workshops for adults will be offered at the Gold Coast Arts Center on Sunday, March 8th, from 12-3 p.m. No experience necessary. If interested, call the Arts Center to reserve your spot today.

About the Gold Coast Arts Center
The Gold Coast Arts Center is a 501(c)(3) multi-arts organization dedicated to promoting the arts through education, exhibition, performance, and outreach. For a quarter-century, it has brought the arts to tens of thousands of people throughout the Long Island region. Among the Center’s offerings are its School for the Arts, which holds year-round classes in visual and performing arts for students of all ages and abilities; a free public art gallery; a concert and lecture series; film screenings and discussions; the annual Gold Coast International Film Festival; and initiatives that focus on senior citizens and underserved communities. These initiatives include artist residencies, after-school programs, school assemblies, teacher-training workshops, and parent-child workshops. The Gold Coast Arts Center is an affiliate of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts “Partners in Education” program and the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. For more information, visit www.goldcoastarts.org.