Granda Glover on Bragg's Island with Study11" x 14"

About the Artwork

Granda Glover on Bragg's Island is an 11″ × 14″ etching and aquatint on paper by David Blackwood, dated 1991 and numbered 53/75. It is offered as a two-work set with the original graphite study for the plate, framed, annotated and signed by David Blackwood himself.

A small pink gate provides the clearest warm accent against the deep teal clapboard house. Its pale fence posts lead across the composition toward a man in a dark cap and tall boots, while the steep rooflines draw the eye upwards. To the left, the house gives way to bare branches, rounded rocks and an open stretch of water beneath a rose-coloured sky. Fine lines articulate the siding, shingles and clothing; the densely worked ground brings those precise architectural rhythms into a rougher, granular surface.

The accompanying graphite study places the same house, fence and walking figure inside a central rectangle, surrounded by enlarged studies of a boot and gloved hand and alternate versions of the figure. Lighter construction lines remain visible around the more fully shaded passages. Seen together, the drawing and print make it possible to compare the arrangement of the scene, the figure’s changing stance and the transition from graphite tones to the finished colour print.

The Study and the Printmaking Process

Preparatory drawing was a working stage in Blackwood's printmaking, not simply a record of a finished image. His production guide for The ‘Nickerson’ Passing on Our Starboard Quarter describes developing smaller studies into a full-size design, then reversing that design in a tracing for transfer to the copper plate. The reversed tracing prepared the image for the reversal that occurs when a plate is printed.¹

His studio assistant, Janita Wiersma, describes transferring the drawing onto a wax-grounded plate, opening the lines with an etching needle, and biting them with acid. Aquatint and successive proofs developed the tonal passages and allowed the image to be checked and refined before the edition was printed.²

In the study offered here, the alternate figures and enlarged clothing details show the scene being explored on paper. It is an original graphite drawing rather than an impression from the plate. Although documented as a study for this print, it has not been identified as the specific tracing used to transfer the image. The study was framed, annotated and signed by David Blackwood himself, with his written annotations on the reverse of the frame.

Dimensions and Details

• Title: Granda Glover on Bragg's Island, with Studies for the Plate
• Artist: David Blackwood
• Etching year: 1991, inscribed in the lower margin
• Etching size: 11″ × 14″ (27.9 × 35.6 cm), excluding frame
• Etching framed size: 13¼″ H × 19¼″ W × 1″ D (33.7 × 48.9 × 2.5 cm)
• Etching medium: Etching and aquatint on paper
• Edition: 53/75; this number applies to the etching
• Accompanying study: Original graphite drawing on 100% rag paper, framed, annotated and signed by David Blackwood himself
• Condition: Recorded as received in good condition on the gallery's September 26, 2026 consignment record
• Display: Framed etching and a study framed by David Blackwood himself; his written annotations are on the reverse of the study's frame
• Set: Sold together. The $19,500 CAD listed price is for both works with their current framing
• Gallery references: C26049-1 (etching) and C26049-2 (study)

Acquisition Enquiries

This etching and its accompanying graphite study are available as a set through West End Gallery. To enquire about the pair or arrange a private viewing, please contact the gallery. Shipping is quoted by destination, and layaway options are available upon request.