These prints, along with three screen prints, were recently received by the AP/RC as part of David Newman’s archive. Two woodcuts by Newman depict Constance Forsyth and a drypoint is a portrait of Eldon “EC” Cunningham, both printmakers who Newman knew. The print of Cunningham was drawn in copper and printed in one day for a special portfolio of prints organized by Melanie Yazzie. The portfolio was presented to Cunningham’s widow during a memorial shortly after his death in 2010. Newman worked to recall his departed friend’s features from the first time they met well enough to render them in the plate.
The smaller of the two Forsyth prints are subtractive explorations of his teacher’s features, perhaps focusing more on Newman’s carving of the relief rather than a sentimental recollection. Newman created the print of a smiling Forsyth for an exhibition organized by the Mid-American Print Council. Forsyth was an important printmaker in Texas, especially in academic circles, between 1940 and 1970. Many contemporary printmakers passed through her classes, including several in the Artist Printmaker Research Collection. The two images of Forsyth by Newman pay homage to his mentor and summon his printmaking lineage.
~Michael Glenn
Artist Printmaker/Photographer Research Collection ● AP/RC ● Art Division of the Museum of Texas Tech University 