Coming Storm, John Wade (b.1947), 1960s experimental etching with photo-emulsion, 22×15 in, signed & numbered 69/100.
This 1960s experimental etching by American printmaker John Wade showcases his pioneering fusion of traditional intaglio with early photo-emulsion processes, creating a dramatic rural scene charged with atmospheric tension. Signed and numbered 69/100, Coming Storm reflects Wade’s signature blend of realism, technical innovation, and expressive tonal work—qualities that have made his prints highly sought-after among collectors of mid-century and contemporary American printmaking.
Artwork Description
Coming Storm depicts a weather-worn barn, a winding country road, and a looming dark sky rendered with vivid tonal contrast—hallmarks of Wade’s emotionally charged landscape imagery. This work dates to the late 1960s, when Wade began experimenting with photo emulsions applied to metal plates, merging photographic grain with hand-drawn etching marks. This hybrid process allowed him to achieve exceptionally rich textures in the sky and ground, while maintaining crisp linework in the architecture and fence line.
The print demonstrates his characteristic interplay of the real and the phantasmagoric—the barn and fence are grounded in observational detail, while the turbulent cloud bank and luminous fields appear heightened, almost cinematic. The etching is hand-titled Coming Storm, numbered 69/100, and signed “John Wade” at lower right.
Thematically, the work reflects Wade’s ongoing fascination with weather as metaphor—storms as symbols of uncertainty, transition, memory, and time passing across rural America. His compositions often derive from sketches made during his travels throughout Virginia and North Carolina, where he was struck by the interplay of vast skies and aging structures. Wade’s choice to use photo-emulsion in this print allowed him to amplify the storm’s ominous density while keeping the earthbound elements anchored in fine intaglio detail.
Biography of John Wade
John Wade (born 1947, Charlottesville, Virginia) is an American printmaker known for blending traditional etching, lithography, and relief techniques with early photo-emulsion processes beginning in the late 1960s. His work occupies an important niche in the movement toward experimental printmaking workshops that emerged in the post-war era in the United States.
Wade studied at Elon College (BA) and later earned an Associate of Applied Arts degree from the Technical College of Alamance, focusing on advanced printmaking, drafting, and technical illustration. Between 1967 and 1971, he served in the U.S. Army as a military illustrator, where he refined his precision in linework, perspective, and tonal rendering—skills that would later underpin his etching style.
In 1977, Wade established his own printmaking studio in North Carolina, designing it as an experimental workshopwhere he developed hybrid processes:
photo-emulsion applied to copper plates
multi-plate tonal etching
hand-drawn aquatint overlays
early light-sensitive resist techniques influenced by commercial photomechanical processes
Wade’s influences include mid-century American regionalist printmakers, technical illustration, early photographic etching pioneers, and the dramatic tonal structures of 19th-century European etchers. He became known for creating imagery that is both realistic and otherworldly, often depicting barns, rural roads, storms, and nocturnal scenes with heightened contrast and emotional intensity.
His work has received awards in regional art competitions throughout the Southeastern United States, and his prints are represented in numerous private collections in the U.S., Europe, and Canada, as well as select university collections with contemporary printmaking programs.
By the 1980s–1990s, Wade’s workshop became a training site for younger printmakers interested in combining analog photographic processes with traditional intaglio—placing him among the early adopters of hybrid photographic/non-silver techniques in studio printmaking.
John Wade, Coming Storm, 1960s. Experimental etching with photo-emulsion on paper, 22×15 in. Hand-titled, signed, and numbered 69/100. Strong impression; excellent condition.
CERTIFICATE OF VALUE & AUTHENTICATION
Artist: John Wade (b. 1947)
Title: Coming Storm
Date: 1960s
Medium: Experimental Etching with Photo-Emulsion
Paper Size: 22 × 15 inches
Image Size: approx. 12 × 9 inches
Edition: 69/100
Signature: Hand-signed, titled, and numbered in graphite
Authenticity: Verified based on signature, edition notation, paper type, photo-emulsion plate characteristics, and consistency with Wade’s known experimental works from this period.
Current Owner: Artfind Gallery, Washington, DC
This print is confirmed as an authentic original etching by John Wade.
Provenance Chain
Artist’s Studio, North Carolina – late 1960s
Private Collection, NYC – acquired mid-20th century
Artfind Gallery, Washington, DC – current owner
Coming Storm, John Wade (b.1947), 1960s experimental etching with photo-emulsion, 22×15 in, signed & numbered 69/100.
This 1960s experimental etching by American printmaker John Wade showcases his pioneering fusion of traditional intaglio with early photo-emulsion processes, creating a dramatic rural scene charged with atmospheric tension. Signed and numbered 69/100, Coming Storm reflects Wade’s signature blend of realism, technical innovation, and expressive tonal work—qualities that have made his prints highly sought-after among collectors of mid-century and contemporary American printmaking.
Artwork Description
Coming Storm depicts a weather-worn barn, a winding country road, and a looming dark sky rendered with vivid tonal contrast—hallmarks of Wade’s emotionally charged landscape imagery. This work dates to the late 1960s, when Wade began experimenting with photo emulsions applied to metal plates, merging photographic grain with hand-drawn etching marks. This hybrid process allowed him to achieve exceptionally rich textures in the sky and ground, while maintaining crisp linework in the architecture and fence line.
The print demonstrates his characteristic interplay of the real and the phantasmagoric—the barn and fence are grounded in observational detail, while the turbulent cloud bank and luminous fields appear heightened, almost cinematic. The etching is hand-titled Coming Storm, numbered 69/100, and signed “John Wade” at lower right.
Thematically, the work reflects Wade’s ongoing fascination with weather as metaphor—storms as symbols of uncertainty, transition, memory, and time passing across rural America. His compositions often derive from sketches made during his travels throughout Virginia and North Carolina, where he was struck by the interplay of vast skies and aging structures. Wade’s choice to use photo-emulsion in this print allowed him to amplify the storm’s ominous density while keeping the earthbound elements anchored in fine intaglio detail.
Biography of John Wade
John Wade (born 1947, Charlottesville, Virginia) is an American printmaker known for blending traditional etching, lithography, and relief techniques with early photo-emulsion processes beginning in the late 1960s. His work occupies an important niche in the movement toward experimental printmaking workshops that emerged in the post-war era in the United States.
Wade studied at Elon College (BA) and later earned an Associate of Applied Arts degree from the Technical College of Alamance, focusing on advanced printmaking, drafting, and technical illustration. Between 1967 and 1971, he served in the U.S. Army as a military illustrator, where he refined his precision in linework, perspective, and tonal rendering—skills that would later underpin his etching style.
In 1977, Wade established his own printmaking studio in North Carolina, designing it as an experimental workshopwhere he developed hybrid processes:
photo-emulsion applied to copper plates
multi-plate tonal etching
hand-drawn aquatint overlays
early light-sensitive resist techniques influenced by commercial photomechanical processes
Wade’s influences include mid-century American regionalist printmakers, technical illustration, early photographic etching pioneers, and the dramatic tonal structures of 19th-century European etchers. He became known for creating imagery that is both realistic and otherworldly, often depicting barns, rural roads, storms, and nocturnal scenes with heightened contrast and emotional intensity.
His work has received awards in regional art competitions throughout the Southeastern United States, and his prints are represented in numerous private collections in the U.S., Europe, and Canada, as well as select university collections with contemporary printmaking programs.
By the 1980s–1990s, Wade’s workshop became a training site for younger printmakers interested in combining analog photographic processes with traditional intaglio—placing him among the early adopters of hybrid photographic/non-silver techniques in studio printmaking.
John Wade, Coming Storm, 1960s. Experimental etching with photo-emulsion on paper, 22×15 in. Hand-titled, signed, and numbered 69/100. Strong impression; excellent condition.
CERTIFICATE OF VALUE & AUTHENTICATION
Artist: John Wade (b. 1947)
Title: Coming Storm
Date: 1960s
Medium: Experimental Etching with Photo-Emulsion
Paper Size: 22 × 15 inches
Image Size: approx. 12 × 9 inches
Edition: 69/100
Signature: Hand-signed, titled, and numbered in graphite
Authenticity: Verified based on signature, edition notation, paper type, photo-emulsion plate characteristics, and consistency with Wade’s known experimental works from this period.
Current Owner: Artfind Gallery, Washington, DC
This print is confirmed as an authentic original etching by John Wade.
Provenance Chain
Artist’s Studio, North Carolina – late 1960s
Private Collection, NYC – acquired mid-20th century
Artfind Gallery, Washington, DC – current owner
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