This Artist’s Proof of John Wade’sHighland Morning is a rare photo-emulsion etching that captures the quiet grace of waterfowl moving across a still morning pond. Executed with Wade’s signature hybrid technique—part photograph, part engraving—the work reveals extraordinary tonal subtlety, atmospheric depth, and hand-drawn detail. A scarce AP impression, it showcases the full expressive power of Wade’s experimental intaglio innovation.
Highland Morning (AP II) presents a tranquil dawn scene in which geese and ducks glide through calm waters while a foreground bird stretches its wings among reeds. The delicate reflections on the water, the mist dissolving along the horizon, and the fine etched textures in the feathers exemplify Wade’s ability to blend photographic realism with expressive intaglio mark-making.
Wade’s technique—referred to as an emulsion etching—involves coating a metal plate with a photo-sensitive emulsion, exposing it through a photographic transparency, and then etching the plate with acid. This process transfers photographic detail to the metal surface while still preserving the artist’s hand through direct drawing, textural manipulation, selective scraping, burnishing, and expressive wiping.
The result is a hybrid artwork—part photograph, part engraving—capable of extraordinary subtlety in light, gradation, and texture.
In this Artist’s Proof, these qualities are especially evident:
Soft, atmospheric tones produced by the photo-emulsion exposure
Strong etched lines defining feathers, reeds, and motion
Subtle contrasts between water, sky, and landscape
A painterly wiping technique that creates a luminous morning effect
This is an AP impression, typically reserved for the artist, and is signed John Wade with the notation AP II.
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, Highland Morning (AP II). Large photo-emulsion etching, 16×30 in. Artist’s Proof signed John Wade. Rare AP impression; exceptional tonal quality.
CERTIFICATE OF VALUE & AUTHENTICATION
Artist: John Wade (b.1947)
Title:Highland Morning (Artist’s Proof II)
Date: 1970s–1980s
Medium: BLUE Photo-Emulsion Etching (Hybrid Photographic/Intaglio Technique)
Dimensions: 16 × 30 inches
Edition: AP I (Artist’s Proof)
Signature: Hand-signed “John Wade,” marked AP I
Authenticity: Verified by signature, AP notation, plate characteristics, and alignment with Wade’s documented emulsion-etching practice.
Current Owner: Artfind Gallery, Washington, DC
This work is certified as an authentic original etching by John Wade.
Artist’s Studio, North Carolina – retained as Artist’s Proof
Private Collection, USA
Artfind Gallery, Washington, DC – current owner
This Artist’s Proof of John Wade’sHighland Morning is a rare photo-emulsion etching that captures the quiet grace of waterfowl moving across a still morning pond. Executed with Wade’s signature hybrid technique—part photograph, part engraving—the work reveals extraordinary tonal subtlety, atmospheric depth, and hand-drawn detail. A scarce AP impression, it showcases the full expressive power of Wade’s experimental intaglio innovation.
Highland Morning (AP II) presents a tranquil dawn scene in which geese and ducks glide through calm waters while a foreground bird stretches its wings among reeds. The delicate reflections on the water, the mist dissolving along the horizon, and the fine etched textures in the feathers exemplify Wade’s ability to blend photographic realism with expressive intaglio mark-making.
Wade’s technique—referred to as an emulsion etching—involves coating a metal plate with a photo-sensitive emulsion, exposing it through a photographic transparency, and then etching the plate with acid. This process transfers photographic detail to the metal surface while still preserving the artist’s hand through direct drawing, textural manipulation, selective scraping, burnishing, and expressive wiping.
The result is a hybrid artwork—part photograph, part engraving—capable of extraordinary subtlety in light, gradation, and texture.
In this Artist’s Proof, these qualities are especially evident:
Soft, atmospheric tones produced by the photo-emulsion exposure
Strong etched lines defining feathers, reeds, and motion
Subtle contrasts between water, sky, and landscape
A painterly wiping technique that creates a luminous morning effect
This is an AP impression, typically reserved for the artist, and is signed John Wade with the notation AP II.
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, Highland Morning (AP II). Large photo-emulsion etching, 16×30 in. Artist’s Proof signed John Wade. Rare AP impression; exceptional tonal quality.
CERTIFICATE OF VALUE & AUTHENTICATION
Artist: John Wade (b.1947)
Title:Highland Morning (Artist’s Proof II)
Date: 1970s–1980s
Medium: BLUE Photo-Emulsion Etching (Hybrid Photographic/Intaglio Technique)
Dimensions: 16 × 30 inches
Edition: AP I (Artist’s Proof)
Signature: Hand-signed “John Wade,” marked AP I
Authenticity: Verified by signature, AP notation, plate characteristics, and alignment with Wade’s documented emulsion-etching practice.
Current Owner: Artfind Gallery, Washington, DC
This work is certified as an authentic original etching by John Wade.
Artist’s Studio, North Carolina – retained as Artist’s Proof
Private Collection, USA
Artfind Gallery, Washington, DC – current owner
