Drypoint in that direction (Drypoint-Line)

these puns are so terrible, I'm not sure whether to be sorry or not.

Three Wise Fishermen

Paul Niemiec Jr. 

Medium: Drypoint

5x7 in. 

http://runningwindstudio.com/etchings-dry-points-3-3.shtml

Paul Niemiec Jr. is an American artist who deals with American Realism. He has affiliations with regional and national groups such as The Society of American Graphic Artists, American Society of Portrait Artists, and The Central New York Watercolor Society. He has also been in numerous solo galleries and been in several journals and books. 

I chose this piece for lines because the lines are what stands out. The lines in this piece are obvious, but it also cross and overlap and disappear, making shapes and figures. It is exquisite who well placed the lines are. The closer the lines are to each other, the darker and heavier the shadows appear. Which is what this piece seems to really rely on. Heavy lines contrasted with large areas of white, which isn't blank, it is just well placed negative space. It creates a sense of when the piece is taking place, as well as the direction of the light. Though the amount of lines on the right side of the drypoint are sudden, it works. It is a shading method, but it also seems to be like a line of well, lines, which balances out the piece, like how you might add a bar or line to the back of a blank backgrounded portrait.