Running on Empty

David Avery

David Avery channels the Master printmaker Hendrick Goltzius's circular engravings The Four Disgracers, done in 1588, for the updated etched composition Running on Empty. Tantalus, having offended the gods, is tumbling down to earth. As he falls, Tantalus holds a gas nozzle which spews gasoline into the atmosphere. In the background can be found smokestacks belching smoke, an oil derrick, an automobile, a gasoline station, an oil pump jack and, at the right, mountains with a large elephant. Is he falling to earth or hell? The text around the image reads: Those Who Cannibalize Their Children's Future - And Expect No Consequences, Quam Miser <> What Agonies Of Thirst Tantalus Suffers <> Who Would Feed His Children To The Gods.

Originally trained as a classical musician, David Avery discovered etching almost by accident in a class at the local community college. After learning the basic techniques, he intently pursued his own course of discovery, being essentially self-taught. Over the years, he has developed an exceptional technique and has created a remarkable body of finely wrought miniature etchings and drypoints, often based on the works of the Old Masters. He has eschewed the use of color, finding the subtleties and tonalities of black and white most capable of creating the psychological mood that allows his work to be effective.