Joseph Essig

Joseph Essig received a BFA from Philadelphia College of Art, Philadelphia, PA, a MFA from Tyler School of Art, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA.  He taught at Philadelphia College of Art, Tyler School of Art and Columbus College of Art & Design, Ohio.  Essig moved to New York City and was exposed to the teachings of master printer Prawat Laucheron at Hunter College, NY.  In 1985 he established MARCH PRESS on the Brooklyn Waterfront offering collaborative services to artists and publishers.  He is a member of the Society of American Graphic Artists (SAGA) and the Print Consortium.  Since finishing a course of study in Substance Abuse Counseling at the New School in 1999, Essig has worked with specific populations in therapeutic settings, providing creative arts programs, substance abuse counseling, and psychotherapeutic group activities.

Essig has work in the permanent collections of  The British Museum, London, England;  Portland Museum of Art, Portland, OR;  New York Public Library, NY;  Hudson River Museum, Yonkers, NY;  Print Consortium of St. Joseph, MI;  United Nations, NY;  Pepsi Co., Purchase, NY, among others.

"My prints show my relationship to the changing face of the Brooklyn Waterfront where I have worked amongst a community of artists and factory workers for about twenty years.  As I study mysterious countenances stepping out of a different age, at a particular time of day, I am drawn to subjects like the Navy Yard.  My etchings utilize a la poupee inking and interpretive wiping to create abrupt contrasts and atmospheric effects."