Thickener
The print's different shades are created by Raftery carving lines of various thicknesses. "It's almost like venetian blinds, pulling the string and making the blinds wider or thinner," he says. "You are letting a certain amount of light between."
Reflections
Raftery made small sculptures of the figures and furniture and used a three-way mirror to help draw the reflections. "I set the figures in the mirror to perceive how it would work," he says. "There's no way I could make that up."
Canvas
Raftery carefully selected the paper and ink for the print. The laid paper has a ribbed texture and a light, crisp, creamy color. "It almost feels like an 18th-century paper," he says. He used a darker ink to contrast the white paper and black lines.
