I started making art at an early age, influenced by my mother and her sisters, all artists. Ever since I made my first woodcut print in the basement with my mother something about prints had me hooked! I received a BA in Design from UC Davis in 1980. I've studied art, with a special emphasis on printmaking at many different colleges and universities ever since.There are many types of prints, my preferred method is etching. Making an etching is a very involved process, which begins with covering a metal plate with a protective ground. The ground is then scratched into with an instrument like a pencil, which exposes the metal. The plate is immersed in a bed of acid which eats at the exposed metal. I like to create very dark lines by letting the acid eat a deep groove- the longer it’s in the acid, the deeper the line. Then, to vary the shades, I use various other methods that create texture and “color” on the plate, such as Aquatint, soft ground and soap ground. I may work on a plate for months, adding texture, changing the image, using various lengths of time in the acid with aquatint to create shades from light gray to deep black, and generally working the plate to the state in which it feels rich and complete. Once I am satisfied with the plate, I wipe ink into the grooves in a very precise manner. Then a piece of dampened paper is placed on top and both are run through an etching press. The pressure of the press pushes the ink into the paper, at the same time embossing the image, and I have a finished print. If satisfied with the outcome, I will print an edition, making sure each final print looks the same as the others. Once the edition is printed, I sign and number each one and store them in my beloved flat file deamed "the Beast". If still unsatisfied, it's back to the etching plate!
Intaglio printing: Etching and Aquatint
Etchings are created using a metal plate, typically copper or zink to create an image. In etching, the impression is made by pushing the paper into inked depressions and recesses in a metal plate. First, an acid-resistant substance called a ground is applied to the surface of the plate. The artist then draws the image through the ground using an etching needle, and the plate is immersed in an acid bath which etches or “eats” into the drawn areas. When printing, the inked plate is laid face up on the flat bed of the etching press and dampened paper is placed on top. The paper is then covered by several layers of felt blankets and the complete sandwich of plate/paper/blankets is run through the press, compressing the felts and forcing the paper into the recesses of the etched plate. The paper pulls the ink out of the recesses and the impression is made. Aquatint is often used in conjunction with linear etching and engraving as a method of etching tonal areas onto the plate. Like etching, aquatint uses the application of a mordant (acid) to etch into the metal plate. Where etching uses a needle to scratch through an acid-proof resist and make lines, aquatint uses powdered rosin (resin) to create a tonal effect. The rosin is acid resistant and typically adhered to the plate by controlled heating; where the grains are will print white, with black areas around. The tonal variation is controlled by the level of mordant exposure over large areas, and thus the image is shaped by large sections at a time. The rosin is then washed off the plate before printing. The process of creating the plate can take quite a bit of time before the final image is approved. The artist will then print an AP (artist Proof) and print an edition from that. Each print in the edition must look the same in order for it to be included. Quite a process, but it’s worth the effort if you love the process and the results.