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An etching is really distinguished from other printmaking
methods in one distinctive way; how it is inked and printed.
Scratches lines and other indentations are filled with ink, and
then the surface of the plate, usually either copper or zinc, is
wiped clean with a rag. The plate and paper are then run through a
press using considerable pressure. This forces the pre-dampened
paper into the indentations on the plate and creating the image on
the paper. This process is called "Intaglio" printing and has not
really changed since the first press was invented.
I began making etchings in 1988. Printmaking was an interest to me since I had spent so much time with the photographic process in the seventies and early eighties. At first, I only worked in black and white and then began to make color etchings, which have been my interest since. As you will see, as I began to explore the effects of space and planes in my paintings, I began to follow that interest with multiple plate etchings. In the method I follow, I use copper plates and either scratch directly on the plate or use what is known as hard or soft grounds and then imerse the plates in acid to "bite" the plate for various lenths of time until the image appears satisfactary to me. It is a patient process. |
