An
etching is produced today in much the same way as it was when Rembrandt
brought the medium to such a state of perfection. It is a hand worked
process that takes time to complete, and the finished product ~ hand-pulled and
watercolored by hand, is an original work of art with all the intrinsic value the word
"original" implies. I limit my editions in order to maintain
the highest intaglio print quality, as well as to offer you artwork with
enduring value. Matting and framing is of the highest quality, to museum
standards, and is chosen carefully for each etching.
The
traditional etching method begins with a copper or zinc plate, coated with an acid
resistant wax. The drawing is done with a needle, which cuts through the
wax, exposing the metal plate. When the plate is immersed in an acid
bath, the acid 'etches' a line where the metal is exposed while the waxed
areas are protected. The length of time a line is bitten determines how deep
it is and subsequently, how light or dark it will reproduce. The deeper
the line, the more ink it will hold and the darker it will print. When
the acid process is completed, the wax is removed and ink is applied. The
bitten lines will hold the ink while the rest of the plate is wiped to achieve
the effect the artist wants. A dampened piece of acid-free paper is
placed over the plate and run by hand through a flatbed press under great pressure
(I
use a Griffin Series EO-2 shown above) which
transfers the image to paper.
More
recently, the process of solar etching has evolved, which is my personal
method of choice in creating an etching plate. This technique requires
the use of a thin steel plate covered with a layer of photo emulsion. The
intaglio, or etching plate, is created by laying a transparency made from
original drawing over the UV sensitive plate, placing it in the sun or under
special UV lights for controlled exposure and subsequently developing it in
water. The process of inking and wiping the plate must be repeated for
each etching, as in the traditional method using a copper plate. For my work, I then hand watercolor, sign and number each etching with the impression number
over the total number of prints in the edition (Example:
35/100). This is
used to ensure the truly limited quality of the numbered pieces. The final step for me is to emboss the paper next to my signature with my personal chop.