This is an etching I began back in 2012 that never looked quite right to me.  I struggled for years to figure out how to achieve evenly aquatinted tones, and just when I seemed to be getting it right, it appeared that this plate had been lost.  I’ll spare you the details of the vermin visitors in the shared printmaking studio, except to say that a massive cleaning undertaking resulted in the rediscovery of my lost copper plate.

I re-aquatinted the plate and began to print the edition.  I was aghast to discover what appeared at first glance to be an extra finger.  Adding another layer of aquatint and etching it for a minute or two took care of the problem, but it pains me to know that the couple of proofs I sold in 2013 probably have this flaw.

The final version of the print has a velvety black backdrop and is printed on white Magnani Pescia instead of the gray Pescia I usually use.  She looks like she was made from poured concrete, which seems a fitting metaphor for the universality of feeling I hoped to convey.

This print and many more are available in my Etsy shop, Oncidium Press.