Zinc plates are an economical alternative to the copper plates traditionally used for etchings. Zinc and copper are etched with different chemicals, and I no longer have access to the nitric acid used for zinc plates. I have a few of these plates left over from my college printmaking classes, and have decided to get […]
When I bought this plant, I thought the flowers looked like angels. Now I realize they’re definitely Furies, a conclusion that owes more to Francis Bacon than a study of Greek literature.
After several rosin applications and a bit of tinkering with the aquatint process, this plate finally has a nice velvet black background. The next step is to burnish the gray tones and improve the range of values. Last night in the studio, I wondered if switching from my favorite gray Magnani pescia paper to the […]
In the past few years, my printing techniques have evolved and improved, and I’ve decided to give second chances to old etched plates. This etching began as a 9″ x 12″ plate. At the time, I was convinced that it was the single worst piece of art I had ever created. It occurred to me […]
I had an odd scrap of copper that lent itself to this unusual composition. I’d promised myself that I would take a break from color printing and return to black ink, but the first proof cried out for color. I cut a second plate as close to the size of the original as possible, and […]
Helen keeps me company while I begin to plan the different layers of a multiple plate etching. This Potinara has been in bloom for three weeks, so it’s a race against time if I want to draw from life and not from photo documentation.
This summer, I picked up a maxillaria tenuifolia at my favorite plant nursery. It was a spur of the moment decision based on how lovely and unusual the flowers were. Unfortunately, unlike the oncidium and phalaenopsis orchids, these fragrant blooms don’t last very long, so I missed out on the opportunity to draw the weird, […]
I picked up a lovely lady slipper flower, or paphiopedilum, from the Portland Nursery about a month ago. Since then, I’ve been racing against time to make as many detailed drawings as possible before the flower wilts. Over the past year, I’ve purchased 11 orchids, 9 of which have survived, but only once have I been […]
I’ve printed this two-plate etching in several different color combinations, and I think I’ve finally decided which one will make the cut. The plant I drew the image from was mostly violet and white with a little bit of yellow: I tried printing with colors that were faithful to the plant as […]
Oncidium Press 