INTAGLIO PRINTMAKING engages me with its subtle and beautiful effects. I use multiple copper plates to produce colored etchings, usually preparing one plate for each color. Each plate is treated in an acid bath, inked by hand and run through a press, printing one color on top of another to create the final image.
Sometimes I use a process called chine collé, where the plates are printed on a thin, delicate paper and adhered to a stronger backing paper in the press. The chine collé paper picks up more sensitive information from the plate and can provide additional colors.
While the intaglio technique is challenging and labor-intensive, the preparatory drawing is equally time-consuming. I spend many hours exploring the possibilities of a drawing and trying different versions of a subject until one finally qualifies to be turned into a print.
I do most of my printmaking at the Highpoint Center for Printmaking in Minneapolis.
