Krrrl is taking the etching class in Albuquerque by Regina Held, at
New Grounds Print Workshop (
July 19 - 22). Regina Held also runs the Matrix Gallery, in the front, where
our exhibition runs through July (
and now extended through August).
Regina Held lectures
about the intaglio etching process
New Grounds Print Workshop is the first completely non-toxic fine print workshop in the world. Moreover, they have written the
manual of non-toxic printmaking --
following the non-toxic printmaking method pioneered by Keith Howard (inventor) and Mark Zaffron (commercializer).
The Key
The non-toxic "ground" is made from
blue tinted Pledge floor wax --
while a solution of soda ash (10% by volume to water)
takes the ground off
after the plate is etched
in vertical tank
(plates are hung
on long piece of tape,
dipped face to acid,
and taped onto side of tank,
before closing lid)
After ground is taking off,
the copper plate needs to be sponged off twice to:
1) deoxidize -- with vinegar and salt
and
2) degrease -- Bon Ami
(we used carbon black),
after soaking the paper
the other students in the workshop,
doing the grueling task of filing
the edges of their copper etching plates
Pile of prints!
from Takach Press
For detailed description of the class, and the non-toxic process of etching, see Krrrl's blog:
1) Basic line etching and aquatint
2) Soft Ground; soft ground variation -- crayon manner; spitbite; lift ground; crisco lift; selective wiping; chine colle; curating
