My creative juices need some inspiration so I've signed up for an Introduction to Etching course at the
London Print Studio. The course began last Wednesday and I knew instantly that it was a good fit as the studio is located on the Canal that I love so much. Doors open out onto a patio and we can stand out over the water and watch the wildlife.
I'm finding etching to be very exciting. It is one of my favorite art forms because it is so moody. Yesterday Stephen and I went to the
London Original Print Fair at the
Royal Academy of Arts to view classic and contemporary prints. What I realized - and this is very opinionated of course - is that prints are so much better than contemporary painting. Most likely its because you have to take your time to prepare the etching plate, work long and hard to create the image and then spend a good amount of time printing. The press is something that you have to share with others since they are so large and expensive and not something you can do in your own home. You have to really love your image and believe it is worth printing.
We made two practice plates and started printing in the first evening. The works are drying. I'll scan them in and post to the web later this week.
Too many etching chemicals results in funky self-portraits. Here I am preparing to enter the aqua tint room.
and the press being turned. 
I'm very please with my final work which derived from photo I took in March at Harpers Ferry in Virginia. 
Here is the original photo and then a black version, 
reverse image and finally, two colors. 
