Enter the hump backed whale, stage right, slowly through the dead of night…
A copperplate etching with aquatint and embossing.
Ronan gave me a wonderful handmade, stuffed whale for my Christmas… What else to do with a whale, but suspend him in my hall!
(This also keeps him out of reach of Rosie doggo, who would love him too, I’m quite sure!)
The scene in this etching captures the moments before the song of the whale as he enters the stage. He lends himself to a story, a play, a performance and rhyme:
Whale takes centre stage
The audience holds breath, engage
Whale sings his song into the night
The dark expands, the stars alight
This is one of my EV/ Edition Varied prints. This means that instead of striving to make each print in the edition identical, there are differences between the prints. I think it is the ‘drawer and painter’ in me – I find variety more interesting than repetition. So, in some cases, the paper or layout is different, in others the colour or contrast of inking will be changed. This can be achieved through a difference in wiping or selective wiping once the ink has been applied. This appeals!
An EV varies from a VE – variable edition – because a VE (Variable Edition) – contains element which are completely unique, or with some elements which cannot be reproduced, at all. E.g. with the use of mono-print, painting or drawing after pulling the print.
Here are a few more examples that show this ‘edition varied’:
This etching was printed on Hahnemuhle paper.
Hahnemuhle is a specialist paper-making company in Germany.
The paper is made traditionally of cotton rags on a mould-made paper-making machine. It’s ‘soft, yet strong’ texture makes it sound like a toilet paper advert, however it allows for soaking without the paper warping, tearing or breaking. This combination is ideal. The paper gets ‘squeezed’ into the etched lines and marks when it is run through the press. The ink that has been carefully rubbed onto the plate is then transferred onto the paper.
Stars and moon align, it is time…
In contrast, here the whale plate was printed on the blue-r hue of cartridge paper. So called, cartridge paper used to be used to contain combustibles e.g. gunpowder – a paper cartridge. Unlike Hahnemuhle, cartridge paper is made from wood pulp.
Here is number 7 in the edition, different again. The edition is 20. This means that 20 prints will be made, and this is the 7th of those 20. Limiting the edition makes each one a little bit more special. After the edition, no more prints will be pulled from the press.
I used a few techniques in Scene I (whale) – after etching the lines, I used masks (the spotlights) and a wax pencil to resist the etch after aquatinting. The aquatint gives the tone in the background. The spotlights were etched after the water, and for less time, after a denser aquatint.
The fifth plate in the edition (above) prior to mounting. It shows additional embossing in the form of stars out with the plate.
The stars were placed in position before the wet paper added to the plate, to create the embossing. On-screen they can do a funny optical illusion thing – can you see them both stand out from the page as well as sit indented?
This is one of my favourite plates. I feel some more dramatic colour combinations coming on!
