Lea, an etching

Lea_Proof.jpg
an early trial proof

Lea_CTP2.jpg
a later colour trial proof, almost there

LEA.jpg
Lea – etching, 1983
image: 22.2 x 22.5 cm. (8.75″ x 8.8″)
Paper: 38 x 38 cm. (15″ x15″)

Here is one of my very early etchings from the time when I returned to printmaking. As I’ve mentioned in the past, I fell in love with printmaking in my last year at art school, too late to major in it, but left with the feeling that I wanted to return to it some day. The opportunity came much much later and of course, I had to spend time relearning the processes.

After deep etching this plate, I worked on numerous proofs, trying out different colours and various ways of inking it. I wrote many notes on the proofs about those processes. The top one is getting close to what I wanted, to my eye at the time, with the technique of intaglio wiping (the blues), then with a relief roll (red) over it. More colour trials were made, with the second image above getting very close. The final editioned version is shown last.

I’m not overly fond of how I designed the image and I now rather prefer the colours in the first one shown, but it’s an example of the process of learning technique before mastering the image along with it.

June 4, 2012 in Older Works, Printmaking, Printworks by Marja-Leena