Description

Thursday September 14| 2023 | 10.00 – 4.30 | 6 places only

£70 Full/Keyholder member  |£80 Ordinary Member | £90 Non-member

This is a great one day introduction to etching which will get you started using the BIG etching ground. No previous experience neccessary.

If you have done etching before using the traditional toxic chemicals, this is a great way to transfer to this non toxic approach with loads of creative posibilities

BIG Safe Etching at SPW offers the printmaker a safer alternative in etching with the same level of creative opportunities as traditional materials without exposure to hazardous chemicals.

For the beginner, BIG provides an accessible process for spontaneous and diverse mark-making.

For the experienced printmaker, BIG provides a medium for consistent, excellent results.

We will be working on 10x10cms plates as part of the MiniPrint project

 

This workshop is part of our MiniPrint Wales Project.

We aim to raise the profile of printmaking in Wales, and showcase the work of emerging and professional printmakers.

Funded by the Arts Council of Wales, our project will help develop the skills and expertise of amateur and professional printmakers, and introduce printmaking to new audiences through exceptional learning opportunities.

The programme will focus on the creation of mini prints, contained within a square area of 10cm x 10cm on a paper size measuring 18cm x 18cm.

Participants will have an opportunity to submit their work for exhibition at Mission Gallery, Swansea in October 2023, and all selected work will be published in a bilingual exhibition catalogue.

This will involve working on plates that are 10cm x 10cm [which will be provided]

Baldwin’s Ink Ground (BIG) a Safer Alternative Etching Ground

There are many alternatives to the traditional etching ground on the market, many of which advertise themselves as the safer alternative. This may be the case but from my experience this is often to the detriment of quality and practicality. This common problem has put many printmakers off from trying alternatives, preferring to stay with the reliable time honored system. Did you know that a traditional etching ground contains arsenic, lead, mercury to name but a few toxic elements which can not only be breathed in through your airways but also absorbed through your skin. With ‘Big’ I feel I have not only provided a non toxic alternative but also a ground which is far more versatile. Because the main constituent is an ink it allows the artist printmaker to experiment with many different effects on their etching plate. Techniques ranging from soft and hard ground, photo etching, marbling, relief etching, sandpaper aquatints and coffee lift are but a few which can be explored. Big has been used at the School of Art University of Aberystwyth since 2002 and has been adopted in many other private and educational print workshops around the world. Trefeglwys Printmakers provides courses covering all the techniques which can be achieved with ‘Big’.

Andrew Baldwin