Our Official POP Membership community represents a plethora of printmaking disciplines, artists, and companies. This month, we’re showcasing a selection of creators from our community who have worked with etching; a method of intaglio printmaking where an image is incised into a plate using chemicals. The results are atmospheric and rich in depth and tone, as demonstrated by the works below.
Jemma Gunning: Decay in Progress
Jemma describes her printmaking practice as “a lifelong exploration of abandoned and decaying buildings, akin to a modern-day Piranesi”. Through etching, Jemma captures the fragility of structures on the brink of collapse, using the medium’s tactile marks to echo the textures and stories of these disregarded spaces. Her work transforms these ruins into portals to the past, where time seems to pause. Jemma comments; “Fascinated by the ecosystems that emerge when we abandon old buildings, my etchings highlight the beauty in decay, inviting viewers to reflect on the layers of history, resilience, and renewal that persist within forgotten architecture.”
The Burrow Prints: Hide & Seek
Usually working with linocut, Hide & Seek presents The Burrow Prints’ first venture into etching. Created using intaglio, the method works in the opposite way to relief printing, where the incised line holds the ink instead. This test print left the printmaker feeling very inspired and pleased with its resulting texture, and she is keen to explore this technique further.
Morag Ellen: Folktale Etchings
With a love of folktales, myths, and legends, when the opportunity came about to create designs for a number of folktales Morag Ellen jumped at the chance and decided to try Tetra pack etching. “I’ve been meaning to have a go with this technique especially as it’s a great way to reuse packaging. I was curious to see how well each plate held up to lots of printing and wiping,” says the printmaker. Morag was impressed with the technique, and managed to get around ten prints from each plate before it began to disintegrate. “I would certainly recommend this process if you simply want to experiment and avoid chemicals. You can also achieve very quick results,” concludes Morag.
Heather Groves: Dandelion/pissenlit
Recently, Heather has taken a step away from her usual process of woodcut relief printmaking, and has instead been working on aluminium plate etchings with some fine linework, drypoint, and aquatint processes. These experiments have focused on the dandelion or ‘pissenlit’. Heather comments; “I took inspiration from Nature, Nature reflects in dandelions a paradox, where we praise resilience but often struggle with the way in which it is presented to us. The form of a dandelion is however lightweight and delicate, in contrast with how we view resilience being solid and dense, this makes the plant an interesting subject to deconstruct and reinterpret.”
Wen Ching Yiu (Krystine): QQ Series
Krystine’s QQ Series is composed of 3 etchings titled My Name is QQ, Citydog, and Prologue: The Space of Us. Inspired by a pet dog called QQ, Krystine imagined the character as a cute, white puppy in order to re-explore the human world and the moments it could spend with her in the imaginary world. Etching, aquatint and mono colour tone were used to create the 3 works.
Browse our members directory in full and check out more wonderful work by our community at members.peopleofprint.com. Do you work with print? Apply join our community here.
You might like...
Anna Wingfield- My Name is Wendy
- The Counter Press | Extra Condensed No.1
- Surfacephilia
- Posterzine™ — The Collector’s Bundle
- Santa Cruz x Star Wars
- London Tubemap
- Papillon Press
- Andrés Gallardo Albajar
- Lizzy Stewart
- Lol Gallimore
- Kinda Savarino
- Small Studio
- Cookie D’oh (NSFW)
- Topo Copy & Cosy Cozy | Musical Library Experiences
- On Screen by The Print Bar
Want to know more about our membership? Give us an email at members@peopleofprint.com.
- Carolin Mueller | Exploring Memory, Space, and Sustainability Through Printmaking - December 18, 2024
- D!VE | Hercules and Achelous at Litfass - December 17, 2024
- Good Seed Craft Co. | The Beginner’s Guide to Lino Printing - December 16, 2024
