Artwork Description:
THIS LAST EDITION, OF FOUR EDITIONS, CONTAINS FIVE ORIGINAL HAND-PULLED PRINTS. An oil-based French etching ink was employed on RIVES BFK paper. I used the etching techniques of intaglio, aquatint, Chine colle, and drypoint. This edition was printed at The Center for Works on Paper, Philadelphia. Six separate baths were needed in Nitric acid. The image size, or zinc plate size, is about ten-inches high by eight-inches wide. The Chine Colle, pronounced shin colay, Process -- Methylcellulose powder is re-constituted by mixing it with spring water and then applying the clear viscous substance to hand-dyed mulberry-bark paper from Thailand, Brand Unryu. In Japan, Unryu translates as CLOUD DRAGON paper because it has long swirling threads of kozo fibers integrated in it, thereby giving the texture and visual effect of clouds. Kozo fibers come the branches of the kozo paper mulberrybush, specifically the innermost of three layers of bark, which must be removed, cooked, and beaten before the sheets are formed. Kozo is harvested annually. The treated Thai paper is then allowed to dry overnight and I cut it to fit the plate areas where I want color to exist in the print. These stenciled mulberry-bark papers are first dampened misted with water and placed upon the already inked and wiped etching plate. The printing process continues, and a multi-colored image on paper resulting. This hand-done process is a difficult and laborious one, which I do myself every step of the way. THIS WORK OF FINE ART IS SHIPPED TO THE COLLECTOR already framed and matted.