Materia Prima
The Inspiration and Making of ‘Salt Alchemy’
Artists and alchemists both may be found searching for their ‘Materia Prima,’ the first substance upon which to begin their creative process. One that often begins in part with silence and trepidation as well as anticipation. The alchemist wished to transform lead to silver and then to gold, searching for the ultimate prize, the Philosopher’s Stone. Their search might begin with looking for the ‘golden slug,’ that piece of detritus they could morph into something valuable, even beautiful.
Rust is my ‘Materia Prima.’ I have become captivated by its orange-red hues, the patterns it makes when forming rivers beneath peeling paint, and how it transforms a corroding dumpster into an object of beauty. Rust’s colour and forms inspired me to move away from building narratives, towards pure experimentation.
Inspired by Rust!
My search began in the field, rather than in the printmaking studio. Camera in hand, I began photographing the rust leaching out of the walls of a worn-down parking lot en route to the Ottawa School of Art (OSA). Then I became fascinated with capturing the textures and colours found on corroded objects further afield. Finally, this exploration expanded to my collecting actual pieces of rusted metal I began finding on the roadways of Ottawa.
Creating Patterns and an ‘Emerald’ Etch
Back in the printmaking studio is when the fun began! Under the mentorship of printmaker Robert Hinchley, I set out to create a series of abstract etchings through pure experimentation. This was an opportunity for me to learn how to create a non-toxic etch, as well as new etching and printing techniques.
Over a three-month period, I etched eight zinc plates ranging in size from 4” x 6” to 9” x 12.” Mark making on the plates took many forms including:
Line etching: using an etching needle to draw lines, or images, on a plate covered with hard ground.
Marbling: dropping liquid hard ground into a bath of water, making patterns with a stick, and then briefly placing the plate on top of this mixture to let the pattern adhere to the plate.
Soft ground etching: placing the plate on a hot plate at a low temperature, rubbing soft ground over the plate, and then drawing an image with a pencil and/or making an imprint with material in the soft ground.
‘Drip’ etching: mixing solvent and liquid hard ground together and then letting it drip onto an upright plate (note: this is my recollection anyway!).
If you are looking for a detailed process description of the above techniques, you may wish to look on-line or refer to a printmaking resource book such as ‘The Complete Printmaker.’ Do note that you can use multiple techniques on one plate as I ended up doing for this series.
In all cases, I placed the prepared zinc plate in a copper sulphate etch for, on average, eight minutes (note: this timing will vary depending upon the depth of etch desired). While this non-toxic etch is straight-forward to make, the results are magical. The mix of coarse salt, copper sulphate, and warm water transforms from a swirling mass of white and blue into an emerald lake. When I submerged the plate, carmine clouds appear to build and morph into algae blooms as the zinc etches. Once I removed the plate from the bath, I washed it with water and coarse detergent and then dried.
The results were intriguing and varied, from the swirling masses of the marbled plates to the multi-varied textures of the other plates.
Experiments in Colour and Printing
The printmaking studio became my ‘home away from home’ during the printing process! I spent lots of weekends experimenting with creating and layering colours, as well as new printing techniques.
Initially, I felt driven by a desire to replicate rusted metal emerging from peeling paint. Playing with mixtures of burnt sienna, process red, yellow, or sanguine inks, I created deep oranges. I then added the resulting colours, along with sepia and a deep blue, to the plate; pressing the ink down far into its recesses. However, with the medium-sized marbled plates I began to see not peeling paint any longer but saw what appeared to be satellite images of the earth and its oceans! Always a geographer at heart, I began to vary the amount of wiping I did to increase what looked like cloud cover. This resulted in two series: ‘Earth’ and ‘Ocean’.
The ’Ocean’ series expanded to a variable print edition of seventeen when I was introduced by a colleague to the idea of adding layers with a roller and lithography ink. After applying and wiping down my sepia or orange mixes, I would take a large roller and add a top layer of either emerald or blue lithography ink. The results were brighter and less subtle, or atmospheric, than the first series, but quite successful in terms of colour combinations.
The ’Petroglyph’ and ‘Marrow’ series of prints were experiments in colour and multi-viscosity. I began with adding sepia and ensuring it was deep in the grooves, and then mixed olive, or pale or deep oranges with a small amount of plate oil #3 and rolled those colours on top, hardly wiping the plates at all. Out of pure abstract images came ones that appeared to be ‘of the earth,’ reminding me of being in a woodland, in the case of ‘Marrow’ or in a cave, in the case of ‘Petroglyph.’
The other key experiment I tried was using the ‘Pinch Print’ method. I inked two plates: ‘Ocean’ with sepia, blue, and lots of plate tone; and ‘Earth’ with sepia, an orange -red mix, and less plate tone. I placed the first plate down on the press, placed a piece of BFK Rives paper on-top of it, and ran it through the press. The trick was to ensure the paper remained ‘pinched’ by the roller. I gingerly lifted the end of the paper so I could pull out the first plate. Then, I inserted the second one, trying to align it with the sides of the first image, and rolled it through the press. The result? I saw a continent surrounded by oceans overlain with swirling clouds!
Solo Exhibit!
The result of my experimentation was the solo exhibit ‘Salt and Alchemy,’ held in the Lee Matasi Gallery, 35 George St., Ottawa in September 2022. Composed of an installation piece, ‘Salarium Crescents,’ and a series of ten framed abstract etchings, I designed the exhibit to illustrate how printmaking may take the most mundane of subjects and elevate it to something extraordinary.
If you are interested in learning more about my printmaking processes, the evolution of this exhibit, or wish to purchase one of the ‘Salt Alchemy’ series, please send me an email through the contact page!