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The Eye of God

Grand Canyon III

Rain

Summer Place - Maine

With this medium, one can print the same plate in entirely different colors to give a different effect--(for example, the Grand Canyon prints in this show).

And with this medium one can create patterns of incredible complexity by the overprinting of colors that could not be T.S. Eliott - Ash Wednesdayachieved in any other way. Note also, that no two prints done by this process are ever exactly alike. So each print is unique, not simply a duplicate.

In the hands of a talented and highly trained artist such as Kathy, the results are what you see here.

-Jane Kofler

In the visual arts, printmaking is a medium that entails creating an image on a metal plate or block, and then transferring the image by pressure to paper. It has been used in Europe since the 15th century. There are many different processes in printmaking, and each puts limitations on the artist, which give each process a unique creative character.

The process of etching requires using acid to eat out (bite) a metal plate and incise the design into the plate (intaglio). The plate is then inked and subjected to heavy pressure in an etching press to transfer the image to paper.

Kathy's etchings are made through a special process called Multilevel Viscosity Printing. This was developed by Stanley Hayter, Krishna Reddy and others in Paris a few decades ago. Kathy studied with Krishna Reddy at American University.

The principle of this process is, if viscosity (thickness, stickiness) of colors is controlled, when they are over-rolled on a plate they will either attract or reject one another. For example, when a cook measures oil in a cup first and then measures honey into the same cup, the honey, being a higher viscosity, rejects the oil and can be poured out without sticking. Try it!

The steps in the process are these:

1. Outlines of the design are etched into the plate with acid. This is called intaglio, meaning that the ink is forced out of the lines in printing. The ink is applied with a ball of tarlatan or fabric by hand, and is wiped clean so the ink is only in the lines.

2. Color areas are defined by multi-level relief etching, usually at least three levels. The lowest is inked in intaglio, the next highest and the third level (surface of the plate) are inked by rollers of the proper size to cover the area and the proper density--hardness or softness, for the viscosity of the ink being used.

3. The plate is then placed on the bed of the press, covered with damp paper, blotter, and a blanket. Pressure is adjusted and the press bed is then rolled between the two rollers of the press to produce the print.