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| Siphonophore, 5in x 7in, 1 color etching, sugar lift, and aquatint, ed. 20, 2014 |
The
great Siphonophores roam and billow around the deepest depths of the
ocean where food and light is very scarce. Siphonophores are actually
colonies of animals that behave as a single organism. Each of the
animals perform different tasks such as swimming, reproducing, stinging,
and feeding. Belonging to the taxonomic class Hydrozoa, Siphonophores
are some of the longest creatures in the world at lengths of over 150
ft. Siphonophores use bioluminescent lures to attract and entice prey in
a dazzling display of light, blinks, flashs, and bleeps. When
unsuspecting fishes are attracted to the light, stinging tentacles wrap
around to finish the job.
In regard to the process of this print, I used a new technique called sugar lift and it adds an additional step to the aquatint process. I painted a sugar solution of corn syrup, gum arabic, and india ink on the plate. It has to be removed or lifted off the plate before putting in the acid. After removing the sugar lift, I applied the aquatint with an airbrush. Sugar lift can result in more painterly marks than using aquatint alone. There were three stages of this print. First, the lines were drawn central figure for the line etch and in then in the second step, I added a traditional aquatint. Finally, I painted the sugar lift areas which are located in the background around the main Siphonophore figure. Sugar lift makes a different mark and I'm really excited about the possibilities. It was really frustrating because took me 5 entire studio days to get the sugar lift to work. At times it was really defeating if you could imaging working for an entire week without getting anything done or having anything to show for it. Plus to add to my frustration, it was costing me money because I had to rent the studio space each day at Spudnik Press. I was pulling my hair out, but eventually I was able to get it to look I wanted so that was really thrilling.
In regard to the process of this print, I used a new technique called sugar lift and it adds an additional step to the aquatint process. I painted a sugar solution of corn syrup, gum arabic, and india ink on the plate. It has to be removed or lifted off the plate before putting in the acid. After removing the sugar lift, I applied the aquatint with an airbrush. Sugar lift can result in more painterly marks than using aquatint alone. There were three stages of this print. First, the lines were drawn central figure for the line etch and in then in the second step, I added a traditional aquatint. Finally, I painted the sugar lift areas which are located in the background around the main Siphonophore figure. Sugar lift makes a different mark and I'm really excited about the possibilities. It was really frustrating because took me 5 entire studio days to get the sugar lift to work. At times it was really defeating if you could imaging working for an entire week without getting anything done or having anything to show for it. Plus to add to my frustration, it was costing me money because I had to rent the studio space each day at Spudnik Press. I was pulling my hair out, but eventually I was able to get it to look I wanted so that was really thrilling.
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