Intaglio is something after my own heart.  My first trainiang and many many years pursued afterwards.  However I can not justify the use of not only the chemicals involved (even those 'less toxic' ones) and many other factors from copper mining to correct ventialtion.  But I love the process and the aesthic.  So I decided to try out my own methods.  Which have been working hugely well.  Using lino as my base and some clever methods for pate tones, I have come up with a intaglio method that suits my work practice and produces some wonderful results that will also suit many others.  As with all my work, the focus is not on the edition, but the unique print, and it works brilliantly.

Over the last few years, I have been steadily moving my own personal practice, and the educational aspect, over to ecological printmaking.  There is a huge way to go, but I continue to research and explore ways of printed expression that are not harmful to this planet earth, or those that live on it.  

Printmaking has its roots in commercial expression, from bible printing to posters, textile blocks to newspaper illustrations, it has always stemmed from being able to repeat.  In modern times, it seems that this desire to mass produce has also led to the advent of the use of exceptionally harsh chemicals and processes to stabilise plates, clean up and process techniques to make them more efficient for mass production.  Sadly, when artists piggybacked off the commercial printmaking and saw the wonders of what it could do for unique expression, they did not look to change these processes.  Many of this harsh chemicals and processes used in printmaking in the modern era still feed down now into artists studios, and it has a huge effect of the environment and on the artists health.  

I work from home, with a young family at every step.  I could not use any of these harsh processes or materials.  I have no formal ventilation system and no chemical disposal.  So I had to change how I made work within print, which was also a natural progression as I began to take my role as an artist seriously as a means to educate about sustainability in the arts.

Over the last 2 years I have gradually replaced many of the mainstay elements of traditional printmaking with more ecological materials.  I have erradicated certain techniques from my practice until a time when more gentle approaches can be developed.  I am continually experimenting, literally at the kitchen table, to make and find solutions and replacements to chemicals or materials that are being used daily by artist printmakers.  It is a mixture of chemistry, material science, ingenuity and stubborness.  Probably more of the latter!

The most recent devepments will be listed in the drop down below.  So please do keen an eye out to see if any are relevant to your own practice and together we can change.

Gum Arabic is used in all aspects of lithography.  It is essential to stabalise the image and non image areas ready for printing.  Gum we buy in commercially will most likely come from the ‘gum belt,’ a strip of land in Sudan in which the Acacia tree grow, supplying the sap we know as Gum Arabic.  Trade of gum has been going on centuries, and trading materials across the globe is commonplace for humanity as soon as we realised we could.  Gum Arabic is also consumed in vast quantities in the food industry for various glazes, gels, thickening purposes.   It is worth researching yourself the political climate that has affected the Gum Arabic production in Sudan and realise it is a luxury we buy it in and question no more.  It is become a highly politicised and bartering tool for many a country.  

I wondered if I could make my own from resins of another, indigenous and local tree that would allow (on a small domestic scale) me to be self sufficient in this product, reducing air miles, packaging, conflicting political issues and on a massive positive note, increasing traceability.  

So after a few trials of different saps and from research, I found out that one tree resin works really well.  And the best thing about it is that the tree is not damaged at all, and I am able to ask full permission of the land owner.  I trialled it firstly testing pH with conventional gum, and it was a match.  Workability in neat and diluted forms for varying lithographic effects, and it was successful.  Finally, how did it ‘etch’ the surface of lino in lithino (lithography on lino).  Perfectly.  So I am totally sold.  Recipe to follow.   

Photo lithography has a soft spot in my heart. I worked at the Curwen using this technique a lot and developed a reduction process on the plate that suited my direct way of working. However, I was not happy with the developer solution that was being used to process the photosensitive plates because it was a laboratory made strong alkaline solution, that I felt could be hugely improved on. And I was not happy with it being washed down the sinks. Thus, I paused using the process as I looked into alternatives.

After research and playing, I have come up with a homemade photo developer solution that seems to work very well, including being used to reduce information on the plate to work in a reduction manner.  As I was developing mine, I saw a not on social media of another person in America who had recently come up with the same principles as myself, so it was so reassuring to know others are also pushing the boat out.  When I relocate their name I shall credit them here, so my apologies that for now I cannot find the post….

What is even better from a personal perspective regarding the homemade solution is that it is made predominately form a bi product of our wood fired ranges, so that makes a wonderful circle of materials.  I am still distinctly aware that the photo developer will mix with the photo sensitive coating on the aluminium plate when being washed out, and this is something I am working on.  But for now, I have changed one of the major players, so that is really exciting.

In essence the developer solution is made from lye.  Lye is an alkaline solution that can be made from the white ashes produced from the burning of hard wood logs, producing potassium hydroxide.  The process of making lye at home is relatively simple and we burn many a hard wood log, so this made complete sense.  Added to the lye solution I put in sodium carbonate, or washing soda.  I am looking to make my own sodium carbonate from the ashes of plants grown in sodium rich soils, again a project in the future.  Both lye and sodium carbonate are biodegradable, so how amazing is that.  However, as I stated earlier, these will mix with the photo solution coating the photo plates, and although this is of low impact to the environment, it still contaminates the natural developer.  But small steps.  Even just using the homemade developer has improved the process monumentally.

I use lino a lot in my practice. I use it in its traditional form as a relief surface, but I also use it as intaglio, lithographic and monoprint. I always, without fail, work with the traditional lino backed with jute. Why? Well, it is completely biodegradable. It is made from a mixture of tree resin, wood flour, linseed oil backed onto natural jute. Pretty awesome if you ask me.

At the kitchen table, I am looking at making my own lino. This would not stop me from buying in traditional lino, because I do not have the facilities or capability to make it on such scales as a factory would. However, small scale I can see the potentials of working with the material before it has set hard, to create unique effect prior to printing.

Watch this space. I'm working on it...