Siesta
Plate 12.5x10 cm on Hahnemuehle paper ( 24x27 cm).
Edition of 20
Siesta is a mezzotint study from a recent painting.
Mezzotint is my favourite printmaking technique these days, as it allows me to work in a purely tonal way. It's also labour intensive and each print takes many hours of work. I work on a copper plate which is prepared with a special tool ( a rocker) that pokes the surface with thousands of small holes and makes it rough like sandpaper. I transfer the drawing (often from one of my paintings) onto the plate and start scraping out with a blade what will turn out to be the lightest parts. Working from dark to light, the image slowly appears.
Once I am satisfied with the plate, I edition it on my printing press. I only produce small editions.