My printmaking journey started in 2018 - I fell in love with the process instantly! Apparently, this instant love for the medium is not unique - based on stories from other printmakers I have met or heard on podcasts.  

Printmaking is a departure from the way I paint. I paint spontaneously, quickly, without having a specific method, process, or image in mind. Printmaking flips all of that on its head.  With my prints, I know what the image is going to be for most of my pieces. However, I need to plan a strategy and think about the various methods of producing a print in order to achieve the final image.  

The element of surprise is still there because I do not ink and print until I get to the final state of the plate. When I feel that I have attained the final state, I print the image and then perhaps make some minor modifications, as needed.  So in essence, the spontaneity still exists but in a very different form. For some of my prints, I will lay a hard ground or work with a lift ground, and then draw or paint directly onto the plate from a figure drawing session. This latter approach is closer to how I paint. Here again, I do not stop working the plate until I print the final image - making only minor edits to the plate as I print an edition. I still maintain the speed and open approach in my work so that some unpredictability will remain. My favorite working methods are a variety of etching and aquatint techniques, but I have also dabbled in soft ground etching, electro-etching, mezzotint and stone lithography.  

There are so many ways to generate a print with each method, and I am excitedly looking forward to experimenting with all the techniques as well combining them together.