Brenda Hartill

Last Thursday we were treated to a fascinating talk by Brenda Hartill about her work and the techniques that she uses to print her collographs and etching.  She brought along a number of prints including a few example or her early etchings which displayed a high quality of draughtsmanship and an eye for the unusual.  

The natural 3-dimensional element of etching prints led to experimentation further with using etching and embossing plates within one work to give a print with enhanced texture.  This interest evolved into the more developed use of all in one collograph plates and developing her own inking methods to produce her distinctive works of today.

She also explained how a nearly disastrous though accidental use of some neat nitric acid took her work in a new direction.  The plates had been severely eroded but were left with some intriguing marks.  So she took the remaining bits of these plates and glued them onto plates coated with carborundum to produce prints that had rich deep backgrounds and intriguing abstract elements floating in the foreground.

Brenda finished her presentation with a very informative video that showed how her plates were inked up ready for printing. A process that it evidently lengthy and complex but produces some fabulous results.  Overall if was a fascinating evening and Brenda was very generous in sharing her methods and ideas of printmaking.