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Barbara Pihos

My work begins outdoors with a search for a location that strikes an emotional response in me. I may find it nearby in a place I see often or far away at the end of a journey.

Returning to my studio with sketches, I prepare a zinc plate by degreasing and brushing on an acid-resistant ground. I apply conte chalk to the back of my sketch; place it on the grounded plate and redraw, thereby transferring the sketch to the plate. Using a needle to draw through the ground, I add an abundance of details.
I submerge the plate in a tray of nitric acid heated to 80 degrees Fahrenheit for 20-30 minutes to bite the image into the plate. I draw finer details and etch again for 10-15 minutes. To proof the plate I remove the ground, cover it with black etching ink, and place it on my etching press bed with damp, rag paper and etching blankets on top. I then hand-crank it through the press. This proof functions as a guide to the painting process of the aquatint technique and as the structure of the final work.

To do the aquatint I grind gum crystals into a very fine powder and place it in a piece of cotton cloth. I then hit the cloth bundle, releasing a cloud of powder into the air over the degreased plate to get an even 60% coverage. Next I heat the underside of the plate with a torch, which allows the acid-resistant powder to melt and adhere to the plate. However, I'm careful to leave the other 40% of surface area open for acid biting to create the tones of the aquatint. The plate is now ready for painting with acid-resistant shellac. The first painting is of the white areas. The plate is then submerged in the same acid as before, but the timing is very short- 10 seconds. The second painting is of the very light gray areas, and the time in the acid is 20 seconds. I proceed with more paintings- a total of eight. As the time in the acid is increased, the areas not yet stopped-out are etched deeper and will hold more ink, thereby printing darker. As I am painting the very dark gray areas, I have only my memory to tell me where the whites and lighter grays will be, as there is no way to tell by looking at the plate.

After 2-3 months of work, the final step is cleaning off the varnish and melted powder of the aquatint ground, inking and pulling a proof.

My detailed style using two drawings and eight stages of aquatint is complex, unique and anxiety-producing because the result is unknown until the work is finished.
The theme of my work is "Unspoiled Nature." I am drawn to the northern woods of our continent to find tranquility and renewal of spirit.


Link to "Along the Shore" by Barbara Pihos  Link to "Birches and Dunes" by Barbara Pihos  Pihos print  Pios print  Pihos print 

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