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The Process

First I adhere a layer of emulsion to a copper plate, I then brush gum arabic on the surface. I then heat the plate slowly until the emulsion cracks. This builds tension and adds additional dimensions that I would not be able to achieve with a flat plate. I experiment with materials such as copper, foam board, insulation foam, molding putty, rug tape, ink, spray wall texture, wood, tape, and cracking texture paint to build up the surfaces.

 

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 I am interested in the way the textures print when inked. I ink the plate as an intaglio plate and use tarlatan to wipe the plate so that the ink is only in the grooves. Then, I run the inked plate and a wet piece of printmaking paper though a intaglio press. After running the plate though the press I lift the piece of paper off the plate to discover the what was printed. 

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What is printed is what was left in the grooves on the plate after I wiped the surface of the plate off. Here is the finished product.