Morning Mist

"Morning Mist" was created entirely in aquatint, an etching process that creates tones rather than lines.   Nitric acid was used to etch the design into a zinc plate to create the image. The colors were applied to the plate by hand and wiped with rags to remove excess ink, revealing the highlights of the design. Damp paper was then laid over the plate and covered with several soft blankets made of felt.  This package was pulled through a double roller press, forcing the paper fibers deep into the plate, transferring the ink from the etched areas to the paper. The plate must be entirely cleaned before it can be inked and printed again.

While the image was inspired by a camping trip in King’s Canyon in the Sierra Nevada mountains, this misty morning along the river, with the sun just beginning to peek though the fog, could be almost anywhere.  The purple and deep blue tones of the nearby pines suggest the cool temperature in the shade, while the bright greens in the sun suggest the warmth to come on this beautiful day.

In creating the piece, I was fascinated by the way trees and hills faded into the mist in this peaceful Sierra landscape. Time in the acid bath ranged from only 5 seconds for the palest distant hill, to about 10 minutes for the dark trees in the foreground. The plate was wiped a la poupee, which means that all of the colors are inked and wiped on the plate before it is run through the press. 

“Morning Mist” is available unframed in a signed limited edition of 25 original hand-pulled prints, printed on Rives Heavyweight paper.  Image size is 12” x 16” and recommended mounted size is 19” x 24”. It will be shipped rolled in a mailing tube.