Faith Chevannes: Drypoint

Drypoint

Faith Chevannes

Drypoint is a process that does not involve etching with acid but simply scratching the image directly onto the surface of a plate, typically copper, with a sharp tool. The tool does not cut away the metal but rather pushes it up into a burr like a plough cutting a furrow in the soil. This gives the line a characteristic soft and blurry appearance. Although it is hard to control flowing curved lines, its immediacy lends itself to spontaneous, expressive imagery.

'My work reflects the deep connection I feel with my environment. I love the fascinating, ever-changing seasons, the wildlife and the romantic moors. Drypoint printmaking is a gorgeous process. I can create an abundance of marks with my etching tools, which form irresistible, rich, velvety burr lines when I print the plate with my Hawthorn press.'

Faith Chevannes

Image: Faith Chevannes, Our Extraordinary Starlings