THE COPPER PLATE

Throughout the last year I have been exploring processes of printmaking, in particular copper plate etching, alongside my ceramic practice. I use methods and approaches associated with both media, often approaching my clay panel works as a printmaker would a plate, and I work on the copper plate as if it were a sculptural object in its own right.

Plate Impression - 2021 - Inked Debossed Print on Paper - H20cm W17cm Plate Impression - 2021 - Debossed Print on Paper - H20cm W17cm

I started exploring the copper plate after a research trip to Stoke-on-Trent where I met with Paul Holdway, Spode’s head plate engraver. Paul had worked on the intricate and skilled job of creating copper plate transfer prints for use on table wear, a skill set that has been largely lost since the closure of many ceramic factories in Stoke. Responding to the traditional processes learnt from Paul, I have explored all elements of the technique to find the areas I want to take forward and use in a contemporary context within my sculptural practice. The result has been a shift in my approach to making rather than a direct application of the traditional process of copper plate transfer printing.

The way I now approach clay, is informed by knowledge of both ceramic and intaglio print. I prepare the surface of a clay slab with the next stages of my process in mind, often fixing the clay by bisque firing it before working into the ceramic surface further. I have found that use of reductive methods such as sandblasting and water erosion share qualities of acid biting into a metal plate. The removal of material helping an object to take shape in a sculptural way.