Sean Slemon has been working on a series of etchings at David Krut Print Workshop, Arts on Main, in anticipation of his solo exhibition with Nirox Projects. Slemon’s exhibition will run at Nirox during July, with a further showing of work at David Krut Projects, Arts on Main.
Together with the printmakers Slemon has been experimenting with hardground etchings and soapground aquatints on a series of small prints.
“Soapground is used to protect portions of a plate from the acid. Soap, however, is imperfectly acid-resistant. The acid penetrates it in varying degrees depending on its thickness. The artist draws with a paste made of soap flakes, linseed oil, and water. Next, an aquatint is added to provide tooth to the non-image portions of the plate. The resulting image has tonal gradations, but is essentially white against a dark background.” (Definition courtesy www.magical-secrets.com)