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Much of Ian's work is concerned with the representation of the English landscape in all its diversity. As a subject he finds trees particularly interesting. The landscape series of etchings are mainly concerned with the atmospheric qualities of light especially at dusk and sunrise. The light at this time of day is often evocative and revealing in the way texture, pattern and colour are enhanced. For that reason, rather than print in a single colour he prefers to experiment with atmosphere and mood. Consequently to some degree each print is unique.
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THE ETCHING PROCESS
The usual way to produce an etched plate is as follows: the image is drawn with a needle through a thin coating of wax previously laid on a plate. The plate is then laid in a shallow bath of acid so that the lines of the drawing are bitten into. Both the extent and the depth of the biting acid can be controlled by successive immersions in the acid. For example, after the plate has been bitten for five minutes or so, it may be taken out of the acid, rinsed and blotted dry. Then, certain parts of the image may be painted over with varnish, so that they will be bitten no deeper during the next immersion. After perhaps nine or ten immersions, with selective areas of the image varnished each time, there will be nine or ten different degrees of depth of crevice in the plate's surface. This is how etchings are given variety of line: the deepest crevices (that is those exposed longest to the acid) print strongest and blackest; the shallowest crevices give the most delicate lines.
The plate is then inked, the ink being forced into the crevices. Then the plate is wiped being careful not to pull the ink out of the crevices. The plate is now ready to print, and is run through the press under great pressure. The pressure forces the paper into the etch, and when peeled from the plate the paper pulls the ink from the crevices thus creating an image.
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