Wires

17 x 14 cm

Soft ground, hard ground, and etching on zinc (soft ground first) works like this: the zinc plate is initially coated with soft ground, which allows for loose, textured, and pressure-sensitive marks—such as drawing through paper or lifting textures. This layer is etched first in acid, capturing the soft, spontaneous marks. Once this is done, a hard ground is applied over the plate to allow precise, linear drawing. The plate is etched again, adding clean, controlled lines to the earlier textured image. After inking and wiping, the print combines the expressive quality of soft ground with the clarity and definition of hard ground lines in one composition.