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A few words about me
- Melissa Atkinson
- I was born in Ottawa, moved to Nova Scotia and then to London. I'm a photographer and printmaker.
Art bio
Nova Scotia has always been special to me with my family roots in Liverpool.
After graduating with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in photography, film and art history from the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design, I worked for three years at the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia before packing my bags to do a Master of Arts in Museum Studies in England.
I kept working at my photography, producing quirky, slightly surreal images and more abstract textural studies. This led me to look at other printing processes which naturally led to printmaking.
After some experimentation I chose photo-etching. The process seems quite complicated but with all printmaking, patience is the key.
Photo-etching works particularly well with my textural studies and I’m currently working on a large series of Nova Scotia beach scenes – but not conventional ones: these concentrate on small details, making these prints surreal aerial views of vast Canadian landscapes.
I kept working at my photography, producing quirky, slightly surreal images and more abstract textural studies. This led me to look at other printing processes which naturally led to printmaking.
After some experimentation I chose photo-etching. The process seems quite complicated but with all printmaking, patience is the key.
Photo-etching works particularly well with my textural studies and I’m currently working on a large series of Nova Scotia beach scenes – but not conventional ones: these concentrate on small details, making these prints surreal aerial views of vast Canadian landscapes.
How photo-etching works
Photo-etching (also called photogravure). The process seems quite complicated but with all printmaking, patience is the key. The image is transferred onto a zinc metal plate that is coated with a light sensitive acid-resistant ground. Exposure to UV light reproduces the image by destroying the ground and exposing the metal. The plate is then immersed in acid and the exposed metal is 'bitten'. The resist is removed and the plate is inked, placed against the paper and passed through an intaglio press under great pressure to create the image.
Further Reading
Etching: A Guide to Traditional Techniques by Alan Smith, published by The Crowood Press Ltd
Etching and Photopolymer Intaglio Techniques by Colin Gale published by A & C Black Publishers Ltd
The Printed Picture by Richard Benson published by The Museum of Modern Art, New York
Further Reading
Etching: A Guide to Traditional Techniques by Alan Smith, published by The Crowood Press Ltd
Etching and Photopolymer Intaglio Techniques by Colin Gale published by A & C Black Publishers Ltd
The Printed Picture by Richard Benson published by The Museum of Modern Art, New York
I love your new work. There is peace in the spaces amidst linear complexity. How nature must view, and live, within urban human landscapes. Although these photos were taken far from "civilization", it is as if a reflection of the sound cities make was captured within the earth, water, fire and air displayed nakedly pure at the edge where ocean meets land. Thank you.
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