FIRE ETCHING SUITE
Diamond Back | Intaglio fom a fire etched mild steel plate | Image: 12" x 120" | Paper: 16" x 126" | Edition of
Prairie Rattler | Intaglio fom a fire etched mild steel plate | Image: 6" x 96" | Paper: 12" x 102" | Edition of
Diamond Back (detail) | Prairie Rattler (detail)
John Robert Craft has created the Fire Etching Suite, a work consisting of two diptychs, one tetraptych and two oversized individual prints. The suite is a study in intaglio of the degradation of ferrous metals through the use of heat and oxidation. Impressions were made from steel plates created with a unique "fire etching" process using Craft's cast sculptures as resists when placed on flat steel plates while both sculptures and plates were heated to 1800 degrees F. During this process the unprotected parts of the plate developed significant heat erosion, giving the printed image its dimensionality. The etchings are printed in custom mixed inks that further explore the process of degradation of steel through color changes and variations.