Face Mash Series (Edition of 40), Copper Etching and Spitbite, 2021

Having found 5 copper offcuts of the same size, I drew a while until I found a shape that used as much of the material as possible without seeming subject to the tyranny of the rectangle. Since I found the nose pleasing, it seemed natural to try the rest of the face.

I cut them out by hand with a coping saw in the Trinity Arts Studios workshop, and filed their edges with some tiny files of dubious providence. When, during the marking process, I disliked the placing of an eye, I painted ground on top and began again (resulting in the first try faintly showing up in the final etch). Working small and with recycled materials, the process felt very free and spontaneous. The plates, despite this, feel very precious— their smallness and separateness remind me of reliquaries. I emphasized their shape with a deep emboss thanks to 650 gsm paper and their size by the large raggedy decal edges, their volume by the spitbite shading and hand wiping.