Printmaking- Viscosity, a boon for abstraction

Print making is an art form that consists of fabrication of images usually on paper but occasionally on fabric, parchment, plastic, or other support, by various techniques of multiplication, under the direct oversight of or by the hand of the artist. Such fine prints as they are collectively known are considered original works of art despite existing in numerous. To the contemporary reader,print word might suggest of automatically mass produced economic products like books, newspaper and textiles.However in this context, print refers to the unique creation by the artist who instead of painting with the brush chooses to work with printmaking tools to express himself.

As described by eminent printmaker, Krishna Reddy, visscosity printing is a psychedelic fine art printmaking technique that assimilates the principles of relief printing and intaglio printing which is based on the principle of viscosity, the characteristics of a fluid to resist the flow to print diverse colours of offset or letterpress ink from a single zinc or copper plate rather than relying on multiple plates for multiple colours.

This technique is credited to have been developed by Stanley William Hayter during the late 1960’s in Paris.

In this process, a metal plate is etched with acid. Intaglio colour is applied by hand or paper chip and excess ink, especially from the upper layers, is wiped off using tracing papers. The remaining colours are prepared by mixing them with linseed oil. Each colour has a different viscosity so as to repel each other on the plate. These colours with varied viscous content are then rolled on the plate, with the help of rollers of different degrees of softness, softest reaching the top level while hardest reaching the lowest level. Each print appears as an discrete multi-coloured image with artist's signature.

Viscosity as a printmaking technique has always beguiled me because of its wide scope of experimentation in terms of the process as well as the final image.The below explored prints have been inspired by the alluring coral and lichen forms in an attempt to bring about semi abstract- abstract forms. The imageries have been gradually developed through various stages without any final draft being kept in mind. This printmaking process of producing imageries is the amalgamation of accidental acid marks along with the deliberate etched blotches. The interplay of ambiguous forms along with the colours and textures forms the essence.

The close examination of these prints leads to revealing in its sense of infinite, evolving depth, colours that are unusually subtle, and textures from prehistoric times, like the cave painting marks.. The etched plate itself looks like an artifact.

"Impressions", 2016, Size- 3x6 "

"In Search", 2016, Size- 4x6"

"Illumination", 2016 , Size- 4x6"

"Lichens", 2016

References.

Encyclopedia Britannica. 2018. Printmaking | Britannica.com. [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.britannica.com/art/printmaking.