Miranda Halsby RBA

My prints are inspired by my surroundings and I often make initial drawings and sketches in-situ. These are quick and spontaneous and I aim to capture the energy of a place or event. Once I have found a theme, I take photographs and do more detailed drawings as a way of establishing the composition in my mind. I then transfer these directly onto a waxed plate and begin the etching process. I have a fairly traditional method of printmaking - using copper plates for their excellent quality of line and oil-based inks for their rich colour. I am, however, very interested in reducing the chemical usage in my studio, and I have recently been experimenting with water-based inks and chemical free acids. the results of these have been promising and I continue to experiment.I use aquatint etching as a way of creating tone and I combine this with more detailed linear work to create a sense of place. In a slight departure from traditional methods of etching, I like to explore colour. Sometimes I use a single colour for an image, but often I will combine two or three contrasting plates to build up the picture.