About The Artist:
Byron Bratt
Byron Bratt, The Master of Mezzotint, works without peer in this technically challenging medium. His works are included in the collections of the New York Public Library, The Library of Congress, and locally in the City of Everett, as well as many private collections. Byron was the Arts Council of Snohomish County's Artist of the Year in 1993....
view artist page
About The Medium:
Etching
The printing process of using strong acid or mordant to cut into the unprotected parts of a metal surface to create a design in intaglio (incised) in the metal. In traditional pure etching, a metal (usually copper, zinc or steel) plate is covered with a waxy ground which is resistant to acid. The artist then scratches off the ground with a pointed etching needle where they want a line to appear in the finished piece, exposing the bare metal. The plate is then put through a high-pressure printing press together with a sheet of paper (often moistened to soften it). The paper picks up the ink from the etched lines, making a print.