| Mairangi Arts Centre

Lisz Bodsworth

Etching

Creative Background:

Lisz Bodsworth first joined Mairangi Arts Centre during its early years in the 90s, as a student in Joan Taylor’s intaglio etching class. She quickly found that the medium suited her love of line and tone, with lots of scope to problem solve and invent. When Joan retired, Lisz was invited to teach and continue the class. Lisz is passionate about printmaking as a medium and has been an important figure in the development of the First Impressions, National Printmakers Exhibition at Mairangi Arts Centre. Her teaching approach is experimental, often pushing the boundaries of the technique to make their compositions original and personal.

LB01. Intaglio Etching (ADULTS)

Teaching Philosophy:

As intaglio etching is a technical process involving grounds, acid and ink, my focus with beginners is to familiarise them with the main procedures; hard ground, aquatint for tone, open bite and soft ground. These techniques cannot be self-taught at home, as there needs to be access to a press, and the hardware to etch, ie; the grounds, acid, etc.

I provide the tools and knowledge, and the students provide the ideas and compositions, and together we work towards the finished print. There is a lot of excitement when that first image is run through the press. I like the class to discuss and problem solve, thus we all learn and grow our skills together.

For the experienced, Intaglio etching can also be combined with other printmaking ideas, - monoprints, collagraphs and relief printing etc.

I like the class to have an experimental approach, pushing the boundaries of the techniques, and to make their compositions original and personal.