The course will cover aluminium etching with copper sulphate and a range of methods for working in a non-toxic manner.

In this workshop we will be exploring the versatile, lower toxic process of etching aluminium metal plates with a copper sulphate /salt mordant. This is an accessible alternative to the more traditional etching processes.

We will be creating a series of aluminium plates. This will involve plate preparation, exploring a range mark making processes using a variety of grounds, resists and drawing materials. (kremalta, acrylic resist, coffee, packing tape, markers, crayons !)

From there we will move on to etching the plates. Using these plates we will explore different ways of adding colour, (eg monoprint, chine colle) multi plate printing /registration, and experiment with a

range of techniques to create larger works using the plates we have made.

Hawkes Bay artist Kathy Boyle ( Dip Tch, B Art and Design ) is visual artist working across several disciplines including printmaking, mixed media and installation. Kathy’s work frequently pushes the accepted boundaries of traditional printmaking, challenging the notion of the 2 dimensional print and that print and paper are inexorably bound together. She uses a variety of materials, paper, plaster, metal, selecting the medium best able to express and interpret her thoughts and ideas. Her immediate rural and coastal surroundings strongly influence her work.

Kathy is a founding member of the Print Council of Aotearoa NZ and was chairperson of PCANZ for 12 years recently stepping down from the position in 2022. She has tutored printmaking extensively throughout New Zealand, in Australia and the UK and has been invited to participate in national and international artists residences . Kathy’s work is held in New Zealand, and international collections including the British Library, the Queensland State Library, Mitchell Library Sydney, Burnie Regional Art Gallery Tasmania , Aratoi Regional Gallery Museum as well as private collections in Australia, U.K, U.S.A.