The B.I.G. Journey : The Evolution of a Non-toxic Printmaking Process

Abstract

This article focuses on the development of a unique safer etching process. It begins with the realisation that the traditional process of etching in fine art was impacting the health of many printmakers, including my own. In the early 2000s, a non-toxic approach to printmaking was regarded by most artists as a marginal endeavour used by those who were willing to sacrifice quality for safety. The majority of printmakers were not willing to embrace the new safer processes on the assumption that the materials and processes were inferior, and perhaps more specifically, because they were not prepared to forfeit the years of experience and the expertise amassed using a traditional technique. Etching was hard enough to control for even the expert printmaker. The foundation of this safer method is based around ‘BIG’; an etching ground which does not contain the toxic elements of a traditional ground.