Liz Chalfin

 "The images in this series of etchings begin as an experience I have in the world.  These experiences are documented as photographs I take of people in public places: fairs, parades, museums, restaurants, etc.  I am trying to capture mundane yet poignant, timeless moments in our culture.   Some photos intrigue me because of the abstracted forms of the figures, or the relationship of light to dark, or the narrative they imply.   I make a drawing from the photograph and use the drawing to begin an etching on copper or a photo etching.  Some of these etchings begin with a deep aquatint over the entire plate which is then scraped and burnished, essentially creating an image that emerges out of the darkness.  Other etchings begin with a drawing and the tone is added subsequently through spit bite, drypoint, line etching, lift grounds, etc.   In either case the images owe their drama to the relationship of light and dark."