Etchings

The making of an etching edition is a hands-on process involving the artist, P Buckley Moss, and an etching assistant who performs the printing mechanics.  The etching process begins with the artist choosing the plate size and dressing the plate with a lacquer ground.  The artist then scratches away the lacquer ground with etching tools, creating the reverse image on the plate.  Once the design has been completed, the plate is inked with the first color, placed face down on watercolor paper and rolled through a press.  The image is pressed into the paper one color at a time with the plate being cleaned between colors and new colors added to the plate in the next sequence. This process is continued until all colors have been added and the image is complete.  Etching editions typically take a year or more to produce depending on the complexity of design and the number of colors involved. Most P Buckley Moss etchings are in editions of 99 and the entire edition is completed before any of the images from the editione are offered for sale. The watercolor paper gives the artwork a soft quality and texture with a blending of colors throughout the finished image. Etchings are considered original prints in that the art is produced from the plate created by the artist’s own hand.