From Alaska to Mexico
2003, 24 in x 24 in
Edition of 5, 1 Signed Proof, 4 Unsigned Proofs
Aquatint Etching
Spinning in a 3-feathered pinwheel, this tiniest of hummingbirds travels over 3,500 miles from Alaska to Mexico in an annual migration in search of food and habitat. Rhea created a series of hummingbird aquatint etchings by applying nitric acid with a tiny paintbrush in increasingly concentrated solutions. A zinc plate was previously treated with finely misted layers of black spray lacquer with areas “stopped out” to protect the subtle gray tones as they were etched from light to dark. This process is a refinement of a technique called “spit bite” when acid is applied multiple times and etched for several hours into drops of water or saliva.
2003, 24 in x 24 in
Edition of 5, 1 Signed Proof, 4 Unsigned Proofs
Aquatint Etching
Spinning in a 3-feathered pinwheel, this tiniest of hummingbirds travels over 3,500 miles from Alaska to Mexico in an annual migration in search of food and habitat. Rhea created a series of hummingbird aquatint etchings by applying nitric acid with a tiny paintbrush in increasingly concentrated solutions. A zinc plate was previously treated with finely misted layers of black spray lacquer with areas “stopped out” to protect the subtle gray tones as they were etched from light to dark. This process is a refinement of a technique called “spit bite” when acid is applied multiple times and etched for several hours into drops of water or saliva.