Sofía Alrich Veytia

The word - Matrix- stems from the Latin word mātrix which refers to a womb, original source, or pregnant animal, and also from māter from which comes mother. The Matrix as seen by alchemists is the Hermetic vessel, a mystical symbol in which the prima materia is transformed (Jung, 1968, p. 345-346) In printmaking the matrix is the source from which multiples can be made. As I am exploring the concept of the intangible connections in our universe, specifically in nature, I approached the print matrix as the vessel from which to uncover unexpected associations in natural imagery. 

During this unit I have used photography as the starting point for printmaking, each step in the printmaking process took the image further away from its source and directed it further into abstraction. The photos start by documenting an object within our visual tangible reality, a fragment of that is captured, from that first moment the object itself is no longer there, the image is but a memory of time and space. After that this memory is modified and edited through digital, manual, and mechanical processes, fragmenting it and taking it out of its context even more.

“Every living thing is a miniature, discrete world, complete in itself, whose composition and structure corresponds to that of the cosmos… Each simple substance is a living mirror of eternity and everything that happens in the macrocosm is reflected in the microcosm.”(Ellcock, 2022, p. 16)

While working on each plate I reflected on the concept above, attempting to create abstract images that could stand alone as an entity or world of their own but that at the same time reflected the relationship of the macro and micro elements of the natural world. Some prints were successful in this search and others were not, but in the end, the outcome wasn't the main aim, as during this unit the main focus was to play, experiment, and explore photo, a media which I hadn't incorporated in my practice before, and to gain knowledge in different intaglio methods, to search for the best process for achieving the sensations I want to convey

For this work, I chose an image that captured the details of a tree from my home country, Mexico. I used dye transfer etching as the method for taking this image onto a plate.  It's important to note why I chose this method for experimenting with imagery pertaining to the macro and micro within natural scenery; I chose it because it is a method that subjects itself to chance. Chance is an important element in my work as I believe that art is a dialogue between material and artist, and the material should insert its own will as much as the artist does. I worked intuitively using the starting image only as a base guide for zones of light and darkness and basic layout, but this image does not rule the outcome. The second step was to burnish the plate to bring out areas of light, this step was almost meditative as it was slow and careful, while I did this I was attempting to create channels or roots, that would connect different elements in the image, it was a process of recovering something that was lost. Afterward, I moved onto hard ground to further connect the digital, machine, and manual aspects. The result of this step was not satisfactory as the drawn line was dissonant with the rest of the image as the edges were too strong, so I added soft ground to those lines to blend them, afterwards I used the retrosage wiping to make the print darker and unify the drawn line to the image. The last step was to burnish once again. 

I was satisfied with the final result of this image, as the comments from different spectators reflected what I was attempting to achieve: Some people said the image reminded them of a wave, some said it resembled mountains and cliffs, some said it seemed like both at the same time, and that they didn’t think of it as just a landscape, as it had elements that pointed it away from something just within our natural normal reality. 

For this second experiment, I used an image of a tree, taken in Barcelona a year ago while on an artist residency. Although I approached the plate with the same starting steps as the work before, from the start it had a very different outcome. The image transfer was not as successful as it printed very gray and had barely any contrast, for this reason, the burnishing done on this plate was more akin to doing a mezzotint as I had to draw out all of the white areas. With this, I achieved the effect of the image glowing, but there was still little contrast. Since the hard ground on the previous plate had not worked out initially I decided to try sugarlift on this plate instead, for it to have a more organic feel, but this didn't work out either as the contrast was too high. Afterward, I proceeded to add a soft ground to unite the image but this too was unsuccessful. In the end, I decided not to pursue work anymore, as I realized that from the start I should have chosen an abstract image, to begin with. Having started with a very representational image left very little opportunity for taking the image out of its original context. 

The works Shadow (1,2) started also with dye transfer etching, as I found it to be a process that abstracted the image from the start, as I could never really tell how much the ink from the transferred image would block off the acid, and therefore couldn’t know what would be translated onto the plate and what would be erased. The images chosen came from my walks around Camberwell, in my time here in London I have noticed how different the trees are, both one with another in the same area, and also different from the ones in my home country. Trees have always been an important symbol in my life, as they represent life, growth, and spiritual connections to the cosmos, the earth, and the underworld among other things. This is why I believe that the first visual reference that I turned to while in this new city is to an element that has always brought me comfort. 

In this plate, the process was similar to before, what varies is that after burnishing I decided that aquatint was going to be the best way to create subtle tones and contrasts that didn’t disrupt the image but made it cohesive. Out of all the experiments with dye transfer, I believe these had a good result in terms of mixing various intaglio techniques. 

The final prints of these plates were done in various tones of blue, I later reflected that this choice of color is not a common one for me (As I am usually more comfortable using warm tones in my artwork) and probably stemmed from my unconscious reactions to being in London, a colder, grayer, rainy city.

While working on the intaglio plates I also started experimenting with lithography, specifically lithography onto zin plates. I chose to experiment with this technique as it stepped away from the methodical process I was employing in etching. I started this experiment thinking of the relationship between the imagery in nature and outer space, specifically how branches resemble lines in nebulas, taking inspiration from the Medulla Nebula. I started out with washes to create the sensation of gas substances in outer space, but this was very difficult to achieve as the pencil and paintbrush didn't react the same way on the zinc plate as they do on paper. The first zinc plate did not come out as planned, the washes came together into a big mass, that had no contrast or depth. For the second attempt, I decided to follow the structure of branches and use lines instead of washes and decided to create a second plate for the background. In this third plate, the washes came out too faint, the opposite of what happened on the first one. After this, I decided to no longer pursue the representation of a concept and instead experimented with the material in order to learn more about it. I made a second layer on top of the third plate. I still had in mind to print the second and third lithograph plates together, but due to technical issues that week with the press I was not able to and decided not to use any more time on failed attempts anyway. For this reason, I created digital edits of these images in order to visualize what could have been possible.

These experiments taught me that sometimes some projects have to be dropped if they are not working. In the future, I will go back to lithography but will think of a more effective approach. 

One element in printmaking that constantly feeds my practice is the element of chance, and controlled chaos. Although printmaking, especially intaglio, is a most meticulous process in which each step taken into completing a plate can greatly alter the final image, taking it towards disaster or satisfaction. But the way that I work with this media is by reacting to chance. Inking and wiping an intaglio plate also has an aspect of chance, even though one can and sometimes should become very thorough and meticulous in inking and wiping the same way as so to create an edition with prints all looking the same, this part of the creative process doesn't always start like that. In my personal practice, I must experiment first with different colors and inking styles in order to find out what best suits the plate and the concept.

 
Chaos in Greek creation myths is the void state that precedes the creation of the universe, also referred to as the abyss created by the separation of heaven and earth. For this artwork, I used an image of a wave and combined it with images of sparks of light to generate contrast and dynamism. This image was fragmented digitally and printed in both negative and positive, I used screen etch resist to modify this image further with acid. Water has a close creation to creation myths around the world, as it can symbolize the liquid within a womb. Out of all the artworks created during this term, I believe this one was the most successful, specifically the one printed in warm tones. As it is the most ambiguous and is open to a more subjective interpretation. 

Images used as reference

Below some of the images that were used as reference during this unit