Solar Etchings by Luella Martin

Using Nature to Capture Nature
What is a Solar Etching?
Solar plate etching is an eco-friendly, modern technique using sunlight and water to process light-sensitive steel plates without harmful chemicals. After UV processing, the plates are inked, wiped by hand and the image is printed on dampened paper using a traditional etching press. Luella often combines the images with loose painting on the paper, blurring the boundaries between the two mediums, making each image unique.

Each of Luella's limited edition solar etchings can go through up to 14 different steps between the original idea and the finished piece.

"The process that I go through to make the plates, tear and paint the paper, ink the plates and print helps bring me closer to my inner vision of the place I am referencing. The images are often printed over the edge of the paper with no surround. "