Andrew Baldwin is probably most well known as the inventor of BIG (Baldwin’s Intaglio Ground) – the extremely versatile etching ground now used all over the world. He’s also a Tutor at Aberystwyth University School of Art where he’s been teaching printmaking for 35 years. Andrew helped Liz Chalfin learn how to use BIG when she visited his studio, Trefeglyws Printmakers in Wales in 2012 for a week of instruction.
Andrew came to Zea Mays Printmaking in 2013 and 2014 to conduct workshops and introduce even more wonderful ways to use the ground. Andrew’s invention has radically changed intaglio printmaking and has provided a safer way to make etchings for countless printmakers worldwide.
This demonstration begins with a tour of Trefeglyws Printmaking Studio and the stunning mid Wales countryside that surrounds it. Andrew then demonstrates the many innovative and exciting ways that BIG etching ground can be used to create non-toxic etchings. You will discover how you can replace the traditional sugar lift using instant coffee and create beautiful mezzotints using emery paper.
He also shows us creative ways to achieve textures and patterns from items not usually capable of being transferred in the traditional soft ground approach such as the grain from a plank of wood or the entire body of a fish.