Bites and scratches with Will Vaughn

Will entertained us last night with a fascinating insight into his world of Etching.

Relief, Intaglio, Lithography, ( Mysterious processes to many of us,) were explored, As were Needles, Burnishers, Scrapers ,all used for mark making  (to which everyone could relate,) and which inspired the title of his talk. Will displayed also plates in various stages of the processes well as finished prints.

Although he loved to draw from an early age ,after a spell at Art school, Will followed an academic career becoming a professor of History of Art, before taking up etching upon retirement.It was a natural progression as he had continued drawing and sketching,(on holidays even through meetings) and  so draughtsmanship had become a natural skill .

His explanation of “why make prints rather than paintings?” was interesting. Likening the plate to a musical score.The original content remaining the same but each performance differs. So prints can be made similar but each have their own individuality according to variables like how much ink remains on the plate before printing.Instead of just one painting which few can ever view, prints are much more available to be enjoyed by many.

This Artist described his work as an “obsession”, We were glad he shared it with us for an evening.

If you missed it , there is still an opportunity to visit Cockhill Studios, Venue No 45 -Somerset Open Studios to see his work. Sept 13-28th 10am – 5pm. BA7 7NZ