In s3e46, Platemark host Ann Shafer speaks with Reinis Gailitis, an engraver from Riga, Latvia. The magic of the internet is fully on display today. Without it, finding Reinis's work would have been challenging. But his self-portrait in the style of Claude Mellan's Holy Face, the one with a single line emanating from the subject's nose, is a marvel.
Ann and Reinis talk about how engraving is simultaneously the most simple and direct of techniques while being the most difficult. They talk about tricks and tools shared by artists thanks to the internet: how to transfer a drawing onto a shiny copper plate for engraving (thanks, Andrew Raftery), what recipe to use for a darkened paste to fill already carved lines to see progress (thanks, Lembit Lõhmus), choosing a non-toxic solvent and trying out a custom tube of ink (thanks, Ad Stijnman), about non-toxic electrolytic etching (thanks, Jason Scuilla). They talk about the pitfalls of selling Intagram-worthy art, why there's little-to-no printmaking culture in Latvia, and about how overdue we are for a severe magnetic storm that could wipe out electronic media, documents, art pointing to the importance of printed objects.