I chose this medium because it allows me to carve into the plate in a way similar to the original carving in rock. Saturation in the subject matter starts with trips to the field where I photograph the petroglyphs. I read widely in Hawaiian source books. These symbols speak to us of a lost past. Yet, they connect us to that past because the symbols are eternal.

I use a press made by Fuchs & Lang in 1907 of cast iron and converted from lithography to an etching press. It is hand-cranked and quite a dependable machine. When I work on a series of prints, I have to set aside a couple of weeks to spend several hours a day on the process. I use Rives BFK paper which I soak in a tub in water for an hour, then blot and use in a barely damp state. This allows the etching ink to be absorbed into the paper. After each color application the prints dry under weight overnight. Each color application is somewhat transparent which allows me to create a textured surface. I look for an energetic figure and use lots of different things to create an interesting surface, not by collage or using chine colle, but by manipulating the ink on the plate. I might wipe areas with a piece of organic material like a palm leaf or a dry brush. I often add dots of color by flicking a wet brush over the surface of the plate.