Description: Add texture and pattern to your work with electroetching! Electroetching allows all the possibilities of standard etching without all the toxic chemicals and expensive, messy setup. In this workshop, students will learn how to make their own etching setup including a mini-rectifier, electrolyte bath, anode & cathode that can be used to selectively eat away at the surface of copper, brass or bronze when a current is applied. High-contrast patterns, textures and even text that you hand-write or print from a computer can be etched into your metal! We’ll experiment with different resists for pattern-making, including a low-tech photo-etching process, and talk about how to incorporate the etched pieces into your finished work. Safety will be addressed at each step of the process. Electroetching of silver will also be discussed (requires a different bath and anode). Students get to take home their etching kit, which can be used continually after class!
Level: Ages 16+, no prerequisite required, but basic metals fabrication skills very helpful
Please note: Registration will close Monday, November 11 at midnight.
Supply fee includes Student Etching Kits*:
- 3-volt power supply w/alligator clips
- Saline etchant solution & container
- Pre-cut copper cathode with hook
- Anode hook and black plate
- 18ga Copper sheet (3, 3” squares)
- Abrasive Pad
- * Student Kits are to keep and take home after the workshop!
Students should bring:
- Ultra-fine tip Sharpie
- Old towel or rags
- Apron
- Closed-toe shoes
- Hair Tie (for long hair)
- Vision Aid (optional)
- Water Bottle & lunch/snacks (optional)
- Pen/pencil and notebook/sketchbook
- Book or bag for transporting projects
- X-Acto Knife
- Scissors
- Vinyl Stickers to use as resist (optional)
About the Artist: Kristin Mitsu Shiga is a hapa metalsmith, enamellist and educator, and the former proprietor of ‘Okina Jewelry in Kealakekua. She has been creating in metal using sustainable materials and processes since 1992, and teaching around the world since 1995. Kristin brings to the table a unique set of skills and experience earned through decades working diverse roles in the field of metals & jewelry, including as a bench jeweler, a department head in both matriculating and continuing education metals programs, a tool and findings supplier, and as an armaturist for stop-motion animation studios, to name a few. You also may recognize Kristin from her programming work with various local and national nonprofit organizations, including Metalwerx, the Society of North American Goldsmiths, the American Craft Council and Haystack Mountain School of Crafts. Her work can be found in numerous publications and public and private collections, including the Kamm Artful Teapot Collection and the Permanent Collection of the White House. To learn more about Kristin and her work, check out her feature in this episode of Oregon Public Broadcasting’s Oregon ArtBeat, originally aired in 2010.
About Our Programs: As a place of convergence, the Mill serves as both a community and a physical place–celebrating the power of the arts, bringing people, ideas and perspectives together. We are proud to offer adult and youth programs that focus on awareness of one’s individuality in the contexts of family, community and the natural world. Our classes & workshops are designed to inspire creativity, foster connections, and provide enriching experiences for all participants. We invite you to join us in the studio.
