The mezzotint is an intaglio process using copper plates and a rocking tool with a row of tiny v-shaped teeth. The teeth cut into the plate’s surface, creating small indents in the metal for ink to deposit into. Repeated rocking and layering of tiny cuts produces a richer black print. The darkest value of the mezzotint is deeper than those produced by other intaglio methods.

In the duration of the rocking, melting my arms with a knife-cradling motion, the working perceptibility of ink tone and depth on the paper surface grows into a singularity. My eyes fix and lock onto the plate at the expense of all else. My eyes are searching for something recognizable, for context, but also wishing for more darkness. It’s not easy to achieve a totally light value again after all the cuts layered, working together have been made. The darker the surface, the easier it is to see the ambient dust which floats around, accumulating.