Tectonic. Planetary. Maps. Fossilized. Aerial.
These words come to mind when I pull the collagraph plate off of the fresh, curing plaster. Ghostly ink embeds itself into the bright whites. When I brush on more ink or watery paint al fresco, it soaks deeply into the fine-grained relief. This is the time to further scrape and shape the surface and edges. I then allow the plaster to dry and fully cure on the wood substrate. The whites get brighter, chalky, textured in places, smooth in others. In the dry high desert climate, it soon becomes another surface to draw upon: graphite, charcoal, more ink. Shards of plaster are applied to deepen the relief. Finally encaustic paint is poured on, brushed on, manipulated with heat and tools. Layer after layer the surface changes.
Satisfying.
