Stephanie Martin by stephaniemartinart on Etsy

Welcome! Each item here is an etching, an original work of art and labor of love. Plants and birds, mostly. If you are interested in a piece that has sold and is not listed, write me and I just might have another one in the archives. To see more work, click the 'Like' FB button or go to www.stephaniemartinart.com.

I sketch at museums and gardens, spend days or weeks preparing the copper plate, then hand ink and print, using techniques dating back to the Renaissance. To learn how etchings are made, please see my profile page.

My listings say 'only one available', but I often have more prints from the edition indeed available. I scan each listing anew so you know exactly which etching you are getting, since with hand-inked work there are slight variations.

I recently had a solo show in spectacular Point Reyes National Seashore, at the main (Bear Valley) visitor center, as well as work in the Yosemite Renaissance show in Yosemite Valley Museum. I am grateful to make work celebrating our protected wildlands. Thanks for visiting!

Twelve years ago I took a drawing class at the local junior college. A mysterious sounding class called 'intaglio' was also offered in the evening, after my day job as an elementary school teacher, so I jumped in and became enchanted with this medium. I like the many aspects it combines: repetitive tasks such as beveling and polishing the copper plate, or printing an edition; drawing flora and fauna, sifting through ideas and working out composition problems, and transforming these ideas onto copper via the alchemy of the etching process.

I recently looked at a sketchbook I filled. There were 32 sketches in it, 10 of which became etchings; of the ten, I was real pleased with six. Not all etchings cross the finish line. The ones that do are especially sweet.

I also paint, landscapes mostly.