The Canadian Gabrielle Castonguay is the first post-pandemic artist to come to our residency. She didn't have to wait for the sanitary conditions to change to attend our electro-etching program. She took contact with us in April and in August she already was in the workshop for two weeks. She did not come alone, she was accompanied by her husband and her son, and since our residence does not have the conditions to accommodate a family, they have rented an apartment near the studio.
Gabrielle Castonguay, she is not an artist printmaker, her art is enamel on copper plates, but her work requires biting into metal*. And, that's why she's here, she wants to apply electrolysis to her plates that she will use in her experimentation in her workshop in Montreal.
She was also very interested in learning how to etching and print some plates, so she was practicing electro-etching basics: how to domping paper, inking and printing the plate.
The processes that Gabrielle was able to practice during the two weeks of her stay were: lines on hard ground and open-bite electrotint. Lines and electrotint on graphite ink as resist; all to be seen from the sample of her prints. But as her interest was above all to see if electro-etching can be applied to her own practice enamel, she needed deep bites and great relief, applying quite resistant mordant protectors such as self-adhesive plastics and Sharpie oil markers. So she etched and galvanized plates for long periods of time. Many of these plates were not printed with ink, some of them were embossed as can be seen in the samples shown on this page below.
Now we hope that we can see the results of her experimentation soon. Thank you Gabrielle for taking the risk to look for electrolytic alternatives to etching your plates for your research.
* You can see her website in the link at the bottom of this page.
Pictures from the workshop
Gabrielle Castonguay speaks about her experience in the workshop-residency
Without fear! This is what Alfonso would tell me whenever I was unsure about an action to do.
And it is exactly how this workshop was for me “Without fear “.
I came to Alfonso Crujera’s studio because I had many questions concerning electro-etching. I am a multidisciplinary artist who mainly works with enamel on metal. I came to the electro etching workshop to expand the possibilities in my artistic practice. I was not prepared for the unbelievably rich experience I was given. I met with a generous artist, a man who truly welcomed me with interest and who opened his studio for 24 hours a day for me to explore, how generous is that! Alfonso is a master of his art, and a master teacher who worked with me for two weeks to adapt the process he’s been giving to printmakers specifically for my practice. I learned so much and in such a pleasant atmosphere; I continuously felt welcomed as a human being but also as an artist who is searching. Alfonso always took the time to discuss with me to make sure that we could find the best angle to work for my particular needs. For two weeks, I was in a safe place to explore, to experiment, to make mistakes: to learn without the weight of performance. With his great expertise and solidity on the subject of electro etching, Alfonso has built a comprehensive approach to demonstrate the wide array this process can offer. He made it so clear and it was so well structured. I met in him a truly passionate teacher and a rare guide.
Even as Alfonso is generous, his studio also is amazing: open, spacious, clean, perfectly organized and complete with every possible tool you can wish for. It was also where a clear vision and dedication to making the world a better, healthier environment has been meticulously crafted over years by Alfonso. He is passionate and aware of the ecology and the changes our planet is going through, and he is constant in his actions to protect it. Alfonso is definitely eager to share his long term quest to make his studio a nontoxic, creative environment. The location of the workshop is a dream, so perfect for work and for contemplation, situated on the side of a hill between mountains and the sea. I am so grateful to him because he was genuinely open to provide me with tips, information, and inspiration to make my studio a better and healthier place to exercise my art.
I am now back in Montreal, in my studio, and I am looking at the metal plates and the prints I made in two weeks and the extent of the work is immense. Yet it was his company, and the company of his lovely family, that made this a full experience, one of art, life, happiness, and I hope friendship, and I would sincerely love to come back!
Gabrielle Castonguay's electro-etchings
