This second residency of artist Luvier Casali (Paraguay 1982) in the electrolytic ething workshop was the first residency with a new format – the guest artists makes an exchange with Alfonso Crujera. In exchange with lending support and assistance with Alfonso’s work - etching place and creating prints, the resident artist received the opportunity to work on his own etchings.
For three weeks in April, Luvier Casali assisted the master Alfonso Crujera in etching three zinc plates using the ‘passive electro-etching process’, an electrolyte system that does not use electricity. A copper plate (cathode) is inserted in a tank with a copper sulfphate solution. In front of this is placed the zink plate to be etched (anode), with a distance of an inch between the two plates. The plates are joined together ouside of the tank by contact strips attached to each plate. This process, like a voltaic cell, generates an electric current of a very low voltage, that bites the metal with great intensity and perfection. This technique allows deep bites on places printed without ink, or inked with different colors on a single plate with a roller.
In addition to Crujera’s plates, Luvier Casali worked on a series of 6 plates of his own with this same technique.
Pictures from the workshop
Alfonso Crujera works on a plate
Luvier Casali's plates
Juanjo Valencia came to help us print a plate
Etchings by Alfonso Crujera and Luvier Casali
