John Costin

“I consider bird portraits to be my work. They are usually depicted life-size.

Etching is a complex process combining skills of painting, sculpture, printmaking, and engineering. Starting with a polished plate of copper, the image is directly etched by hand on the plate as if it were a canvas. Up to 5 copper plates might be etched and used to create one print. This process takes from 6-8 weeks to complete. The plates are then skillfully inked and printed on a sheet of rag stock paper. Each piece is then hand colored with an oil paint for rich color quality and subtle nuances of detail, making each piece unique.”

John Costin studied at the University of South Florida, where he was introduced to intaglio art.