Exhibition marks BIG achievements for Aber Tutor
A pioneering non-toxic printing process invented by a member of staff at Aberystwyth University’s School of Art and now used worldwide will be showcased in a special exhibition in autumn 2016. Senior technician and tutor Andrew Baldwin began making etchings in the mid 1980s. Fascinated by the process he worked extensively within the medium but over time he found the process was having a detrimental effect on his health - a common problem for printmakers using traditional, toxic etching materials. Keen to find a solution, he began to explore alternative, less harmful materials and eventually this paid off as he produced his own non-toxic etching ground, BIG (Baldwin’s Ink Ground). “Not to be confused with its more commonly understood cousin of industrial printing, fine art printmaking is steeped in tradition, and therein lies the problem,” explained Andrew. “Safer alternatives over the years have lost out to tradition, due to several important factors, including the quality of the et...