I work from a large collection or library of metal pieces which is continually being added to. I collect from opportunity shops, antique shops and junk yards, friends give me their own 'finds'. The base of old aluminium baking trays which contain years of accumulated knife scratches and dents lend themselves to simple printing: inking up and passing through my etching press, relying on the marks and memories of previous usage to create the image on the paper. Other prints are enhanced with tool marks and additions including hand colouring and collage.
The bottom of an aluminium slice tray is easy to cut out, bringing with it its own history and a dry point tool can be used to accentuate existing marks or reinvent the marks of carving up food. Stamping words such as 'carve up' reinforces a social comment about the way we continue to treat real estate as another commodity to be consumed.
