Etching is a printmaking process in which an image is acid-etched into a metal plate and transferred to paper under pressure. Mercurial in nature, subject to many random variables, and to many of its practitioners, addictive.

Ian Brooks makes landscape etchings, many inspired by his work in remote polar environments. In this absorbing talk, Ian summarised how he came into this unusual double life. Then he explained the processes and different techniques involved in making these prints, a little of the inspiration, and showed many of the resulting images. For those of us in the room there was the bonus of seeing examples of sketches, prints made at various stages of the etching process, final images and an example of an etched copper plate.

You can watch the presentation here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dXUqhEJAKA4

Ian Brooks has worked in meteorology and climate science for over 30 years, and is currently a professor at the University of Leeds, researching polar climate processes and ocean-atmosphere interactions. He is also an artist, working primarily with traditional techniques of aquatint etching – making limited edition prints from hand-made copper printing plates. His fieldwork in remote, polar locations has provided source material for many of his etchings.

For his scientific work he has been awarded an honorary doctorate from the University of Stockholm, and the Polar Medal. For his artwork he has been award the New Light Exhibition Print Prize, and the ING Discerning Eye Original Print Prize.