Title: Where is My Pretty Dress When I Lived in the Congo #1 out of 10

About the Work:

Each image explores the tension of being both inside and outside of society in the Congo where I grew up.

My childhood dress was fluffy and fun expressing the simplicity and innocence of childhood, in contrast with the danger, fear and uncertainty that marked my survival as a little girl during an escape from an uprising in the Congo.

This is an original soft ground etching, from an edition of ten, this piece is #1 out of 10, on 100% Somerset rag printmaking paper. It is 22x30in with the image bleeding off all four edges. I used this particular dress in this image because it is reminiscent of one of the dresses I wore as a child.

About the Soft Ground Etching Technique:

The subtle details of the fabric are transferred to a metal plate using a tacky soft ground. The metal plate is then heat set and exposed to a mordant of copper sulphate and salt that etches the image into the metal. The plate is hand-wiped with etching ink and the image is transferred to paper using a hand-operated etching press.

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Karen Cornelius holds the Copyright on all her artwork. No image may be reproduced for any reason without the consent of the artist.