stainless steel ring - monoprint
Making jewellery and chain links with street sweeper bristles necessitates annealing the found steel. This results in iron fire scale, which presents as brittle rust chips that fall as I work the metal, scattering on the bench and forming piles of 'rust dust'. As I sought a way to fix my rust patterns onto a paper surface, I realised a a ferro-tannic ink recipe, made using more collected rust dust, could be the key. As an amateur calligrapher, I know that iron is a key dye component of old-fashioned ink recipes. Iron in vinegar, or iron acetate, can be a substitute for the commonly used iron sulfate. I have now made an ink that records the pattern of fallen fire-scale onto paper, and in this case, the location of other iron placed in the centre of the paper before treatment - a ring.
Year2025 MediumFerrotannic ink (made by the artist from iron firescale, vinegar and red wine) on Arches 300gsm 100% cotton paper Dimensions23 x 31 cm Seriesrcw rust monoprint
