JANET FRENCH AND EMMA BUCKMASTER

A collaborative project

Tree Portraits are a series of etchings of native tree species printed on to paper made from the trees own leaves.  The leaves of each tree behave differently and the process is one of continuous experimentation.  The leaves are collected and after a prolonged process of soaking and boiling, delicate sheets of paper are created using only the natural constituents of the leaves to bind them together.  Whilst the paper is still damp the etched image is printed on to the leaves from a steel plate using a traditional etching press. The etchings are then mounted between two sheets of glass and framed in oak box frames.