About the Artist

Gay O'Neill was born in Ireland and educated in Dublin and Switzerland. She studied at the National College of Art before joining the Graphic Studio in the late 60s, where she began etching under the guidance of Patrick Hickey and John Kelly. Her etchings are figurative and linear, using aquatint for tonal effect. Her drawings have been exhibited in the Women's Association, London and along with her etchings she has exhibited throughout Ireland and the U.K.

Work includes: producing large paintings for private collections, prints for interior design projects (both private and commercial). Her works also hang in various private collections in London, New York, Spain, Germany, Australia and Brussels.

About the Technique of Etching

Etching is a technique usually carried out on copper, zinc, or some other type of metal. The metal plate is covered in a type of wax and the picture image is drawn onto the plate through this waxed surface. The areas thus uncovered are bitten when the plate is placed in nitric acid. The longer the plate is left in the acid the deeper will be the etched line. When the plate is cleaned and inked up, paper is damped and placed on top of the plate which is then pulled through a special etching press. When the paper is removed, the image drawn on the plate will be seen. The etchings on these pages are all done on either copper or zinc plates. The various tones are obtained by a process called "Aquatinting". This is a method which is widely used to obtain any depth of tone required, and it is done by covering the plate with roisin dust, heating it until the particles melt, then covering the white areas with bitumen paint and placing the plate into acid. Each tone is got by covering with bitumen paint, replacing in the acid bath and repeating this process until the darkest tone is obtained. The plate is then cleaned off and printed.

What is an Original Print 

The definition of an original print is that it is printed in a limited "edition". The edition number is written in pencil generally on the left-hand side of the print. When the edition is printed, the plate or stone is defaced or marked in such a way that no further prints of the same type can be pulled. 

Clicking on the thumbnails will give you an enlarged view.

All measurements are in centimetres.

© 2007 Gay O'Neill

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