My nonsense book is on the drying rack. Julian prepared the stone with gum arabic and a few drops of nitric acid and let it work its magic overnight. Then wiped the image away yesterday with turpentine, scraped the edges of the stone with a razor, brushed more nitric acid on to clean the edges, then Maestro Derli Romero began pulling proofs on newsprint. The press was adjusted to apply more pressure and a final proof was printed on good paper. Everyone seemed pleased with the final results considering what they had to work with. It's a grubby little book but I'm excited to see it coming together. Julian printed thirty sheets with Carolina Ortega and a friend while I cut book boards in preparation for the screenprinted cover, interior icons and typography. The amazing printmaking crew is going on a two week vacation in a couple of days so we're having a little thank you party at Casa Brawner tonight. Hope Julian brings his harmonica.
