Artwork description:

This etching depicts the head of a White Rhino, etched into steel, the hardest of metals, a resilient substance that can endure like the African wildlife surviving in its primitive and untamed existence. The scratches and marks on the steel plate take time and hard work to create, with many dips into the acid bath with burnishing to finish, they reflect the damage these animals receive in their quest for survival and their endurance through healing. The Rhino is slowly being decimated by man, but these beautiful ancient creatures are the less rare of two African varieties. The White Rhino has a wide mouth (hence the phonetic derivation of 'white') whereas the Black Rhino has more of a beak like upper lip, like that of a tortoise, the shape of the nostril is noticeably different. There used to be plenty of these creatures to see in the wild, but they are gradually disappearing, killed for their horn that is used as medicine.

Materials used:

steel plate with wax resin. Oil based printmakers ink. Cotton Rag paper.

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