.....Etching is a process of engraving lines in a plate by means of acid, and then using that plate to make prints. Etchings can be done in copper, steel, zinc and other metals, as well as glass. In creating her etchings, Ms. Howe uses a zinc plate that has been covered with an "etching ground" - a composition of wax, gum resin and bitumin.
..... Using an etching needle or other sharp instrument, the artist draws her design by scraping away the etching ground and exposing bare metal surface. She then places the plate in an acid bath until the acid has eaten away the exposed metal to the required depth. The kind of line that will be engraved on the plate is dependent on the depth of the groove, and the lenght of time to expose the plate to acid is an artistic judgement. The fine art value of an etching is determined partly by the detailed line quality of the print, something a true artist can acheive.

.....French etching paper is then dampened and placed over the plate on the press bed, covered with a felt pad and run between heavy steel rollers to produce each impression or "hand-pulled" etching.

.....Usually only 150 to 300 prints can be made from the etching plate. After that, the quality begins to fail. This results in a "limited edition" and is what gives the etching its value to collectors. When purchasing an etching, you will fins a number by the artist's signature, 5/10 for example. This means that this particular print was the 5th done in an edition of 10 prints.