JOHN COSTIN STUDIO

This beauty of the Great Blue Heron during breeding season is indeed a spectacle to behold! Standing at nearly 5 feet tall; it is the largest heron commonly seen in North America. Because of the variety of its diet; it winters farther north than most herons even near water that is freezing! It is a solitary hunter found in marshy, shallow water areas like the landscape I have created here. This piece was created using four separate copper plates that are individually hand wiped with various colors of inks. The inked plates are placed on fine wet rag paper one at a time and then manually put through a press. After the inked impression has dried; this etching is meticulously hand painted with watercolors making each one unique.