Tonia Bonnell - "Emerge From Black 1" and "Emerge From Black 7"

Hi, I'm Tonia Bonnell, and these prints are from a series titled Emerge From Black.

These dark prints, framed in black frames with black matting, mimic a process called "dark adaptation" in which the eyes become more aware and receptive when remaining in darkness over a period of time.

The eyes adjust to the delicate subtlety of the images: tiny marks emerge from the blackness like objects appearing in moonlight.

As for the process in which these prints were created: the marks were drawn and etched on copper plates. Silver ink was relief-rolled onto the surface of the plates and printed over a flat black.