2 Day Solar Plate Printing Workshop with Trudy Rice

Courses

6 Mar

Written By Cilla Campbell

SAT 6 & SUN 7 MARCH 2027

10AM - 4PM

Discover the magic of solar plate etching

Overview

Join Australian printmaker Trudy Rice for two immersive days exploring the beautiful and versatile process of solar plate etching.

Using your own drawings, photographs and imagery, along with foliage and natural materials from a beautiful garden, you’ll learn how to transform an image into an etched solar plate and create your own original prints.

With a maximum of just 10 participants, the workshop is kept small and hands-on, allowing plenty of opportunity for individual attention.

No previous printmaking experience is required. The workshop is suitable for complete beginners as well as artists and printmakers wanting to explore solar plate etching and incorporate it into their own creative practice.

Woollahra, Sydney
The studio is conveniently located just three blocks from the Bondi Junction train and bus interchange, approximately a 10-minute downhill walk.
Free street parking is also available.
Full address and any additional workshop information will be provided to participants prior to the workshop.
Solar plate etching is a contemporary, non-toxic approach to traditional printmaking. Light-sensitive polymer plates are exposed to UV light and developed simply with water, eliminating the need for traditional acids and solvents.
Over the two days, Trudy will guide you through the complete process, from preparing your imagery and exposing your plates through to developing, inking, wiping and printing on a traditional printing press.
You’ll work with both A6 and A5 solar plates, giving you the opportunity to explore different imagery, techniques and approaches.
There will be demonstrations throughout the weekend, plenty of hands-on printing time and individual guidance from Trudy.
WHAT’S INCLUDED
Everything you need to create your solar plate etchings is included in the workshop fee:
- A6 and A5 solar plates
- quality printmaking paper
- printmaking inks
- transparency film and image preparation materials
- use of the printing press and specialist printmaking equipment
- all workshop consumables and materials
- demonstrations and individual tuition
- lunch and refreshments on both days
All essential materials are provided, but you may like to bring a selection of:
- drawings, sketches or other imagery you would like to work with
- photographs with good tonal range and contrast
- photographs or drawings already printed onto transparency film, if you have them
- foliage, grasses, leaves, flowers or other relatively flat natural materials such as lace
- a sketchbook or notebook
- an apron or old shirt
Don’t worry if you’re unsure whether your imagery will be suitable. Bring along a selection of ideas, photographs or references and Trudy can help you choose what will translate beautifully into an etching.
$690 per person for the two-day workshop
The fee includes all tuition, demonstrations, solar plates and printmaking materials, use of equipment, lunch and refreshments on both days.
If you cancel, a full refund will be given after a replacement registration is received.

About Trudy Rice

Trudy Rice is an Australian visual artist and printmaker whose practice is grounded in observation, material sensitivity and a lifelong connection to the natural world.

Working primarily with solar plate etching, and other mediums such as collograph and monotype, Trudy creates contemporary works on paper exploring place, memory and the quiet rhythms of nature.

Her work draws deeply from lived experience, from decades spent collecting specimens, walking through gardens and bushland, and observing the intimate lives of birds, insects and native flora.

These encounters become richly layered compositions where drawing, print and chance sit in delicate balance. Each work is made slowly and intentionally, allowing space for nuance, texture and stillness.

Trudy has more than a decade of experience teaching printmaking and is passionate about sharing the possibilities of this beautiful and environmentally conscious process.