The Santa Fe Etching Workshop at ARGOS Studio/Gallery

Notice: Argos continues to be affected by the waning public health issues, and the move to a new studio.
As of late 2022, studio function are normalizing. Please call to ask about current status.

The Etching Workshop is an open community studio for local intaglio* printmaking. Our goal is to
promote the intaglio method in Santa Fe by maintaining an accessible shop for local artists.
We exhibit work produced in the studio, and we also mount periodic exhibits of historical printmaking
as a local cultural resource.

We moved into our new space in 2022, allowing us to build out a wide range of intaglio capabilities.
Our methods and materials are traditional, and our shop setup is tightly focused on traditional intaglio
printmaking. Accordingly, the press-bed sizes are modest, we use oil-based inks, and generally we use
traditional mordants and etching grounds. At the same time, we maintain a highly health-conscious
working environment without organic solvents.

We operate on a cost basis, so fees are very modest. We welcome new artists. While we share working
knowledge amongst ourselves continuously, and give various levels of orientation to the studio, we are
not a school and assume a basic level of training. The emphasis of the studio is to support independent
development at a high level of commitment. Our group size is kept very modest by design.

Please drop by. A map is here.

*Intaglio comprises the copperplate techniques of engraving, drypoint, etching, and mezzotint, along with many
derivative methods such as aquatint, and lift-ground. It is distinguished from Relief (woodcut, linocut),
and Planographic (lithography, silkscreen) methods, by type of press, expressive style, tools and materials.

The "Santa Fe Etching Club" was formed in 1981 by Eli Levin and Sarah McCarty, in Eli's studio off
Canyon Rd. It used artist Will Shuster's old press. It took its name from the New York Etching Club
of 1877 and the printmaking tradition they embodied. The term "Club" has lost much
of its former meaning and today we use the term "Workshop".

The history of the Santa Fe Etching Club is here.


| HOME || CONTACT US || GALLERIES || EVENTS |