ASC-ASCF Cocker Spaniel Rescue is pleased to announce a very special fundraising opportunity for art collectors and cocker spaniel fanciers. We are proud to present a special limited edition etching, titled "Sharing Spring" - created especially for ASC Rescue by the well-known Wildlife artist, Geoffrey Lasko. The pictures shown below do not adequately represent the exquisite detail and quality of the actual etchings. Originals will be displayed at the ASC Foundation booth in January, where pre-paid orders will also be taken.
The price for these beautiful art pieces is $100 for the B/W etching and $150 for the hand-colored etching. The #1 numbered etching will go to the ASC Archive.
There are only 100 artist signed and numbered etchings from this first publication available at this time. You may order by downloading the 
Order form and mailing it, with your check, to:
ASC Foundation, Inc.
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9214 Chisum Road
Justin, TX 76247
Tel. 214-492-6821 (work)
 "Sharing Spring" by Artist Geoffrey Lasko. Black & White etching. Click on image to enlarge |  "Sharing Spring" by Artist Geoffrey Lasko. Hand-colored etching. Click on image to enlarge |
About the ArtistGeoffrey Lasko was born in Kalamazoo,Michigan and received his Masters in Fine Arts from University of Denver in Colorado. An internationally recognized artist, Mr. Lasko is also recognized as an exceptional printmaker. His Wildlife and Sporting watercolors, drawings and etchings can be found as part of many prestigious private and corporate collections, including: Library of Congress, Washington, DC; Colorado History Museum, Denver, CO; Department of Natural Resources, Colorado Division of Wildlife; General Atlantic Corporation; Placido Domingo; Dionne Warwick; William Jefferson Clinton. His many awards include a National Endowment for the Arts, Visual Arts Grant in Drawing/Printmaking.
The etching process
Etching is an intaglio (silent "g") printmaking technique. This technique was invented in the 15th century and is exactly the same process used today. The word intaglio is from the Latin "intagliare", to engrave. Other intaglio prints are mezzotints, engravings, dry point, woodblock and linoleum prints.
An etching is created by first coating the surface of a copper or zinc plate with an acid resistant material called a ground. There are two types of grounds, hard and soft. Both hard and soft grounds are a mixture of asphaltum and beeswax. Soft ground has more beeswax; hard ground has more asphaltum. The image is then drawn into this ground with a very sharp needle-like tool. The tool is used to scratch through the ground and reveal the plate underneath without actually scratching into the metal. The plate is then placed into a mild acid bath, hydrochloric acid for copper, nitric acid for zinc. The acid etches into the plate in those areas where the ground has been removed exposing the metal. The longer the plate is left exposed to the acid, the deeper the acid will etch, resulting in a darker line. Therefore lines exposed to the acid for 10 minutes will be light, while lines exposed to the acid for say an hour will be deeper, hold more ink and print very dark. The acid resistant ground is removed with mineral spirits once the etching process is finished. The plate is then inked by hand, placed on the bed of an etching press, covered with a piece of moistened 100% cotton paper and run through the press by hand. The extreme pressure of the presses rollers force the paper into the tiny ink filled lines and bond the ink to the paper creating the print. Each print is a unique work of art because the plate has to be re-inked by hand for each individual print in the edition.
January Futurity Reminder 