Stephen McMillan was born in 1949 and grew up in a home with a sweeping view of the San Francisco Bay. He began drawing early and earned a B.A. and then a B.F.A. at U.C. Santa Cruz. He met up with the medium of aquatint etching in 1974 and has been an avid student of this technically challenging medium ever since. He has worked at the Graphic Arts Workshop in San Francisco, at the Kala Institute in Berkeley, CA, and has lived and worked in Bellingham, WA since 2006.
Aquatint etching is demanding. Stephen’s prints appear photographic, but actually they are the result of careful drawing with brushes into the acid-grounds of multiple copper plates. Coordinating the interaction of the various color plates (often 3 or 4 separate plates) is a task Stephen works out in his imagination. Of the work Stephen says “part of being an artist is being a magician.”

Carmel
multi-plate etching
12" x 18"
$400

Creekside
multi-plate etching
12" x 18"
$400

Lily Pads
multi-plate etching
9" x 12"
$350

Winding Road
multi-plate etching
12" x 9"
$300

Fog Bank
multi-plate etching
9" x 12"
$300

Fencelines
multi-plate etching
9" x 12"
$300

Point Sur
multi-plate etching
9" x 12"
$300

Morning Meditation
multi-plate etching
12" x 18"
$250

Autumn Leaves
multi-plate etching
9" x 6"
$200

Evening Rain
multi-plate etching
6" x 9"
$200

Marina Reflections
multi-plate etching
9" x 6"
$200

Monterey Coast
multi-plate etching
6" x 9"
$200

Rugged Coast
multi-plate etching
9" x 6"
$200

Pacific Coast Highway
multi-plate etching
6" x 9"
$200

Mountain High
multi-plate etching
6" x 9"
$200

Little Sur River
multi-plate etching
4" x 6"
$150