Maco Fernández Puga was born in Temuco, Chile, in 1978. She moved to Santiago in 1997, where she earned her degree in Graphic Design from Universidad Diego Portales. In 2004, she moved to Paris to pursue a Master's degree in Visual Communication Management at École d'art Maryse Eloy, work at the design firm Plan Créatif, and study Drawing at École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts.
After returning to Chile in 2006, she reopened her own printmaking practice and taught at the university level in this field until 2016. During this time, she also studied metal engraving at the Catholic University of Chile. In 2014, she opened her own printmaking workshop. She is currently a member of the Chilean Chamber of Construction's Entrepreneurship Network.
Throughout her career, she has specialized in ink wash and drypoint techniques, later incorporating mixed media. Her work has been exhibited at renowned fairs and galleries such as ArtStgo, Artweek, Feria Reversa, Palacio Cousiño, Casa Condell, the Diego Rivera Cultural Center in Puerto Montt, the Azur Gallery in Miami, the Colina Cultural Center, and Citylab GAM, among others.
STATEMENT
My work explores nature, objects, symbolic concepts, and personal memories through printing and overprinting on metal matrices created with etching and drypoint. I incorporate elements of flora, fauna, Chilean and migrant faces, and religious and heritage symbols into my works to address complex and mixed identities, allowing each piece to be a mirror where the viewer can project their own stories, memories, and desires, connecting with new meanings.
Metal Intaglio Printing Process
1. Preparing the plate: A metal plate is used, in this case aluminum. The plate is filed at its edges, creating a bevel.
2. Application of the protective varnish: The iron is covered with a thin layer of acid-resistant varnish, which can be hard varnish (more common) or soft varnish.
3. Drawing on the varnish: A metal point or burin is used to scratch the varnish, exposing the metal in the desired areas of the design. What is drawn is what will be etched by the acid later.
4. Acid etching: The plate is placed in an acid bath (copper sulfate + salt + water). The acid corrodes the lines revealed by the drawing, creating grooves in the metal: hence the name "intaglio".
5. Cleaning the plate: After the desired etching time, the plate is removed from the acid, rinsed, and cleaned. Then, the varnish is completely removed with solvents.
6. Inking: Special engraving ink is applied to the entire plate, ensuring it penetrates the grooves well. The surface is then cleaned with printing paper, leaving ink only in the incisions.
7. Printing: The inked plate is placed on a printing press, covered with dampened cotton paper and felts. It is passed through the press, which exerts great pressure, transferring the ink from the grooves to the paper.
8. Drying: The printed paper is carefully removed and left to dry, usually between cardboard or dryers.