About the Element
Selenium is a dense purplish-grey nonmetal semiconductor first discovered in 1817 by Jöns Jakob Berzelius. Its name derives from the Greek word selene which means "Moon". Although toxic in large doses, selenium in an essential nutrient for animals. The recommended dietary allowance of selenium is 55 micrograms per day, so be careful out there.

About the Print
One of the element's most well-known uses is in the lightmeters of old cameras. These rely on the fact that Selenium's ability to conduct electricity is related to the amount of light present. The distinctive honeycomb pattern of selenium meters can be seen on many old cameras from the 50s and 60s, similar to the one featured in this woodcut.

The print was done using two blocks. The first to give the orange background and lettering, and the second to do the light grey layer and (after a bit more cutting) the final dark grey layer. Printed by hand on Zerkall paper.

About the Printmaker
Jon Gregory is one half of the Spoonergregory printworks along with Sarah Spooner, based in Norwich, Norfolk, UK. Their artistic adventures include photography, woodcuts, linocuts and wood engravings.

SpoonerGregory
For what is Chatteris
SpoonerGregory Photo Sets

Selenium
by Jon Gregory

 Symbol: Se
Atomic number: 34
Atomic weight: 78.96