Now, you might be wondering, “What does all this have to do with finishing his work?” Before you think I mean taking Mitch's clayprints and adding to them or making any changes to them, let me clarify what is meant by finishing.
What is so unique about the clayprinting process is the ability to pull more than one monoprint. Each subsequent one differs from the previous because there are so many layers under the surface. As you pull a print, a thin layer of clay is removed, and the print begins to change. Oftentimes, the third or fourth print is the most interesting.
After pulling a print, it fades as it begins to dry. In order to bring it back to life, it needs to be finished with a sealant. Many days Mitch would pull prints and then put them in a flat file unfinished to go back to later.