As with many of his prints, Griggs worked on the plate of Sellenger over a number of years, re-etching the sky, changing numerous small details and burnishing certain areas of the copper in order to achieve the perfect tonal balance of light and dark of this sixth and final state. Griggs's response to the lyrical subject matter and mood of Samuel Palmer's late etchings, together with an unrivalled grasp of the technical possibilities of the medium, combined to make him the leading landscape printmaker of his generation. In turn, his influence was crucial for the development of a younger generation of artists, including Graham Sutherland, Paul Drury and Joseph Webb, to whom he gave encouragement and practical assistance. By inviting these younger men to print their etchings at his own press, Griggs taught them how to get the most from a plate, not only during the stages of needling and biting, but also through the careful selection of inks and fine papers and by meticulous attention to the subtle nuances achievable by varying the inking and pressure applied during the proofing and printing processes.