Weekend Kallitype Printing

Untitled kallitype print, untoned

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first prints of the series "Richard Serra's Garden"

palladium toned kallitypes

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I recently purchased a new UV light box so that I could make cyanotypes, kallitypes and salt prints with a known constant UV source useable all year round, day and night. Up to this point, I had been relying on the sun, which of course varies in UV strength from day to day, and is useful for probably 5 months or so per year.

Getting the new light source required some recalibration of exposure times and adjustment curves for making digital negatives. I spent last weekend working on the calibration/curve problem with only limited success, and wasn't feeling very happy about things. However, as I often say in these situations, thank goodness I'm a scientist, because I've been trained to expect and handle frustration! This weekend I was working on other things, and on Sunday afternoon decided to go back to working on the kallitypes. And finally, success! I now have a workflow that I feel confident will help me turn out kallitypes with good tonal range on a consistent basis.

The second image shows three toned kallitypes that I see as the beginning of a series "Richard Serra's Garden". I've long been a fan of the American sculptor; for me, his work in sculpture, drawing and printmaking is all about mass, volume and the way they play off each other in defining spaces. I remember when I made these images I was drawn to the rocks because their juxtapositions and mass immediately made me think of Serra's work. These prints are 4"X4" on 5"X5" paper, which I think would make an ideal size for a limited edition artist book of kallitypes. I also want to use one or more of these images in a polymer photogravure workshop I'm taking in a couple of weeks.