tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-82496576799408228512024-03-14T03:18:15.545-07:00The Bertie ProjectPaulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10862623910757236075noreply@blogger.comBlogger481125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8249657679940822851.post-10159532009275903012012-08-05T13:11:00.001-07:002012-08-05T13:14:25.455-07:00Inspiration comes from doing<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzXlLlN82VSamkGe5ujR-gqUo4viGKYWzGZ5hk-32ipcgaFmRAVIgK-QY4sQSTCGIv4e5YJLcEkptIUuf32Kt0pOYQ9MbWt9d2k1fsoJfzqFG4rBcm4kUEsExlpKyPLxy81YINyk8MDli3/s1600/WP_12_06_25_002_blog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="255" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzXlLlN82VSamkGe5ujR-gqUo4viGKYWzGZ5hk-32ipcgaFmRAVIgK-QY4sQSTCGIv4e5YJLcEkptIUuf32Kt0pOYQ9MbWt9d2k1fsoJfzqFG4rBcm4kUEsExlpKyPLxy81YINyk8MDli3/s320/WP_12_06_25_002_blog.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i>French Breakfast</i>, © 2012 Paul J. Romaniuk</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I have enjoyed collecting
inspiring quotations and images from artists I find inspiring and love sharing
them with others through venues like this blog and Facebook. But recently I’ve
been questioning what “inspiration” is or should be, and how it fits into my
artistic practice. Because the truth is, I have never felt a need to be
“inspired” to go make work, but I certainly do struggle with distractions and
decisions about what to work on. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">My musings on the meaning or
role of inspirational quotes/work has come more sharply into focus the past
week during the Olympic Games. The television coverage includes up close and
personal videos on the trials and tribulations of some of the individual
athletes – the barriers or personal tragedies they had to overcome, or the
sacrifices their families had to make to help them. I find these spots very
emotional and touching, and I often think that the athlete in question is such
an inspiration. Yet I have never found myself leaping up off the couch and
establishing a training regimen, or bounding down the stairs to the studio to
begin furiously working on projects. The same has been true for many of the
quotations I’ve come across, or work that I’ve seen.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">This introspection is
helpful because it makes me realize that for something to be truly inspiring,
it has to provoke an action, not just a reaction. Watching those Olympic
features, reading those quotations can fill me with feelings of being inspired,
but they are acting as placeholders for action, and really are just
distractions. I get to feel something, but there are no concrete results. I’ve
realized that there is a huge gulf between collecting inspiring quotations and
originating them: the difference of having personally experienced something,
and understanding its importance.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I now realize why there are
a couple of quotes that have resonated very deeply with me for quite some time.
Chuck Close said <span style="color: #151515; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">“The advice I like to give
young artists, or really anybody who'll listen to me, is not to wait around for
inspiration. Inspiration is for amateurs; the rest of us just show up and get
to work. If you wait around for the clouds to part and a bolt of lightning to
strike you in the brain, you are not going to make an awful lot of work. All
the best ideas come out of the process; they come out of the work itself.
Things occur to you. If you're sitting around trying to dream up a great art
idea, you can sit there a long time before anything happens. But if you just
get to work, something will occur to you and something else will occur to you
and something else that you reject will push you in another direction.
Inspiration is absolutely unnecessary and somehow deceptive. You feel like you
need this great idea before you can get down to work, and I find that's almost
never the case.”</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Richard Serra said more
succinctly “Work comes out of work”. I don’t know if Georgia O’Keeffe ever said
anything on this subject, but she was known for going to the studio faithfully
every day, even if she just stretched canvas or swept up. I think the key thing
these artists recognized was the need to establish a habitual routine of
working, which in turn strengthens the neural pathways that compel them to go
to the studio and make work. And the benefits of that routine in jumpstarting
productive phases in their practices.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">For the past two months I’ve
been working on a couple of projects on a daily basis: continuing a series of
lumen prints and exploring the potential of wet plate photography. I found that
each time I made something, I got excited, and was inspired to make more. Even
when the results were disappointing, as they were recently when I attempted
some photogravure prints, taking the time to sit with the disappointment
brought inspiration because I found myself getting excited about making line
etchings again. I know that I will sort out the problems with the
photogravures, but by making those attempts now I also got inspired about
pairing up gravures with line etchings. Reflecting on these experiences has
made me realize why those quotations of Close and Serra resonated with me – I knew
from my experience that true, pure inspiration is sourced internally, and comes
from doing.</span><o:p></o:p></div>Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10862623910757236075noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8249657679940822851.post-14285445589673106932012-04-25T05:30:00.000-07:002012-04-25T05:30:09.913-07:00Turning Towards Self-Publishing with Lauren Henkin<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<span style="color: #252525;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">In my last post on why I’m skipping
the <a href="http://thebertieproject.blogspot.ca/2012/03/im-skipping-photo-20-upgrade.html">“Photo 2.0” upgrade</a>, I outlined the signs I’ve seen that artists are leaving
the on-line, digital realm of presenting work and returning to, or newly embracing,
physical objects as the output of their artistic practice. None of this is
surprising because people who buy and collect art are looking for physical
objects, be it original works, fine prints, sculptures, or hand crafted books.
They appreciate the choices artists make about the process that was used, which
paper was used, what materials with different textures and smells were used,
the size and shape of the print/book/painting. These same choices and
opportunities create work that can be experienced on a richer, deeper level that
is more compelling to both artist and audience.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Leading these changes are artists who are not only
producing fine art objects, but are selflessly helping others who want to extend
their artistic practice in that direction. One such person is <a href="http://www.laurenhenkin.com/">Lauren Henkin</a>, a
remarkable artist from Portland who in recent years has produced a series of
extraordinary hand crafted <a href="http://www.laurenhenkin.com/books/">fine art books</a> of several compelling bodies of work.
Lauren has a full time day job, and takes on art projects that might last a
year from initial concept to completion and require many late nights in the
studio. Yet she also chooses to spend a great deal of time and effort
encouraging other artists who want to improve their work and produce finely
crafted work, by maintaining a pretty busy teaching schedule. Her drive and
generosity of spirit is truly remarkable.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">This weekend I was one of seven students in a two day
workshop Lauren gave at <a href="http://www.luzgallery.com/">Lúz Gallery</a> in Victoria entitled “Turning Towards
Self-Publishing”. Having taken a workshop on <a href="http://thebertieproject.blogspot.ca/2011/08/lauren-henkin-workshop-on-marketing.html">marketing</a> previously with Lauren,
I knew that I could expect a well organized, comprehensive presentation given
with clarity, kindness, wit and with a sensitivity to the different needs of
individual students. And that was exactly the experience I had in this new
workshop.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I think one of Lauren’s great gifts, and what makes her an
outstanding teacher, is her generosity in sharing her personal experiences and
stories as they relate to the subject at hand. In this case, she shared the
pitfalls and mistakes she went through with her first book project; she share
financial details, and time commitment requirements of her projects so that we
could fully understand the scope of each of the different book projects she’s
completed. There are not many teachers who would be so open about their
experiences.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The topics covered in the first day and a half were
comprehensive, including details on how to finance a project, how to find and
work with collaborators (e.g. designers, bookbinders, letterpress artists), how
to learn the difference between different types of handcrafted books (important
for conversing with various dealers and librarians), how to structure a project
from beginning to end, when and how to build an audience for your book, how to
market the book, how to increase your chances of recovering the costs of the
project and gaining income beyond that. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We also looked at many examples of different fine press and
artists’ books in our hands – Lauren shipped four boxes from her personal
library to share with us. We were introduced to the wide variety of paper
choices for bookmaking, and cloth/paper choices for binding from sample books
that she brought. There was also a presentation on elements of designing a book,
and inspiring examples of the many different forms artists’ books take.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">You’re probably reading this, thinking that no matter how
well organized the workshop was, that sounds like an overwhelming amount of
information, and how could anyone possibly retain enough of it. In addition to
the excellent instruction, Lauren had prepared a 65 page course manual that can
be used by each of us as a resource after the workshop. In the words of one
student “this manual alone is worth more than the cost of this workshop”.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The final afternoon was spent looking at prints each
student brought of bodies of work they were considering for a book project.
Lauren engaged the entire class in considering each other’s work, how it
related to the intent of the project, what were the strongest images that
relayed that message, and how could those images be effectively sequenced. This
was done in a very supportive, sensitive way and was in itself a great learning
experience.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I took away three important lessons from this workshop, each
of which I think illustrates what a great teacher Lauren is, and how well she
connects to her students. The first important lesson was her caution that
making books takes time away from photographing/drawing/painting – i.e. making
content. She encouraged us to think carefully about that and whether delving
into book making was consistent with the goals of our art practice. The second important
lesson was her encouragement that everyone take on a project that would have be
consistent with the time we were prepared to devote to it, even if it was a
small project that didn’t involved producing a bound book. While she had given
us the information and tools to tackle complex projects, it was clear that she
supports and encourages artists who are willing to take on a book project
regardless of whether it’s relatively simple or complex. The third important
lesson was her relentless requirement that whatever we choose to do, that we do
it to the highest level of craft possible, out of respect to the quality and
beauty of the images we are each producing. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">It’s that final lesson that has defined every outstanding
teacher I’ve ever had, and Lauren is firmly in that group.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 13pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<!--EndFragment-->Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10862623910757236075noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8249657679940822851.post-52514475605747421252012-03-04T17:23:00.000-08:002012-03-04T17:23:01.289-08:00I'm Skipping the "Photo 2.0" UpgradeTHE BRAVE NEW WORLD OF PHOTO 2.0<br />
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When software companies offer an upgrade to a program, users inevitably have to weigh a number of factors in deciding whether to buy the upgrade. Among those factors are desired new features, whether their needs are served by the upgrade, cost, and ease of use. The software companies use various tactics to persuade us to upgrade: it's faster, it's got many new features, old versions are no longer supported, you're in danger of falling seriously behind if you don't upgrade. These tactics typically play on our vanity/anxieties and create this atmosphere of fear of being left behind. And they generally work well, unless the upgrade is deemed to be so bloated and so much time has passed before its release that it is already out of date.<br />
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I had never heard of the "Photo 2.0 Upgrade" until I rejoined Facebook back in the summer. I had been completely unsatisfied with my experience with Facebook before, and had gone to the extreme of having my account absolutely deleted a few years ago. But during the summer I met a number of people while taking workshops that I wanted to keep in touch with, and Facebook was the best way to do that. And in general using Facebook to keep in touch with fellow artists and new friends I've met in person has been great.<br />
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What does this have to do with "Photo 2.0"? Well, during the course of my explorations on Facebook, I joined several photography-related groups. Through these I encountered a small "band of brothers" who have been advocating the new dawn of photography based on the perception that the hindrances to artists getting their work distributed and recognized through the "old" gallery system were being completely swept away by access to the internet. Yet with this democratization had come a problem, according to the advocates - now that everyone had started promoting their work this way, it was making it difficult to find the truly excellent work amongst all the average work that was flooding onto the net. And so this band of brothers set themselves up to be the arbiters of outstanding art on our behalf by assuring us that rather than wade through the murky waters ourselves, they will decide who is producing the best images, the best photo books, etc. In other words, they have set themselves up as the new gatekeepers/tastemakers while disparaging the gatekeeper system of yore. Physical gallery shows are viewed as being tolerable by the new advocates, but inferior to on-line presentations. Physical photo books - tolerable but only until whiz-bang interactive ebooks are out - we're assured that's what everyone will demand.<br />
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WHY I'M SKIPPING THE PHOTO 2.0 UPGRADE<br />
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In a nutshell, I'm skipping this upgrade because I know that Photo 3.0 (see below) is already taking shape. The Photo 2.0 upgrade is outdated, redundant, bloated beyond belief and has few features useful to photographers. The leading advocate of Photo 2.0 has been getting free dinners and invitations to speak at conferences and meetings about his brave new world of photography for five years. Going back to the software analogy (it's really their analogy, not mine), the successful software companies push out major upgrades of their products on a roughly 12-18 month schedule. Two years is pushing it, beyond that the software is basically considered dead or abandoned. I think it is safe to say that Photo 2.0 is dead.<br />
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And it should be dead because it is redundant, bloated and almost useless to photographers looking to effectively promoter their work. Photo 2.0 is redundant because it relies on gatekeepers/tastemakers, a shockingly small group of them who seem to spend more time self-referencing and cross-referencing each other on their web sites, Facebook, Twitter etc. than they do actually promoting the best photographic work. Their target audience is primarily photographers (those are the people who are going to validate their efforts by providing content for their web site) so they are doing nothing to get the best work in front of collectors, or to expand the market for photography by bringing in new people who have never collected photography. You are far better off working with a local gallerist, who will definitely bring your work to the attention of collectors, who works to introduce new people to collecting art, thus expanding your market, and who in this day and age has a web site which puts your work in front of the global market.<br />
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I consider Photo 2.0 bloated because even through the filter of this band of brothers, far too much work is getting exposure, and done with an implied stamp of approval. While looking at the work of others is part of a vibrant art practice, it is only instructive if it's done in a very limited and thoughtful way. Most of the Photo 2.0 related sites put up "featured" images on their home page for 1 day, then replace then all the next day. They also often have large "collections" of images by featured artists which quickly end up in the "archives" which is probably visited very infrequently. And they promote themselves by playing to the anxiety/fear factor by implying that if you aren't willing to provide content to them on their terms, or aren't constantly checking their sites for important work by others, you are going to be missing out on high impact exposure and knowledge. It's all a load of bs, and it encourages behaviour that is detrimental to an artist's development. Furthermore, anyone whose work is featured on a site this way is getting little to no benefit because it's presented in the most superficial manner for the briefest of time.<br />
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PHOTO 3.0: THE FUTURE IS HERE<br />
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So if Photo 2.0 is stillborn, where are we at? For those who have kept an open mind, open eyes and been observant, the future of photography has already arrived. Smart photographers are using social media to keep in touch with each other, and to make occasional, considered announcements about new work. Some also document projects in progress to give a bit of a "behind the scenes" look which allows prospective collectors to form a more personal connection to the artist and the work in progress. Many have a web site for formal presentation of recent work, and others keep a blog to talk about the motivations behind their work which helps build relationships with potential collectors. And most are either remaining committed to producing physical objects in the form of prints and books or are returning to those modes of production in combination with digital approaches after a foray into the completely digital realm. Rather than rigidly adopting a completely on-line or completely analogue approach to making, marketing and selling work, they are finding the right blend of tools that is most effective for them.<br />
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The signs are everywhere. I was at a talk in the fall given by Dan Milnor about book publishing. There was some discussion of ebooks, and a high school teacher in the audience shared that he had asked his students whether they preferred physical photo books or ebooks and was surprised (pleasantly) that they all said that they far preferred physical books. Another contributed that students are bored with the digital methods they grew up with and are so familiar to them and are excited about learning analogue methods for producing work. While people continue to declare film is dead (or is not dead) and analogue methods of making photographic images are fading away, there's ample evidence of photographers reinstating darkrooms, learning other fine art methods of producing photographs such as wet plate collodion, cyanotype/kallitype/platinum printing, photopolymer gravure printing. And none of this is surprising because people who buy and collect art are looking for physical objects. They appreciate the choices that go into the process that was used, which paper is used, what materials with different textures and smells are used, the size and shape of books, the type of printing. People are turning their backs on sites like Flickr and Facebook where they find the discussions about photography to be superficial, and are meeting in person with others to engage in a more thoughtful discussion. In two instances last year, workshop groups that I was a part of have gone on to have informal critique sessions; one group has organized a group show at a local gallery.<br />
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The key here is the decision by more and more artists/photographers to maintain control of their art practice and the eventual outcome of that practice. They use the on-line and analogue methods in ways that fit their needs, not someone else's. They are respectful of their potential collectors, and of other artists by not flooding sites with constant promotional materials, or constantly showing the same images from a body of work (both of these activities lead to visual exhaustion and are counterproductive). They build relationships with other artists and gallerists in their local communities to work together to build a better appreciation for art in general and to expand the size of the local market for art. Some are selflessly bringing the work of other artists to the attention of many people through on-line blogs. These people represent the tribe that I want to belong to.<br />
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<br />Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10862623910757236075noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8249657679940822851.post-17256288960148022011-12-05T05:00:00.000-08:002011-12-05T05:00:13.993-08:00Visual Narratives - a workshop with Susan Burnstine"A great photograph is a search for meaning. It asks questions that lead to a lot of other questions."<br />
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And so started a weekend adventure in identifying personal inspirations and motivations for the twelve photographers in <a href="http://www.susanburnstine.com/">Susan Burnstine</a>'s workshop <i>Visual Narratives</i> given this weekend at <a href="http://www.luzgallery.com/">Lúz Gallery</a>. In many ways, that lead statement was prophetic for the work we did in this class, because to make great photographs really requires that an artist understands what meaning they are searching for and that they are most strongly connected to. And finding out what that is for each individual involves asking questions that in turn lead to many more questions. It involves looking at each person's work and asking questions that dig deeper and deeper for meaningful answers.<br />
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If that sounds intimidating and raw, the kind of deep introspection that you've avoided because it makes you uncomfortable and wiggly, you're getting the right idea. It's the magic of Susan and the workshop that she's developed that you will, with her guidance and the help of your fellow workshop students, drill down and find true understanding of what you are strongly drawn to, what meaning that has for you, and how that informs the work you've done and can even more strongly inform the work that will come.<br />
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I think it's fair to say that for all of us the realization at the beginning of the workshop that this was what was in store for us was at least somewhat frightening (or a whole lot of frightening). Through careful structuring of the progression of activities in the workshop, and by being very open, genuine, caring and quietly relentless, Susan helped guide us through this daunting task. Sure there was some resistance, sure there were a few tears, but there was also a lot of laughter and good will shared by all of us, and that sense of going through something together that made for an incredible experience from which each of us will grow as artists.<br />
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I find myself reluctant to talk about the process we went through during the workshop, not because it was so traumatic (it wasn't). Although we all did the same exercises, there was enough attention given to the specific needs of each individual during those exercises that each of our experiences was unique. This was not a cookie-cutter, "one size fits all" workshop - each participant was given the time, energy and level of inquiry that was appropriate for where they are in their development as an artist. Each person had the support and help of all the other participants during each stage of the workshop. It was an incredible group of people from diverse backgrounds who contributed an astonishing array of information and insight as we talked about the current work each person showed.<br />
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In my own case, I feel that I left the workshop with a greater understanding of what is driving my photography, what deep meaning I'm connecting to and searching for in my images. I learned a great deal about how key inspirations are the foundation upon which I have, and can continue to build my own visual language. With Susan's help, I identified some key words that succinctly connect me to that deeper meaning of my work, that I can use as cues when going on to make more images. There were also suggestions from Susan of other artists that will act as further inspirations more closely related to the deeper meaning that informs my work. We were also introduced to the work of some of the most important storytellers amongst current contemporary photographers that will serve as a reference from which we can draw wisdom and inspiration for some time to come.<br />
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I have to admit that I don't feel what I've written comes close to doing justice to how great this workshop was. I've found it difficult to put into words what this experience has meant for me. I can say that as a teacher myself, I was in awe of Susan's unwavering commitment to each of the students, her generosity in sharing her experiences and knowledge, her discerning eye and ear and the empathy she had for each person during the process. If you have the chance to take a workshop with Susan, don't hesitate for a second. It will definitely change your life as an artist in the best possible way.<br />
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Another important factor in the success of the weekend was the wonderful environment created by the fine people at Lúz Gallery. Quinton, Melissa and Tom made sure the workshop ran smoothly and were wonderful company during the weekend. I've been quite fortunate this year to take four outstanding workshops at Lúz - wet plate with Joni Sternbach, photopolymer gravure with Don Messec, marketing with Lauren Henkin and now visual narrative with Susan Burnstine. Each workshop lead by not just a knowledgeable expert, but also an outstanding teacher who offered an outstanding experience. Thank you Quinton and Diana for your vision in bringing such consistently high quality workshops to my little town, and thank you to Melissa and Tom for helping to create that welcoming environment.Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10862623910757236075noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8249657679940822851.post-78556989531607428592011-11-30T16:45:00.001-08:002011-11-30T18:19:32.409-08:00Influences and InspirationI'm going to be taking a workshop at <a href="http://www.luzgallery.com/">Lúz Gallery</a> this weekend entitled "<a href="http://www.luzgallery.com/visual-narratives-burnstine/">Visual Narratives</a>", given by <a href="http://www.susanburnstine.com/">Susan Burnstine</a>. In preparation for the workshop, we were asked to put together the following: a series of 10-20 images to discuss in the context of visual narratives, an image that best represents ourself (!), and one or more images that inspire us. I don't know how the other participants are finding the preparations, but at first I was a bit stumped by the second and third items. It took a while for me to realize which image best represents myself, and as I thought about inspiration I started to think outside photography. In this post I'm going to share some nascent thoughts on how artists working in mediums other than photography have influenced and inspired the work I do (and aspire to do) in photography.<br />
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<b>Helen Frankenthaler</b><br />
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<i>"Message from Degas"</i></div>
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I have long been a fan of Frankenthaler's work in etching and lithography. I picked this image because I learned a lot from it about proportions within space, the use of fine line to create contrast to large masses in a way that activates the composition, and most importantly that rules must sometimes be broken for the sake of composition. In this image, there is a large mass of darkness coming from the top of the frame. Our natural inclination (and one of the "sacrosanct" rules of composition) is to place such a large, dark mass at the bottom to "ground" the image. Sticking to the rules would not have produced such a strong, compelling work and would have decreased the sense of flow we feel in the yellow ground.</div>
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<i>"Sill life with carp" </i>E. Manet "<i>To e.m." </i>H. Frankenthaler<br />
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In the work on the right, Frankenthaler used the colour palette of Manet's still life, but she broke down Manet's composition to its most fundamental base - the distribution of colours and tones, thus transforming the classical still life into something far more emotional. This type of transformation is something I strive to produce in my photographic work.<br />
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<b>Pat Steir</b><br />
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<i>Starry Night: August</i></div>
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I've taken away several lessons from the prints and paintings of Pat Steir. If you look at this image, you can sense that it continues beyond the confines of the frame, which engages your imagination as you actively "fill out" the image. I learned that you can have an image that uses mostly dark tones with bright highlights in a way that doesn't feel high contrast but convinces you that you are looking at a normal scene with a full tonal range. The pattern in this image is random, but reads as if there is an order to it, one that can be discerned with further consideration. I also like the light pattern on dark because it makes me aware of the patterns of lichen and erosion on the coastal rocks where I live.</div>
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<b>Richard Diebenkorn</b></div>
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<i><b>"</b>Cityscape"</i></div>
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<i>"Ocean Park"</i></div>
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I've learned a lot from Diebenkorn about geometry in the landscape, how it can be used to create effective compositions (e.g. <i>Cityscape</i>), and not to fear having a large open space within a composition. Look at that huge expanse of blue in <i>Ocean Park</i> and imagine creating a photographic composition that crowds the contrasting elements into a small part of the overall image. When you look further, you realize this isn't minimalist to the point that we have basically a horizon line that fails to meet the "rule of thirds", but otherwise divides the space into two bands of tone - this composition contains several geometric and colour elements within that thin band at the top, that counterbalance the huge expanse of blue and are bold enough to hold our attention.</div>
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<b>Gerhard Richter</b></div>
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<i><b>"</b>Drawing, 1999"</i></div>
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Drawings like these by Richter have taught me a lot about the importance of placing elements within a composition, about the importance of how the elements relate to each other, and about how information is transmitted to the viewer by these elements. Looking at this drawing, I can easily see a marsh scene, the shore with grass on the left, reeds in the water on the right. Looking at this makes me realize that artistic intent doesn't have to be sacrificed for clarity; the viewer can extrapolate from partially visible elements in either a dark or high key image to interpret the scene portrayed. Looking at this drawing makes me think of images of blade of grass in fields of snow made by Harry Callahan.</div>
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<i>"Hanged"</i></div>
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Richter is famous for his blurred, photorealistic paintings. This one is made from a newspaper photo of the body of Gudrun Ensslin, a founder of the Red Army Faction, who hanged herself in prison. For me, the blurring represents a truth about photography - that it can never convey the absolute truth. Of all the visual arts, we turn to photography as the purveyor of unvarnished fact. Yet it can never fulfill that role - the person who took the photograph has made decisions about composition and lighting that blur the facts, at least a little bit. The facts are blurred further by the viewer, who rarely looks upon an image in a completely dispassionate way, but brings interpretation and opinion to that viewing. Again, there is a slight distortion of fact. Add onto that the collected viewing by many people and the resulting polarization of opinions about the image, and then the truth is blurred further, just as Richter has shown in this painting. I find this idea freeing, because I don't have to feel that as a photographer I'm constrained to make images that are completely representative of a set of facts that are before me. I can be free to interpret what I see and make art rather than just a photographic record of facts.</div>
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<b>Richard Serra</b></div>
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<b>"</b><i>Sequence" </i></div>
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<i>"One Ton Prop (House of Cards)"</i></div>
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I've learned a lot from the sculpture of Richard Serra about how objects not only occupy space, but also define space. The lines defined by the edges of the materials that he uses have made me look for edges and lines that "draw" objects and spaces in my photographic compositions. Serra also draws and makes prints, and it's interesting to see how he visualizes the transition of his three dimensional ideas to the two dimensional medium of drawing, just a photographer must visualize representing the three dimensional world in a flat object:</div>
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"<i>Splines"</i></div>
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<b>Edoardo Chillida</b></div>
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<i>"Euzkadi V"</i></div>
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<i>"Gravitation"</i></div>
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Chillida is another sculptor who also worked in drawing and printmaking. When I look at his work, I'm inspired to consider how I will produce the final work from my photographic practice. In the <i>Euzkadi</i> print, it is interesting to consider how he placed the image on the paper, how those decisions become part of the composition and define a larger space. In <i>Gravitation</i>, materials are layered, with cut outs to define space and spatial relationships as well as mark-making to distinguish different compositional elements. This work inspires me to question whether photographs must be a single layer (I'm not thinking of Photoshop here), what might be gained by combining different materials, using cutouts to reveal only parts of an image. There's also many things to take away from this work in thinking about making artist's books.</div>
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</div>Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10862623910757236075noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8249657679940822851.post-42369450344728182352011-11-20T05:00:00.000-08:002011-11-20T07:38:38.177-08:00IMPRINT: Opening from within<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I was at the opening of the show IMPRINT at <a href="http://www.luzgallery.com/">Lúz Gallery</a> this
afternoon. Here are some of the comments people shared with me:</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">“<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">I love the way the
images relate to each other</i>.”</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">“<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The work has a really
cohesive quality, a real strength</i>.”</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">“<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">There’s a great flow
to this show</i>.”</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">You might be thinking from those comments that IMPRINT is a
solo show. It consists of the work of eight photographers who are, in the words
of the gallery owners “<span style="color: #292726;">artists who have made a lasting
impression on us during the last 12-months.” A group show with such flow and
cohesiveness it gives the impression of being a solo show? Yes, thanks to the
skill and talent of the curator, Diana Millar. I am very fortunate to be one of
the artists included in this show.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #292726;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Millar and her partner Quinton Gordon are consistently
presenting work at Lúz Gallery with the intention of not only putting
outstanding photography before viewers, but doing so in a way that transforms
how people think about photography. As someone else said to me at the opening: <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">“<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">I always love coming
to this gallery, (and I apologize if this seems like a backhanded compliment),
because I know what I’m going to see is art, not just photography</i>.”</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">In putting together a group show that has a sense of
cohesiveness with high visual impact, a talented curator like Millar must bring
together several elements. The first important one is image selection, looking
over the work of the different artists and selecting the strongest images from
each. At some point in this process, consideration has to be given to how the
images from different artists might relate to each other, although subjects,
process and visual approaches are going to differ. Eventually this leads to
designing the show itself, planning how works will be hung in the gallery space
to create a natural visual flow that creates that sense of cohesiveness.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">In the case of IMPRINT, Diana successfully brought together
the dreamscape images of <a href="http://www.luzgallery.com/on-waking-dreams-burnstine/">Susan Burnstine</a>, panoramic views of seashore and sky
by <a href="http://www.luzgallery.com/avenue-to-stillness-curry">Karen Curry</a> and abstract light sketches by <a href="http://www.luzgallery.com/gillian-lindsay-light/">Gillian Lindsay</a> in one physical
zone of the gallery. From this description it might not seem that these images
would relate to each other, but they share a lyrical quality and give the
viewer a sense of passing from a internal view (dreamscape) to the external
view (panoramic widescreen) to an almost subconscious view of the abstract
light patterns. What I loved about this grouping of images was the way it
invites inquiry – as a viewer you sense the flow and relationship between the
works of these three artists before you can articulate why that flow exists.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The role of process in Gillian Lindsay’s work provides a
nice bridge to the second zone created by Millar within the gallery space,
where lumen prints from my series <a href="http://www.luzgallery.com/taxonomy-romaniuk">Taxonomy</a> were hung along with the Surfland
series of wet plate collodion tintypes by<a href="http://www.jonisternbach.com/gallery_surfers.html"> Joni Sternbach</a>, the Polaroid images
of Sea Life by <a href="http://www.luzgallery.com/david-ellingsen-artist-page/">David Ellingsen</a>, the hand annotated landscape images of
<a href="http://www.lyndiaterre.com/">Lyndia Terre</a>, the soft focus images of a fishing village by <a href="http://www.jangatesphotography.com/">Jan Gates</a> and the
Mile Zero images by <a href="http://www.luzgallery.com/quinton-gordon-artist-page/">Quinton Gordon</a>. Once again there is a nice flow and
interplay between these diverse works, with an underlying link of
documentation: of plants (Taxonomy), a closed culture (Surfland), biodiversity
(Sea Life), mapping the landscape (Terre), of a disappearing culture
(fishing village), and of the daily landscape (Mile Zero). Although the
different processes used were quite diverse, from one to the next there was
always at least one shared characteristic, which leads the viewer not only to
connect process to process, but also to think about how each subject matter is
best served by one process over others.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Usually openings are mainly social events held in the dark
of night, where friends and family come to support the artist(s). They are
characterized by being overcrowded, making viewing of the actual work
difficult. Most of the time people stand in groups chatting, their backs to the
art work. This afternoon’s opening was a welcome change from this norm. Held on
a sunny afternoon, the work was shown to its best advantage under natural
light. There was a steady flow of people, and while there was socializing for
sure, I noticed that a lot of people looked carefully at the work, talked about
it, considered it, and then went back two or three times to look again. The
strength of the work drew them in the first time, but it was Diana’s excellent
work as curator that created the flow and cohesiveness that brought them back
to consider further the work again.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Check back with the Lúz Gallery <a href="http://www.luzgallery.com/">website</a> for photos of the
installation and opening. I apologize for not including any here, but from the
start of the opening to the finish, I was completely immersed in the experience
and gave no thought to taking photos myself. It is a deeply engrossing show –
if you are in Victoria or can find a way to get over before December 22<sup>nd</sup>,
I hope you will come and see the work.</span></div>Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10862623910757236075noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8249657679940822851.post-69089855306998706772011-11-12T14:30:00.001-08:002011-11-12T15:57:48.747-08:00Stepping into the Abyss<br />
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<span style="color: #262626; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 13pt;">Last night I listened at <a href="http://www.luzgallery.com/">Lúz Gallery</a> to an artist
talk by photographer <a href="http://www.smogranch.com/">Dan Milnor</a>, that was very personal, very insightful and
very thought provoking. It was as much about his journey as an artist as it was
about the art that he’s made, a journey that has caused him to question
everything he thought he knew about being a photographer.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #262626; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 13pt;">Milnor had a successful career as a
commercial and fine art photographer, when around fifteen years ago he became
tired of the demands of commercial photography and took a job with Kodak. The
job required him to sign a non-competition agreement, and in return as a Kodak
employee Milnor had access to as much film and processing as he wanted to
pursue his personal photographic projects outside of work. Released from client
demands, his personal photography took off and he had the freedom to plan
specific long-term projects that sometimes took years to complete. The talk
began with a slide show of work from a project on the Easter pageants in remote
villages in Sicily. Paired with haunting music, the images had power and
strength. This project, and others he undertook in the same time period were
very focused and planned, with the intention of generating images for
exhibitions and potentially books. At the end of his fifth year of working for
Kodak, Milnor had amassed several bodies of work that impressed other
accomplished photographers. At this point Dan had an epiphany, equating the
freedom he had from working for clients with the ability to focus on and
produce excellent personal work. Having had that epiphany, Milnor left Kodak
and once again became a commercial photographer.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #262626; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 13pt;">Ten years later, Milnor sensed
something missing. The first hint was a decision to visit a friend in Panama
and to take some pictures, but to just take “snapshots” rather than doing a
specific, focused and well planned project. He found the experience somewhat
surreal, in the sense that he was more aware of all that was around him, and he
made images of whatever attracted his attention. It went against the grain of
how he’d worked before, and how he’d been trained to work and to think about
making photographs. After the trip, Milnor edited his images and created a book
using the print-on-demand service Blurb. Another part of the puzzle to his
growing unease with his commercial photography career came one day while he was
at home, watching planes take off from John Wayne Airport. He was thinking how
he should be on one of those planes, going somewhere else to make photographs,
when he realized that a decent photographer should be able to make good images
wherever they are, including at home. Thus began the project “Homework”,
defined only by restrictions on locale and how many exposures on film he would
make at any given time. The resulting images are abstract, raw and very engaging
and again he self-published them as a book for his own reference, considering
the images as something of meaning only to himself. It was during a visit to a
local art broker to deliver work from another series that he learned to his
surprise that the Homework images were ones that the broker felt would be easy
to place with clients.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #262626; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 13pt;">So these two personal projects
developed more organically, with virtually no planning compared to his previous
personal projects. Dan had really not planned a specific outcome for the work,
nor did he necessarily see it as having the wider artistic appeal of his more
focused work like the images from the Sicily project. I think one might be able
to describe these last two projects, and how they worked out, as a second epiphany
of sorts as Milnor continued to consider the impact of being a commercial
photographer. It was at this point that the offer of a full-time position as
Photographer at Large with Blurb dovetailed with a decision to once again stop
being a commercial photographer.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #262626; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 13pt;">Dan turned his attention to his
abiding interest in the “wild west”. He grew up on a ranch in Wyoming, and has
been fascinated with the remaining vestiges of the past history of the frontier
ethos that exists today in states like New Mexico. His current working project
is “The New Mexico Project”, and it started out as a planned, focused project
in two parts, the first being “Wildness”. After working on the project for
awhile, Milnor was driving from LA to New Mexico, his mind filled with ideas
and thoughts about how the project was developing, how to pull images together
for an exhibition or book, when he realized that he had been passing through an
interesting landscape that he was completely ignoring. He reflected on the fact
that the Panama and Homework projects, lacking such specific focus, had allowed
him to be much more aware of everything around him at any given moment. This
realization lead to the third and final of his epiphanies, and it was the one
that caused Milnor to turn his back on the concerns of the photographic
establishment with respect to what defines a project and what are the desired
outcomes of a project. It also completed a long, slow process by which Milnor
unlearned the patterns of thinking that go along with those concerns.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #262626; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 13pt;">This was the point where I felt
that I was no longer listening to a great, articulate artist’s talk, I was
listening to something unique and very special. Because Dan Milnor, after years
of being a successful photographer by just about anyone’s standards, threw out
everything he knew about being a successful photographer and asked himself the
critical question “What does photography really mean to me personally?” It was
at this key point that the lessons learned from the Panama and Homework
projects came together to change the direction of the New Mexico project.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #262626; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 13pt;">Milnor found himself in northern
New Mexico where he slowly worked at being accepted in a small town that didn’t
see many gringos. He began photographing the farmers and then other members of
the town, some who have never been photographed, and have never held a
photographic print in their hands. He wasn’t sure what the outcome of the
project would be, but he realized that the people the project was arguably most
important to would be the least likely to see the finished work – that is,
those he was photographing. His sole concern about the outcome of this project is
how he can engage the subjects of this project with the work itself. Dan would
like them to be able to see and interact with the work, and to contribute their
thoughts and impressions on what it being photographed means to them. This is a
project outcome that lies well outside the understanding of the current
photography world.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #262626; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 13pt;">Dan described how he’d photographed
a farmer who had never had his photograph taken before, who had never used a
computer. The farmer’s wife showed him his photograph by lifting the lid of the
laptop, where the first thing he ever saw on a computer was a photograph of
himself. In this day and age of “Photography 2.0 on the Web” etc, it’s almost
unimaginable. It’s not difficult to see a parallel between a subject seeing an
image of himself for the very first time, and a photographer who has walked
away from one understanding of what photography means to search for a different
understanding.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #262626; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 13pt;">I sense that Milnor’s desire to
hear from his subjects about their experiences of being photographed and how
having prints of their images has brought that experience into their lives, is
tied into his own query about what photography, and being a photographer, means
to him. It’s a shared journey between photographer and subject, a way to deepen
further the engagement between the two. By approaching this project in a
completely unstructured way, with no particular destination in mind, Milnor has
taken the proverbial leap of faith, and stepped off into the abyss.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #262626; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 13pt;">In one of those odd quirks of
synchronicity, this morning I started reading a book that’s been on my
nightstand for a while. It’s “A Field Guide to Getting Lost” by Rebecca Solnit.
In the very first essay, Solnit writes “Leave the door open for the unknown,
the door into the dark. That’s where the most important things come from, where
you yourself came from, and where you will go.” She goes on to recount an
experience she had while giving a workshop, when a student came to her with a
quote from the pre-Socratic philosopher Meno “How will you go about finding
that thing the nature of which is totally unknown to you?” Solnit goes on to
write that “it is the job of artists to open doors and invite prophesies, the
unknown, the unfamiliar; it’s where their work comes from…” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #262626; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 13pt;">It’s not easy to leave the
comfort zone, to stop turning the crank making work that is on the surface
successful, but which has perhaps lost significance or meaning for the maker.
Yet as Solnit writes, that is exactly what the job of the artist is, and it was
a singular privilege to hear Dan Milnor talk so honestly about how that journey
has transpired for him.</span>Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10862623910757236075noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8249657679940822851.post-83313543711744714942011-10-30T06:00:00.000-07:002011-10-30T06:00:01.005-07:00Liberation<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjtO3uiAAdBq9ixXCm9q7mBXr69vyADsO953xLlZsvPqk-NNpbxEzioEdzAXjY8ByS0UBufjWKAZX0t-_qjpZHbnUq6NcIrnxsIusq9bjzxW7tNk4O5IGJOf_MEcIs7-z_I3XbqPhVTxqp/s1600/11_10_29_IMG_1671_blog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjtO3uiAAdBq9ixXCm9q7mBXr69vyADsO953xLlZsvPqk-NNpbxEzioEdzAXjY8ByS0UBufjWKAZX0t-_qjpZHbnUq6NcIrnxsIusq9bjzxW7tNk4O5IGJOf_MEcIs7-z_I3XbqPhVTxqp/s320/11_10_29_IMG_1671_blog.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Today I'm writing about liberation - from the tyranny of a bad back, from the tyranny of always having to have a reason or plan to make photographs and from the tyranny of self-contained compositions.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE7j3JM3SVe_mu6RdCrukTeuxS1JNNM-6TfHn4qmEqdY9xevSifXv1Z4DuZ1VDUu4nlqDdSDzYj10MbNc1eVCV7vS469Un69dXqQaVgSCqW9W56-yH37HbkxFyZIKlrE7TOVBWBzQ4Ccrf/s1600/11_10_29_IMG_1668_blog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE7j3JM3SVe_mu6RdCrukTeuxS1JNNM-6TfHn4qmEqdY9xevSifXv1Z4DuZ1VDUu4nlqDdSDzYj10MbNc1eVCV7vS469Un69dXqQaVgSCqW9W56-yH37HbkxFyZIKlrE7TOVBWBzQ4Ccrf/s320/11_10_29_IMG_1668_blog.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Today was the first time in a couple of weeks that I've been out and about in the forest after I seriously put my back out. It was glorious to be back outdoors, walking comfortably and seeing things with fresh eyes.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXffnQ60mzo8di40jMNMwumEzVHv7MrNS6WbW41pZX0nh8WnLwDi4DWc_V9eyHwOJg7UhazyBkwYRsQ5V1ykiZR9dekU1_PFFGvITEOUTEZ-MaREIAtbd060z8Pv4fB6aOe0iyudR-mby7/s1600/11_10_29_IMG_1676_blog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXffnQ60mzo8di40jMNMwumEzVHv7MrNS6WbW41pZX0nh8WnLwDi4DWc_V9eyHwOJg7UhazyBkwYRsQ5V1ykiZR9dekU1_PFFGvITEOUTEZ-MaREIAtbd060z8Pv4fB6aOe0iyudR-mby7/s320/11_10_29_IMG_1676_blog.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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There have been plenty of times that I plan to go walking the trails, and find myself leaving the house hours later than I had intended. So often the delay is related to trying to decide which camera(s) I want to take with me to which location(s); deciding between digital or film or both; black and white or colour; etc etc. This morning I felt a strong urge to shoot some film, but I had a stronger desire to get out and it was liberating to just grab my little Canon compact digital camera. More important to get out walking with any camera than get frustrated by having to make decisions. And the choice was perfect for the purpose - I didn't have a specific plan in mind for what images I wanted to make, rather I just wanted to be able to document my enjoyment of the walk as it unfolded. I think this represents the most basic, fundamental motivation I have for making images - to help me record what I see and by doing so sharpen my eye to what is right before me.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdpN6xj8zkrzkNRn99eLdFzAS8WftzPr2PD3FTzyDx3thoApSB0qzv6U_apLYmgtuO1UCikOo7E0TWuRDwplkUI4IiVoTuMHBekzhISrJgiTAFfzqDO7ovt_vpm7hr2RG8PRgT_0s2IckR/s1600/11_10_29_IMG_1678_blog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdpN6xj8zkrzkNRn99eLdFzAS8WftzPr2PD3FTzyDx3thoApSB0qzv6U_apLYmgtuO1UCikOo7E0TWuRDwplkUI4IiVoTuMHBekzhISrJgiTAFfzqDO7ovt_vpm7hr2RG8PRgT_0s2IckR/s320/11_10_29_IMG_1678_blog.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Before I went out to the forest, I stopped in at <a href="http://www.luzgallery.com/">Lúz Gallery</a> to visit with my friends Diana and Quinton, with whom I've had many enlightening conversations about art. I enjoy these visits for many reasons; it's refreshing to see photographs that are physical objects, to consider the choices the artists have made with respect to size, materials, presentation and to consider why some images are more compelling than others. While talking with Diana and Quinton today, we shared a number of ideas about composition as it comes into play with single images, series of images, and book design. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiyLDrQPbtr_VNnX5tchmYvIbqhI6wtN1oOjDMdkkX3B3mGC1vTSk7XmYtz-1B01qNhVsB0gZYai96vcgQgzH43QuAtXhLLFRwEUahu3XHRySssu-t3ZDzC0n_1C2zEDPrqUaN6C7S4w7S/s1600/11_10_29_IMG_1680_blog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiyLDrQPbtr_VNnX5tchmYvIbqhI6wtN1oOjDMdkkX3B3mGC1vTSk7XmYtz-1B01qNhVsB0gZYai96vcgQgzH43QuAtXhLLFRwEUahu3XHRySssu-t3ZDzC0n_1C2zEDPrqUaN6C7S4w7S/s320/11_10_29_IMG_1680_blog.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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In many ways, I'm glad that I did not return to photography as a medium of expression before first taking detours through papermaking, printmaking, painting and drawing. Every step of the way I learned valuable lessons about composition. One key idea that I always keep in mind is that the image should not be composed so that everything is within the frame but rather it should be composed to give the sense that the image continues beyond the confines of the frame. In most instances I want the viewer of my images to start somewhere within the frame, and follow the visual cues to the edges of the frame and then beyond the frame. Requiring the use of the viewer's imagination to complete the image beyond the frame results in a level of engagement with the image and an expanded experience of the photograph. Thinking about this now, I understand why I often make square images - without the cue of a "landscape" or "portrait" orientation of the rectangular frame, there's less chance that the image will be constrained by the frame itself, and less chance that the viewer's imagination will in turn be constrained.</div>
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<br /></div>Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10862623910757236075noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8249657679940822851.post-12398880240480984512011-10-02T05:30:00.000-07:002011-10-02T05:30:00.203-07:00Night Rituals<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCC1VQgVxEWKA-Wnc59U-sNZQCU6YQBwUWvR5-xjJn3uQ8LJoaGX5P1VIbSp1Ef4_BdUcVcb-Fd1beXwhmmWjCivJxellMbN5TiWKj652qNeOGG5cgo4ScK1L3IP2tQuX-x-KLPBePqDJb/s1600/11_10_01_IMG_1586_blog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCC1VQgVxEWKA-Wnc59U-sNZQCU6YQBwUWvR5-xjJn3uQ8LJoaGX5P1VIbSp1Ef4_BdUcVcb-Fd1beXwhmmWjCivJxellMbN5TiWKj652qNeOGG5cgo4ScK1L3IP2tQuX-x-KLPBePqDJb/s320/11_10_01_IMG_1586_blog.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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I've been thinking quite a lot lately about my affinity for the landscape, one that I formed at a very early age. As a child I spent many summer days on my own exploring nearby woods, fields, ponds and streams completely at ease with my solitude. I seemed to find little spaces that were interesting and comforting, and to this day when I go out to photograph the landscape I rarely look for the big vistas, but continue to seek out these small, intimate spaces.</div>
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So as I went out for a walk this evening, I took my point and shoot just to exercise the creative muscle. At first I had the intention of making some motion abstracts down by the sea (and I did subsequently do that). But as I was walking along, I began to think of how my interest in small, intimate spaces in the woods might be expressed on a walk in the neighbourhood.</div>
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And so I kept my eyes and mind open to little spaces with a faint glow of light. As the winter draws near and nightfall comes earlier, walking in the evening is really all about that interplay between the somewhat cold, depressing darkness and the comforting light that peeks into shadows and comes as a glow from the windows of the homes.</div>
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So there I was, walking and looking - around, down and up - making images in the fading light as best I could. I like what these images say about the neighbourhood this evening and how well they reflect my experiences on that walk.</div>
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Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10862623910757236075noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8249657679940822851.post-16309264688730577382011-09-13T06:00:00.000-07:002011-09-13T06:00:18.688-07:00New directions (no, I have not joined the glee club!)For the past couple of years, when I've gone out to the local forests and beaches to make images, I almost always carried a Holga or (original) Diana camera with me if I was intending to expose some film. Like many before me, I became enamoured with toy cameras, slowly acquired a few different ones, hung out at toycamera.com and subscribed to LightLeaks magazine. I found fellow enthusiasts at sites like Flickr, devised a few modifications of my toy cameras, submitted images to "plastic lens" shows and life was fine in the blurry world.<br />
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It took me a while to figure out how using toy cameras would fit into my photography practice, and eventually I created two bodies of work that combined narrative with landscape. One is "<a href="http://www.paulromaniuk.ca/photos/summer/summer_index.html">That summer at the lake</a>", which I discussed in a <a href="http://thebertieproject.blogspot.com/2011/09/concept-context-and-body-of-work.html">recent post</a>. The other is "<a href="http://www.paulromaniuk.ca/photos/beloved/beloved_index.html">My beloved rises from her sleep</a>" in which the images stood as metaphors for lines from the poem of Mahmoud Darwish. I also have in my flat files a couple of nascent series of toy camera images from the local oceanic coast, and I'm in the (slow) process of turning some Holga images I took last fall in San Francisco into a zine.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioPZiU-sngbIDaED2u4DA2U1DoadWw-n101N2HSZZc3cUdFPmjz91hyphenhyphenVYKlSc7S4orBBteVYICosWhRufry8-28ufSXFFQGGN2G9bEqEBa3R4Tq3T66g-edZQ5wNgy_tZJhYL-sWNAF_RU/s1600/09_02_07_09_01_24_f02_x004_upload_blog-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioPZiU-sngbIDaED2u4DA2U1DoadWw-n101N2HSZZc3cUdFPmjz91hyphenhyphenVYKlSc7S4orBBteVYICosWhRufry8-28ufSXFFQGGN2G9bEqEBa3R4Tq3T66g-edZQ5wNgy_tZJhYL-sWNAF_RU/s320/09_02_07_09_01_24_f02_x004_upload_blog-2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i>I remember her reflection in the early days,</i></div>
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<i>when lightning crowned her forehead</i></div>
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from the series "My beloved rises from her sleep"</div>
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But recently I've been thinking about trade-offs. While I feel I used the toy cameras effectively in creating these narrative streams, I've also come to realize that this aesthetic adds another layer between me and my experience of that moment as it also does for the viewer. While the toy camera creates a sense of a dream-like or memory state it also distances the viewer from the actual "in the moment" experience. I remember a while ago musing in an e-mail conversation with a friend about this conundrum and writing to her that I wanted to explore the differences in narrative landscape images created by the toy camera and a high end optical lens. This idea has been percolating in the background for some time, and while that's been happening I've found myself drawn to work by other photographers that at first view might seem to be images of the mundane, but on further reflection is better defined as acute observation of what is right in front of us all the time, a documenting of actually living each visual moment.</div>
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It's been a while since I've walked the forest with a camera; I've been working on solidifying my wet plate collodion technique in the summer months while the UV light is strong and I can work outside easily. But this weekend I felt the urge to get out with a film camera and found myself picking up my Mamiya 6. I haven't had the film developed yet, but I remembered that while I was making images with the Holga for the "My beloved rises from her sleep" series, I sometimes carried the Mamiya 6 with me as well. So here are some images taken during the same time period as the image above. While I was revisiting these images I found myself connecting back to the moment when I made each:</div>
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Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10862623910757236075noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8249657679940822851.post-24823572837063623792011-09-04T06:00:00.000-07:002011-09-04T06:00:00.736-07:00Concept, Context and the Body of Work<br />
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I've been thinking about writing on this topic for quite some time, certain that writing about how I make art is of great benefit to myself but not quite sure if such a post would be of general interest to others. Just the same, if I'm not clear on how my projects are conceived, developed and brought to finality then I'm working in the dark and asking viewers of my work to take what they see on faith. I think asking that is not fair to them, and avoiding thinking (and writing) about my process is a poor decision on my part.</div>
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Two things prompted me to take some action now. One was a thought-provoking comment <a href="http://www.laurenhenkin.com/">Lauren Henkin</a> added to an online discussion on the differences in viewing photographic images online vs. viewing physical photographs. The discussion was started by <a href="http://www.andyadamsphoto.com/">Andy Adams</a> in a Facebook group called Flak Photo Network. Here's what Lauren wrote:</div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333233;"><i>I think we have tendencies to try and classify - black and white vs color, film vs digital, silver versus pigment, it goes on and on. As a population in general, I think we're uncomfortable with ambiguity, with saying, "everything depends on the context." But truly, that's how I see it. There are stunning examples of people using online mediums for communicating their stories while others are using objects only. It ALL depends on how it's executed. </i><i style="font-weight: bold;">I think if we (including me) spent more time writing about how work is executed and the merits of it both conceptually and in craft, we'd all learn a whole lot more </i>(bold text emphasis mine)</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333233; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Once I read Lauren's words, I started to think more seriously of writing about my work. As it turns out, some of my projects develop organically (i.e. there is no concept at the beginning) and others develop from a specific concept. What to write about? The answer came to me while I was reading some comments posted by Diana Millar of <a href="http://www.luzgallery.com/">Lúz Gallery</a> on Twitter after she had been to an artist talk. Diana tweeted:</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><i>The question of how many rolls of film did you shoot? Gets asked at every single photography talk I attend, I still can not figure out why.. <br /> <br />Why or what is the answer that you are looking for?? Does it change your opinion of the photograph(er) if it was 2 rolls vs 20 rolls??</i></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I found this interesting because artists often</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> seem</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> to be concerned with variations of this question, which in essence is how hard was it to make this body of work? I think many artists have little faith in work that comes too quickly and/or easily. Thinking about this apparent conundrum has prompted me to write about my body of work about childhood memories of summer vacations, <i><a href="http://www.paulromaniuk.ca/photos/summer/summer_index.html">That Summer at the Lake</a></i>.</span></div>
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Silver gelatin prints from <i>That Summer at the Lake</i></div>
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So, how did I go about this project? Well, the first "confession" is that I did not set out to make a project, much less one specifically about childhood memories of summer vacations. In essence, my art practice is largely process-driven. By which I mean that generally when I make art, everything begins with decisions about the physical process of the making: if I'm painting, I may decide to take a large piece of watercolour paper, soak it until there is water standing on the surface and begin to pour diluted paint on that surface, moving the paint around with a hairdryer to create organic lines and shapes while the paint dries unevenly. I haven't set out to make a painting of a specific image, I've set out to experiment with different ways of diluting paints and different ways of pushing them around a wet surface. As such, I choose to follow the process where ever it leads me.</div>
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With my photography practice, I'm often concerned with ways to push a method of making images. In the case of <i>That Summer at the Lake</i>, everything started with a question I was curious about: what would happen if I took rolls of 120 film, first making images with a Holga camera with a 4.5X6 cm mask, then re-rolled the film and made images overtop of the first exposures using a Holga with a 6X6 cm mask? I wanted to see how the imperfectly overlapping images looked, and what kind of story they might tell. So at this point, I was just setting out to try a somewhat crazy idea with no idea if the resulting film will be printable, much less interesting. Another crucial part of the puzzle was my decision to go to a nearby lake to test out this idea.</div>
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So far, this doesn't sound like much of a project (in fact the idea of doing a project was far from my mind). However, there is a very fundamental basis to much of the photography I do. I'm consumed with exploring the landscape, not it's grand vistas but the intimate spaces the landscape consists of. I grew up in an industrial steel town back east, but since the age of 8 I have spent a great deal of time exploring whatever forests, woods, rivers, streams, ponds, lakes (and more recently oceans and the sea shore) I could find near where I live. Strangely, this was just something that I was intuitively comfortable with even as young as 8. I was alone but not lonely, I was untutored in natural science and history, but endlessly inquisitive. I sought out quiet places in the woods, and there was a favourite pond I would spend hours at, catching tadpoles and bringing them home to watch them metamorphose into frogs. As I've moved around the world since adulthood, I've still sought out these places, making photographs of them and always finding comfort in them. Living on the west coast, I've become accustomed to rain forests and the shore line. But I have a special place in my heart for lakes and the woods that surround them.</div>
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So every time I go out into the landscape with a camera, these connections drive what I see and what I make images of; this in turn provides for the opportunity to produce a cohesive series of images even when everything begins with a process-driven "what if" question.</div>
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On the day this all began, I went to the lake and first made images with four rolls of film in the Holga with the 4.5X6 cm mask, choosing views and subjects that reflected my concerns and specific affinities for the lake. Everything did not go smoothly - the re-rolling of the 120 films was problematic because the end of the film is not taped to the backing paper, and tended to bunch up when I re-rolled the films. However, I carried on with the idea by overlaying fresh images on top of the exposed films using the 6X6 cm mask in the Holga. Once I developed the films, I could see they were very dense but likely printable, and I could see that there were interesting things happening from the overlapping frames.</div>
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One of the decisions I made about two years ago was to stop scanning black and white negatives in favour of producing silver gelatin prints. I am far from being a great darkroom printer, but I love making hand-crafted prints and enjoy the time I can spend in the darkroom. It was only as I started printing the images that I became excited by the possibilities for meaning that they held, and after a few prints were made I began to see a connection between what I was viewing and my memories of family vacations from my childhood.</div>
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My dad preferred a vacation where we either rented a cottage (rarely) or camped beside a lake with a sandy beach. He would sit out in the sun all day for two weeks, and I remember playing in the water, on the beach and going off into the woods to make up stories and adventures. As more of the images were printed, this connection became stronger and stronger. The physical process of producing the prints and being able to hold them as physical objects to ponder over, strengthened the meaning of the work considerably. In the end, those four rolls of film yielded 15 images that formed a cohesive body of work.</div>
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When I first saw the developed film, my inclination was to plan to make more images this way - after all, four rolls of film couldn't possibly be sufficient to produce a strong series of images. One day, four films - not possible. Yet my decision to hand-print the images instead of scanning the film slowed everything down. I work full time, so I'm lucky if I can get into the darkroom twice a month. As the images unfolded slowly during the printing process, I had the time to see the series build up and to "be" with the images. By the time the printing was finished, I completely understood that this project that wasn't a project was complete - I could not honestly see any gaps requiring new images. In fact, I have not gone back to use this method of double-shooting film for any other project so far.</div>
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Naturally, this was not the end of the process of completing the body of work. Works were titled as they brought to me fragmentary memories of those childhood vacations mixed up almost certainly with other experiences and stories I had made up for myself when I was a child. I scanned the prints, wrote a brief artist statement about the images and posted the work and statement on my <a href="http://www.paulromaniuk.ca/">website</a>. I haven't had to make decisions about exhibiting this work yet, although I know that if it is exhibited I will keep the prints small and intimate. I suspect that the best presentation of this work will be in the format of a book that can be held and pondered over for a longer period of time.</div>
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Coming back to the title of this post, this body of work came about from a concept that was all about the process of making the images - re-exposing film, using a toycamera, using different film masks. To understand the meaning of the resulting images requires some knowledge of how they are positioned in the context of my continuing exploration of the landscape and my connection to it as a place of intimate spaces, an exploration that spans from my childhood to the present day.</div>
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Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10862623910757236075noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8249657679940822851.post-42018006134478192512011-08-30T06:00:00.000-07:002011-08-30T06:00:12.808-07:00Art needs to exist off-lineThe internet is great for disseminating one's work, and it's great to learn about work being made by people you would probably never meet. I'm also learning that it's a useful networking tool within certain limits. But recent experiences confirm that for me (and others), it's important that art have a physical presence because of the ways that physicality can expand the experience for both artist and viewer.<br />
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I was recently discussing by e-mail a project that a photographer friend from San Francisco was working on, which involved taking a single subject (a tree) and exploring its form and meaning by different photographic approaches. She had initially been inspired to do so by the Wallace Stevens poem "Thirteen ways of looking at a blackbird". I suggested that she look at Jennifer Bartlett's work "In the Garden", which was a year-long project Bartlett did where she explored a somewhat mundane garden in the house she lived in for a year in France by making a series of paintings and drawings using different media, different perspectives and different scales. My friend found Bartlett's work to be helpful as her project developed, and she recently posted her first series of images as a 4X4 grid (as a working model for the presentation of the work). As we discussed the work further, I was struck by how rigid and limiting on-line presentations of images can be - there are very few decisions to be made with regard to final size of the work, differences in scale, differences in materials. We had an interesting discussion of how the impact of the work would change if it was hung as a series of installations in a gallery, with different scales, printed on different papers, some images isolated while others were grouped - all of these possibilities opening new avenues to explore the meaning of the work. Few of them are available with on-line presentation. Our discussion made me think a great deal of how these factors play into the presentation of my own work. Making the image, whether digitally or on film, is just the first step in a process that leads to the actual work whether its an online presentation or a physical one; there are just a lot more options to give meaning to the work with physical presentation.<br />
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I recently took some of my gravure proof prints and tintypes to a dinner party with friends. Two of the friends are collectors who have generously acquired a couple of pieces from me in the past. As they looked over the work, it was interesting to see how they appreciated the works as physical objects. We had an interesting discussion about the differences in scale of the gravure prints, Alex commenting that he actually preferred the smaller images that allowed him a more intimate feeling in looking at the work. Since both the 8X8 and 5X5 images were printed on 11X15 sheets of paper, this lead to a discussion of scale of the image within the scale of the substrate. As it turned out, because the gravure proofs were made in a workshop, I didn't have control over the size of paper available, and I found the discussion thought-provoking and timely as I have started printing a small series of kallitype images - what size should the image be, and on what size paper. These decisions affect a viewer's experience of the work in important ways.<br />
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During an e-mail correspondence, another friend mentioned that she really liked a tintype image I had posted on this blog of cherries in a copper bowl. I dropped in to visit with her a few days later, and brought that tintype along with a few others. It was wonderful to watch her pick them up and play with different angles of viewing them in the light. She mentioned that at first she had expected, really wanted them to be larger (the plates are 3.5 X 4.5) but that as she looked at them further she was beginning to like the smaller scale. She then went on to make a little mini-installation of 3-4 plates, which lead to a discussion of how one might display these tintypes that I found very useful. I enjoyed talking about the work with her, and learning from her reactions to the work how I might continue the project in terms of making additional images and ways to present the final work.<br />
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For me, these two experiences were far richer as a way of receiving feedback on my work, and of learning more about how my decisions on scale and presentation affect the viewer experience than any online interaction I've had over my work. It was the physicality of the tintypes and prints that were the foundation for this richer experience. I'm not about to abandon what the online platform offers in terms of interactions, broadening the audience for my work or finding interesting work by other artists. But I sense that for me and my work, that could never be enough.Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10862623910757236075noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8249657679940822851.post-58984568313401784062011-08-23T18:11:00.000-07:002011-08-23T18:11:29.551-07:00Seeking Answers to an Unknown Question<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzb6_twogsOcI8rKh8xWl_cw6o1Z8UuSXOGk0GU-rZZLnazBGzSJHFwwbvdSoV1pS-Y0GqoGoVhVs-_BnqRAJuU55GCIAbq4E-0BwF5XFRLqix1qbmmy2-CyJbE2a1T9itUtBBxxkQeOEn/s1600/11_08_22_Kallitype_Scan_007_blog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="270" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzb6_twogsOcI8rKh8xWl_cw6o1Z8UuSXOGk0GU-rZZLnazBGzSJHFwwbvdSoV1pS-Y0GqoGoVhVs-_BnqRAJuU55GCIAbq4E-0BwF5XFRLqix1qbmmy2-CyJbE2a1T9itUtBBxxkQeOEn/s320/11_08_22_Kallitype_Scan_007_blog.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>from "Ten Kallitypes for a Rainy Day"</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This weekend I began selecting floral images to make into a series of kallitype prints. I started with ten images which I had previously made during my "Daily Practice" exercise from last year, and converted them into digital negatives for printing. Yesterday when it was raining and I didn't feel like going to work, I played hooky and made small proof prints of the negatives. Although the finished body of work will be more than these ten images (and the final prints will be on larger sheets of paper), I quickly sequenced the images and began internally referring to them as ten kallitypes for a rainy day. You can see the complete series of images at the end of this post.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">But something odd happened during this process - I began to feel a bit of uncertainty and anxiety about this series, which I've been trying to puzzle through. For one thing, it was a different way of working for me - I usually have some objective or definition in mind at the start of a project (although that may change as things progress), but in this case I was pulling images together from an archive. So the working method here was different, and perhaps explains part of the uncertainty (do I feel like this is cheating in some way? will the final work be cohesive or will it be disjointed?). Yet when I look at the little series of images I've come up with, it seems to flow well and I like the different perspectives, the emphasis on patterns, negative space, flowing lines and shapes, different textures and tones.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">One problem with flowers as a subject is the fact this is a subject that's been done to death. It's overworked and difficult to make images that say anything new about flowers. They're beautiful, we know they're beautiful, we hardly need reminding that they're beautiful. Artists who've tried to find the dark side of flowers (can it even exist?) only make them seem even more beautiful. In our house my wife likes to announce "these flowers are ready for their portrait" when the cut flowers in the vase are dried and drooping (this is a joking reference to my love of such a subject). So flowers as photography subject - so cliché, so over, so done. Yet I constantly come back to them as subject matter - am I crazy to do so? I wonder.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I think this not knowing why I come back to flowers is what's causing this anxiety and uncertainty about this work. I know there's a question I'm investigating, trying to answer by making these images - but I don't know what that question is. So perhaps I've solved my dilemma - I'm compelled to make images of flowers because I'm seeking answers to an unknown question. What I do know from making these images is that I'm drawn not to the "conventional" beauty of flowers - the brilliant colours. I'm drawn to a tension between their superficial uniformity within a type, and their uniqueness - i.e. the little things that make one red tulip (for example) different from all the others. I also seem to be exploring ways to accentuate the characteristics that I personally find beautiful - those curving lines, delicate tones, the patterns within a grouping and the negative spaces defined by the grouping, formal compositional relationships between individual flowers or plants within the frame, differences in textures. Images of flowers often invoke an emotional response in viewers, and I'm learning how that response is related to these characteristics of flowers and how they are brought together in the composition. When I am photographing flowers I'm look at them as if I was drawing them, and it's those qualities of flowers I want to present to viewers of my images.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Perhaps that sounds as if I know what the question is, but I don't - I constantly return to make images of flowers, but I'm not sure exactly why. And with a bit more time to reflect on that, I'll be fine with it. I might come to like this idea of seeking answers to an unknown question.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>Ten Kallitypes for a Rainy Day</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div>Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10862623910757236075noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8249657679940822851.post-79584659443561475412011-08-21T16:12:00.000-07:002011-08-21T16:12:22.218-07:00A sublime Sunday - Wet Plate and Friends<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv0SqFfssLchQ4giqckKRnPD6_Ndw8p-0RKkm6rbNhUb0KrDGYjDxMJPUVAtMoZ7K_gZ7dILhuoC89ATADq_gpjKEyIC3luLCYyaeqrpzuJ9Z2tfFzmCn8aefF16E1FsLTdfR0AyY4hqu9/s1600/11_08_21_WP_Scan_001_blog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv0SqFfssLchQ4giqckKRnPD6_Ndw8p-0RKkm6rbNhUb0KrDGYjDxMJPUVAtMoZ7K_gZ7dILhuoC89ATADq_gpjKEyIC3luLCYyaeqrpzuJ9Z2tfFzmCn8aefF16E1FsLTdfR0AyY4hqu9/s320/11_08_21_WP_Scan_001_blog.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>The Stone Diaries I</i></div><div style="text-align: center;">wet plate collodion tintype</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">This morning as I was drinking tea on the studio porch, I was thinking how my day might unfold: make some new tintypes; meet with a dear friend Jan for coffee; make some kallitype prints. Here's how the day has progressed so far (it's late afternoon here).</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">After a brief ride on the bike, I came back to find the sun full and bright in the back yard - perfect tintype conditions. I made four plates in total: two still lifes and two garden views, working in partly cloudy direct light, full on direct light and open shade. At this stage of my adventures in wet plate collodion, I like to mix and match conditions so that I become better at reading the light for determining exposure times, and also so I can get a better feel for how differences in light change the qualities (depth and contrast in particular) of the resulting images.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">For the first plate of the day, I set up a table for still lifes, and picked up two rocks my wife had brought home. Elena has a strong affinity for "special" rocks and often picks up unusual examples based on shape, colours and textures. Once I saw the image on the ground glass, I imagined doing a series of images ("The Stone Diaries"), so I may well have another theme to work with as I continue to deepen my experience with wet plate. I then set up a still life with zucchini, watermelon and a half of an avocado in bright direct light:</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghnn09qGjxPP9KUscuM_TYpIepRCyPyFePaoLje9LE6ZyZeVuwt4I9PR8z_bwdj-CcdstUQJwqMSyH1vmg41ziHSIF5MkX1NB_9JoeIe5-uAGLUrbUL_h3tvTig58s0AbKsTTxtgsJ0nc6/s1600/11_08_21_WP_Scan_002_blog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="249" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghnn09qGjxPP9KUscuM_TYpIepRCyPyFePaoLje9LE6ZyZeVuwt4I9PR8z_bwdj-CcdstUQJwqMSyH1vmg41ziHSIF5MkX1NB_9JoeIe5-uAGLUrbUL_h3tvTig58s0AbKsTTxtgsJ0nc6/s320/11_08_21_WP_Scan_002_blog.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Still life with zucchini, melon and avocado</i></div><div style="text-align: center;">wet plate collodion tintype</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Now that I have more experience, I knew based on the still life images I made last week that I should stop down the lens for a 5 second exposure. Creases in the canvas ground provided a geometrical element to the composition that accentuates the organic shapes of the vegetables.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Finally, I did some work in open shade, making two views of the garden: the graceful bend of a japanese maple, and a rock element within the fern bed. I'm learning from these plates that open shade seems to lead to a higher contrast image:</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRb6uKvl-06TezLwtYZknAVS_OtYC-GSwwn3SNZ_LbK14Zr_7u7L21P89gkh1O_MvAKETN_v6mUv3gvlSUECCtH273MXwuVlMGiMOY6EN1KKgi7glemsjnRqRYt2ObnLH_F4Ki5MIfC3jc/s1600/11_08_21_WP_Scan_003_blog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="248" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRb6uKvl-06TezLwtYZknAVS_OtYC-GSwwn3SNZ_LbK14Zr_7u7L21P89gkh1O_MvAKETN_v6mUv3gvlSUECCtH273MXwuVlMGiMOY6EN1KKgi7glemsjnRqRYt2ObnLH_F4Ki5MIfC3jc/s320/11_08_21_WP_Scan_003_blog.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Japanese maple</i></div><div style="text-align: center;">wet plate collodion tintype</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhunRDmp2YLkrIObd3IjAeCQ6Er6WfCUZzCelrBCx_2pp5f-J9aC8y9oG6zlfFQEbnhVJpsMyvESk9rgro0Ir-b4NqCBiNPwul5f87oVqBYUpG0dBHYIWvugec2RfM9Ref1-VIiuMtaqanI/s1600/11_08_21_WP_Scan_004_blog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhunRDmp2YLkrIObd3IjAeCQ6Er6WfCUZzCelrBCx_2pp5f-J9aC8y9oG6zlfFQEbnhVJpsMyvESk9rgro0Ir-b4NqCBiNPwul5f87oVqBYUpG0dBHYIWvugec2RfM9Ref1-VIiuMtaqanI/s320/11_08_21_WP_Scan_004_blog.jpg" width="246" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Fern bed</i></div><div style="text-align: center;">wet plate collodion tintype</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">I decided to stop and clean up at that point, keeping to this principle of doing "just enough" to strengthen the consistency of my plate pouring, exposure and processing before I get to the point where I lose concentration.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">A short while later, my friend Xane called to invite me over to his place for lunch with Jan. Jan is a mutual friend who moved away to Vancouver, so it's always a treat to catch up with her when she comes over to the island for a visit. Such impromptu invitations are unusual in this town, but we're all comfortable enough with each other to get together at a moment's notice. And Xane's place is a little bit of Tuscan peacefulness in the heart of the city suburbs.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">We started with a throw back to our childhoods: grilled cheese sandwiches that Xane made with local cheddar and a hearty full grain bread, beans straight from the garden freshly steamed, then small sweets and watermelon. We talked about our childhood memories around food, family gatherings and picnics. After lunch I did a little show and tell of some of my tintypes and photogravure prints. Both Jan and Xane are experienced artists whose knowledge and work I greatly respect, so it was wonderful to get some feedback on this recent work from them. We finished the afternoon draped over the furniture, napping and conversing in complete relaxation.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">With coffee turning into a delightful lunch and time spent in conversation, I've only just now returned home. I still hope to complete my pre-visualized day by making a few kallitype proof prints.</div>Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10862623910757236075noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8249657679940822851.post-31956342448882685632011-08-16T05:30:00.000-07:002011-08-16T05:30:03.748-07:00Zucchini for Edward and Charis<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzg94YxG9Q5KtH0cYvGpBB7mo4dhSss6uPuWlHUdivfRp0rb6xp2TQ-5WUYrDZimufn-xV-xSeOHknzlF1Mq0X9C509BieT9545VTUKa94gK46uiNWTiSa-0yt_MGmkX-GVqa10lngWTtV/s1600/11_08_14_WP_Scan_004_blog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="248" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzg94YxG9Q5KtH0cYvGpBB7mo4dhSss6uPuWlHUdivfRp0rb6xp2TQ-5WUYrDZimufn-xV-xSeOHknzlF1Mq0X9C509BieT9545VTUKa94gK46uiNWTiSa-0yt_MGmkX-GVqa10lngWTtV/s320/11_08_14_WP_Scan_004_blog.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Zucchini</i></div><div style="text-align: center;">(wet plate tintype)</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Yesterday I felt somewhat recovered from the photopolymer gravure workshop, and felt an urge to round out the experience by making a few tintypes. When I walked into the kitchen after getting up, I was confronted with five zucchini freshly harvested from the garden by Elena, including several that were gigantic. After the end of my last wet plate session, I had been thinking that I'd like to embark on a series of still life images as a way solidify my technique and as a visual exercise. The zucchini seemed an ideal subject to work with.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">At the moment I'm happy to restrict myself to making about 4-5 plates per session. This restriction allows me to work while I'm still fresh (i.e. before I succumb to the ether fumes! [it's actually not that bad]) which I think is important to strengthening those neural networks and muscle memory I'm building by using consistent technique. Working to the point of being tired will inevitably lead to making mistakes, which come from deviations from consistent working habits and work against the reinforcement of the neural pathways. I'm not worried about making bad plates or having failures per se, but I want to first get down a really consistent working method.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">The plate above is the last plate I made yesterday - after working on the wider compositions shown below, I wanted to get in tighter to really emphasize the textures, lines and colour patterns of the zucchini. One of the zucchini had a shape that made me think of a famous nude photograph that Edward Weston took of Charis stretched out sinuously on the sand dunes at high noon. I was making these images at that same time of day, setting up the still lifes on the south facing deck behind the house in bright direct sunlight. So I made this plate as a memento mori of Weston's famous image:</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjKJzUQteSAA2uFe9MQAwghWw5hZNwjnOxzdL4qHUyZ4kJHcPV_6LuJJGw59N55DvsOCOBdlqy0XVRe6omBXXWS5ZS06EbS3vweW34HuX4Bcq7Z6_gYi8UAOA9EssAnEGwpS0gAdczG6z7/s1600/11_08_14_WP_Scan_002_blog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="248" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjKJzUQteSAA2uFe9MQAwghWw5hZNwjnOxzdL4qHUyZ4kJHcPV_6LuJJGw59N55DvsOCOBdlqy0XVRe6omBXXWS5ZS06EbS3vweW34HuX4Bcq7Z6_gYi8UAOA9EssAnEGwpS0gAdczG6z7/s320/11_08_14_WP_Scan_002_blog.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Zucchini for Edward and Charis</i></div><div style="text-align: center;">(wet plate tintype)</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">While I was working with the zucchini, I remembered that I had a large etched copper bowl that I had made in a workshop a number of years ago (if you're beginning to think I'm a workshop junky, I understand). I used the bowl as a back drop for some luscious cherries to make this image:</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5LEdsvEicW1xhHssW3_Ned7umvBGsRO60vVjvsx12TMqnWLatnxTMEmwQusBnlURojMuDh_ZgdDZ6Fvzmlfgdm6nCwRrsQCwFsOS6AL-mo-t1yyBpW_imBS2ShUfblPqufz2HCIK0sh8H/s1600/11_08_14_WP_Scan_003_blog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5LEdsvEicW1xhHssW3_Ned7umvBGsRO60vVjvsx12TMqnWLatnxTMEmwQusBnlURojMuDh_ZgdDZ6Fvzmlfgdm6nCwRrsQCwFsOS6AL-mo-t1yyBpW_imBS2ShUfblPqufz2HCIK0sh8H/s320/11_08_14_WP_Scan_003_blog.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Cherries in a copper bowl</i></div><div style="text-align: center;">(wet plate tintype)</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">I think it would have been interesting to make a plate of this set up in open shade, similar to the lighting of the first plate above. However, as I look at these last two images, I'm struck by how much I like this harsher, direct lighting of these still lifes. It reminds me of the lighting one sees in images Weston, Tina Modotti and Manuel Alvarez Bravo made in Mexico.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">I'm not pushing any great photographic boundaries by making these still life images, but it is a new way of working for me and I am excited by the endless possibilities. I like these elegant, simple compositions which I think match the seductive qualities of the wet plate process quite well. Looking at the plates a day later, I feel a strong desire to keep making these types of images.</div>Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10862623910757236075noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8249657679940822851.post-46867991443369257892011-08-14T06:00:00.000-07:002011-08-14T06:00:07.782-07:00Photopolymer Gravure Workshop with Don Messec<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTDwOsOtP1dF1GRTMc5etvSk3PI4M7UvUri4R5ttI0x2e-xI8YJ-kpZVoONxHojTwfh_Zbx3L-esYxEw_UqW2MlH1527fCscM6vXqpVeWBT_byJXGvjYqqCfwAivz59XDvygC3bufCVRq8/s1600/11_08_12_IMG_1530_Edit_blog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTDwOsOtP1dF1GRTMc5etvSk3PI4M7UvUri4R5ttI0x2e-xI8YJ-kpZVoONxHojTwfh_Zbx3L-esYxEw_UqW2MlH1527fCscM6vXqpVeWBT_byJXGvjYqqCfwAivz59XDvygC3bufCVRq8/s320/11_08_12_IMG_1530_Edit_blog.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Elk Lake, New Year's Day 2011</i></div><div style="text-align: center;">Paul Romaniuk</div><div style="text-align: center;">Photopolymer gravure print</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">How do I judge whether a workshop I've just taken was successful? By the level of fatigue I feel the day after it ends. If I've become totally engrossed and engaged in the process being taught, I find I barely sleep for the entire length of the workshop because I'm over-stimulated (occupational hazard of the introvert). It's the day after a 5 day workshop with <a href="http://www.makingartsafely.com/MakingArtSafely.html">Don Messec</a> on photopolymer gravure that was held at <a href="http://www.luzgallery.com/">Lúz Gallery</a> and I'm totally wiped. It was just that outstanding!</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipGs_UBshjlUXxNCRUDcVN6HKAjB9vHnfUWBlOnDTHfhOeuBa3RtTnOw5U1dcL4sWW6TAylB92AhZ4aKtUk1eZ-nTzoUfrbDRhWSTdIHiVorT-d496wmV6paaYvvH_9NfmISn7BiA56YeG/s1600/11_08_12_IMG_1526_blog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipGs_UBshjlUXxNCRUDcVN6HKAjB9vHnfUWBlOnDTHfhOeuBa3RtTnOw5U1dcL4sWW6TAylB92AhZ4aKtUk1eZ-nTzoUfrbDRhWSTdIHiVorT-d496wmV6paaYvvH_9NfmISn7BiA56YeG/s320/11_08_12_IMG_1526_blog.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Tanya's plate on the press, ready for printing</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Don is gregarious, opinionated, sharp-witted, extremely knowledgeable and simply an excellent teacher. He has done extensive research into methods of printmaking from the position of always questioning whether there is a safer and better way to make prints. His research into gravure printing has resulted in a safe process using photopolymer "solarplates" (that are developed in water and are non-toxic) and soy-based Akua intaglio inks. Don's process results in prints that exceed the quality achieved with traditional gravure methods that involve working with extremely hazardous chemicals and toxic ink formulations. So not just safer, but better prints as well.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq_rsgkXApiHb3qlzEs0m-HUCnUpc6WY6Onlfe8w7myNU-wyDPv9AAzFyH547zHUBAS3-Vw_yzs0sSnhH61QkeNuycoARlDvfbEGRy4z7FDsh2IU2kdOmfYgiVuBki9FJvM24ivC1jkIJf/s1600/11_08_12_IMG_1521_blog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq_rsgkXApiHb3qlzEs0m-HUCnUpc6WY6Onlfe8w7myNU-wyDPv9AAzFyH547zHUBAS3-Vw_yzs0sSnhH61QkeNuycoARlDvfbEGRy4z7FDsh2IU2kdOmfYgiVuBki9FJvM24ivC1jkIJf/s320/11_08_12_IMG_1521_blog.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Some of the plates from the workshop</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">I knew right from the start that this was going to be a great learning experience. Don began by telling us that he was definitely going to teach us how to make photopolymer gravure prints, but his top priority was to give us the information and teach us the skills to get the process up and running in our own studios with our own equipment.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">In a nutshell, the process involves printing a positive image on a transparency using an inkjet printer, and then laying that transparency on top of a photopolymer plate to expose it to UV light, which hardens the emulsion on the plate according to how much light each area receives as it passes through the image on the transparency. Success relies on two key aspects: knowing what the optimal exposure time is, and knowing how to adjust the image before printing the transparency to hold detail in the shadows on the exposed photopolymer plate. It would have been far easier for Don to do all the pre-testing of the equipment to determine optimal exposure time and tonal adjustments the day before the workshop, so he could just "dial us in". Everyone would have immediately begun making good prints using the parameters he had pre-determined, but we would have been completely clueless how to accomplish that same level of achievement once the workshop was over and we were in our own studios.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Instead we worked as a group to make the test plates that were used to determine the optimal exposure time with the simple UV unit on hand, and then followed that with the necessary testing to determine how much to adjust the black point of the digital image to get a full tonal range on the final print. Don involved us all in the analysis of the test prints and explained the criteria that he uses to determine the optimal exposure and black point adjustment. It helped clarify the process for all of us.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimMumFHxYXtEBFbLV0EIM7yQYIeet5I3OyHCVlPi5MoAxwFW37uMDjncfbvqhJ5b4nVkGPt1K607tD6niyAeDGNq-vzMRRRAB-vxb7YoBxHmG_H7mjakD0LDpcsCTmiNIoMCpURl9s6SL8/s1600/11_08_12_IMG_1522_blog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimMumFHxYXtEBFbLV0EIM7yQYIeet5I3OyHCVlPi5MoAxwFW37uMDjncfbvqhJ5b4nVkGPt1K607tD6niyAeDGNq-vzMRRRAB-vxb7YoBxHmG_H7mjakD0LDpcsCTmiNIoMCpURl9s6SL8/s320/11_08_12_IMG_1522_blog.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Heather and Lynda inking plates, Tanya at the press</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Would you agree to teach a course on stripping down and reassembling a diesel engine to a group of people who ranged from those who barely knew how to start their cars to others who had designed engines for decades? Pretty daunting task isn't it, not something most people would contemplate. Then add in the ringer that you aren't teaching this class in your well equipped shop, nor in some other garage, but in a pizza parlour with a good set of wrenches. It takes a special person to pull that off (and a good set of wrenches).</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">That's close to what Don agreed to do - come from his world class studio in Santa Fe to teach photopolymer gravure in Victoria, except not at an another artist's printmaking studio, but in an art gallery. The gallery is owned by Diana Millar and Quinton Gordon who together have a passion for building local capacity for making fine prints by a variety of methods - inkjet printing, traditional darkroom work, such "alt" processes as platinum/palladium printing, and also photogravure. The owners in question had a "good set of wrenches" - an etching press donated by a local artist, a space that could be dedicated for a week to the purpose of giving the workshop, and a ton of expertise in photo editing and printing with computers and high quality printers. Don drove up from Santa Fe carrying whatever else he could think would be needed to give the workshop.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSbp7-GmqbWAkUdND-UMX7KqiPcLTpczh01gojublZNvYN2Xq81kkIg75rab61ePir1zJwrmqeKH_gW5RhPi5TooBcd-SUDOyyGOkRSU9kOJv-nTq09w2XEGMDwKqZhIvn9zxl6e6zaEfN/s1600/11_08_12_IMG_1533_blog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="244" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSbp7-GmqbWAkUdND-UMX7KqiPcLTpczh01gojublZNvYN2Xq81kkIg75rab61ePir1zJwrmqeKH_gW5RhPi5TooBcd-SUDOyyGOkRSU9kOJv-nTq09w2XEGMDwKqZhIvn9zxl6e6zaEfN/s320/11_08_12_IMG_1533_blog.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">The people taking the workshop were pretty evenly split between those who had never made an etching or other printmaking-type print in their lives, to several artists who had significant printmaking experience. Add in the differences in the level of expertise with editing images on a computer (as one student announced at the start of the class "I almost blew up my computer putting my images on that thing-a-majig" aka usb stick drive), and perhaps you can appreciate why I think Don was incredibly brave to take on the task of teaching this workshop. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Everyone went away with successful plates and prints, which is a testament to how effective Don is as a teacher, and how successful Quinton and Diana are at finding and attracting outstanding instructors, and how resourceful they all are at doing whatever is necessary to make a workshop like this succeed. For example, I know that Quinton arranged this workshop in part because he wants to be able to add photopolymer gravure printing to his personal artistic practice. However, when it became apparent that several participants would need expert assistance with image preparation, he took off his student's hat and gladly took on the role of expert image editor which basically occupied him for the entire workshop. In addition, several of the more experienced printmakers in the group helped out less experienced students with their inking, plate wiping and printing questions when Don was busy helping other students expose and process plates.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2RekwBeKu8jR8fYo_EMKHOIc6EoaM7iBLOTR5IrgHFpVxlz4BvYGI60neXmAdPlMstrfToCBXsWriKMqQEKd-OfNB-uLkWiWJT4ccGuNUFhK634FrQGcjWJ-v6poMb4Jn_-jgSzvkWQko/s1600/11_08_12_IMG_1519_blog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2RekwBeKu8jR8fYo_EMKHOIc6EoaM7iBLOTR5IrgHFpVxlz4BvYGI60neXmAdPlMstrfToCBXsWriKMqQEKd-OfNB-uLkWiWJT4ccGuNUFhK634FrQGcjWJ-v6poMb4Jn_-jgSzvkWQko/s320/11_08_12_IMG_1519_blog.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Heather pulls a gorgeous print off the press</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Well - sounds like everything went swimmingly, doesn't it? Yes, yes it did although by a very circuitous route through initial failure and intensive problem solving. We were using 8"x10" solarplates with a simple gravity contact method - place solarplate face up, place transparency face down, cover with 1/2" plate glass and expose. The first couple of plates made gave very promising prints which were a bit dark but otherwise had good tonal range and outstanding line detail. Then an interesting problem arose - images with larger areas of light grey tones showed "measles" - random, small darker toned circles within the large grey area. In printmaking, large "flat" areas of light tones are always a technical challenge, regardless of whether printing by screen, litho plate or etching plate.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Well, as strange as it seems, this turned out to be one of the most effective learning opportunities we could have hoped for. Being a teacher myself, it was a privilege to watch the way Don got everyone involved in discussing and testing possible solutions to this problem. I think a large part of the "buy in" by the group was the atmosphere in the workshop - there was lots of lively discussion, witty repartee, back and forth teasing between Don and the students that was both entertaining and conducive to a relaxed environment. It took a day and a half and some late night testing by Don, but the problem was solved - the gravity system we were using wasn't giving complete contact between the transparency and the solarplate, leading to random differences in exposure in the large areas of flat tones. The solution was simple - just use plates smaller than 8x10, since the gravity frame provided good contact at smaller sizes. At that point everyone's work took off. More importantly we had all learned a great deal about the process and how to troubleshoot it if the need should arise in our own studios.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmIEWChERJBT7wt9CuHvZIyVmsdBrTNWyqTNoO6mltW1Y0AdEParYxTNo79HKxH4a2Ym3RX2seMyDkEGTDSLwvZcu5FC1CfUQGRwA3YDXeXuP0Dcr0k4UF4ADf4zL2r9wQGz_Ftxx-jRX7/s1600/11_08_12_IMG_1520_blog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmIEWChERJBT7wt9CuHvZIyVmsdBrTNWyqTNoO6mltW1Y0AdEParYxTNo79HKxH4a2Ym3RX2seMyDkEGTDSLwvZcu5FC1CfUQGRwA3YDXeXuP0Dcr0k4UF4ADf4zL2r9wQGz_Ftxx-jRX7/s320/11_08_12_IMG_1520_blog.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Just two of the many luscious prints pulled by other students in the workshop</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Once this problem was solved, the plates were coming out of the processing room at a steady rate, and beautiful prints were flying off the press. In his own studio workshops, Don has students use a vacuum frame to ensure perfect contact between transparency and print. Quinton had been searching for a vacuum frame for some time, and fortuitously on the last full day of printing, he got a lead on one locally. He took Don with him to evaluate it, and with a little TLC Lúz Gallery will have it up and running shortly. As the workshop came to an end, I think we had every surface in the space buried under plates and prints. Diana and Quinton have learned that printmakers are like an insidious fungus that rapidly grows to cover all available surfaces.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">I'm sure other students in the class will share their prints on their own websites or blogs. As for my own experience - absolutely sublime. I came with a range of images to test the process with, and have a valuable resource of prints to work from in my further experiments with this medium:</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwoYmI4m_ztHySbZqkJT2-NL3GGGue1R-EHH_1K3zOcTWbc14__2aqiUExrsTsrHK5Y4A30RX0r79RUCvcnOek1tN7_Zrm3gymqKVif5D8HhnRGlFi-JAcLDfYJAzMVBM_b0mOCqcRMvm1/s1600/11_08_12_IMG_1532_Edit_blog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwoYmI4m_ztHySbZqkJT2-NL3GGGue1R-EHH_1K3zOcTWbc14__2aqiUExrsTsrHK5Y4A30RX0r79RUCvcnOek1tN7_Zrm3gymqKVif5D8HhnRGlFi-JAcLDfYJAzMVBM_b0mOCqcRMvm1/s320/11_08_12_IMG_1532_Edit_blog.jpg" width="319" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKRjtcuDsctvxMLJ-OzH8IchJ5o7faghJaCazk5ahvQrVNKdh31OT-gZOR606iXL52Tx2Z8qQ6MxQsJ_jzRgBRTmel0H_Akywc_EYlNDGGbMHAsscSJMcuXyhsY-rDiamu1Ewn5a0Dtgm6/s1600/11_08_12_IMG_1534_Edit_blog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKRjtcuDsctvxMLJ-OzH8IchJ5o7faghJaCazk5ahvQrVNKdh31OT-gZOR606iXL52Tx2Z8qQ6MxQsJ_jzRgBRTmel0H_Akywc_EYlNDGGbMHAsscSJMcuXyhsY-rDiamu1Ewn5a0Dtgm6/s320/11_08_12_IMG_1534_Edit_blog.jpg" width="210" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7V-1gzvcvDZs3StMizG5wWNRli3XaGyENdchtM3h6_5Bb_4mFF0KG_lTepmgYubGsPgVEMvOukCl-LvyUdkFjk6rTpRqp9yVPfFh8J0LHBszFCRRRCYpnmR2iUn4HBj_utKgTlDEzhS90/s1600/11_08_12_IMG_1528_Edit_blog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7V-1gzvcvDZs3StMizG5wWNRli3XaGyENdchtM3h6_5Bb_4mFF0KG_lTepmgYubGsPgVEMvOukCl-LvyUdkFjk6rTpRqp9yVPfFh8J0LHBszFCRRRCYpnmR2iUn4HBj_utKgTlDEzhS90/s320/11_08_12_IMG_1528_Edit_blog.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</div>Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10862623910757236075noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8249657679940822851.post-91727303042483940572011-08-06T18:01:00.000-07:002011-08-06T18:01:45.377-07:00Lauren Henkin Workshop on MarketingToday I attended a workshop on a topic that until recently I never imagined I would ever sign up for - marketing for artists. I will confess up front that as an extreme introvert, the idea of meeting strangers, particularly with a request such as asking for a portfolio review, amps up the sweaty palms and nervous ticks. Even the idea of joining a group of strangers in a workshop environment can be a challenge for me. While my basic personality hasn't changed, what changed is my realization that if I want something like our nascent publishing idea <a href="http://www.studiocentrale.com/">Studio Centralé</a> to get off the ground, marketing is something that I need to learn about. And fortunately an opportunity presented itself to me with <a href="http://www.laurenhenkin.com/">Lauren Henkin</a>'s workshop at <a href="http://www.luzgallery.com/">Lúz Gallery</a>, a venue that I'm familiar with (they consistently host great workshops) where I have come to know Diana and Quinton, who own the gallery.<br />
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Well, as has often been the case in the past in this charmed life of mine, the decision to take this particular workshop on marketing for artists was precisely the right thing at the right time. Lauren is an extremely knowledgeable, energetic, open person who quickly engages the entire group in the enterprise of learning about marketing. As a photographer and self-published author (her <a href="http://www.laurenhenkinbooks.com/">handmade artist books</a> are exquisite), Lauren has directly experienced and dealt with the challenges facing the participants, which makes her a very relevant and effective leader for this kind of workshop. The group itself consisted of 15 people with an extremely broad range of backgrounds, interests and experience which is a testament to the high quality of the Lúz workshops - they attract a great cross section of people. And that in turn enriches the learning environment, since so many different points of view are expressed during discussions.<br />
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Early on, Lauren recounted an anecdote that explained her approach to teaching. It involved a math teacher who taught her how generally to construct theorems rather than memorize specific ones. As she recounted, this vastly opened up her understanding of mathematics. The story resonated with me because I had a similar experience - I slogged through organic chemistry as an undergraduate, robotically memorizing all the different functional groups and the reactions they could participate in. Then when I was a graduate student a chemistry prof taught a course that focused on reactive species (there are only a few main ones) and how to recognize which is likely to form under any given conditions - that greatly simplified and expanded my understanding of organic chemistry. I base my own teaching philosophy on that experience, trying to instil in my biochemistry students an understanding of the general applicability of underlying concepts, which in turn allows them to see relationships and applications in unexpected contexts. So I felt an immediate connection to Lauren's method of teaching.<br />
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In the case of the workshop today, Lauren's goal was to get us to think of how to approach marketing in a more general, broadly applicable sense rather than in a rote, rule-bound or stepwise approach limited by conventional thinking about photography markets. She accomplished this with a combination of a well designed, comprehensive handout, specific discussion of some key aspects of marketing and case studies that clearly demonstrated how what seems like a "round about" approach is often much more effective than a direct approach.<br />
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Lauren shared an anecdote that illustrated how an initial meeting with a person who wasn't a gallerist (but who liked her work) and who couldn't ostensibly directly help her resulted in an introduction to a gallerist, an impromptu show after pitching the idea of a book opening to that gallerist, which in turn lead to establishing a relationship with a collector. Does it seem convoluted? Perhaps. Does it seem unpredictable? Absolutely. Yet when Craig Semetko talked at Lúz Gallery two weeks ago, he told a similar story that wound its way from an initial meeting with a gallerist in Colorado, to a two person show with Henri Cartier Bresson, to travelling shows at Leica galleries in the US and Europe, to an introduction to one of the premier photobook publishers in Europe. In both Lauren's and Craig's stories, one important characteristic was their persistent work at keeping in touch with people and following up all opportunities that arose from that.<br />
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What I particularly appreciated about Lauren's fresh take on marketing was its very basic underlying principle - that a gallerist/publisher is first and foremost a human being and should be treated respectfully. In Lauren's case, she has approached such people with an offer to voluntarily lead a critique group, or to give an artist talk, to go to lunch after an initial introduction; in other words, to simply establish a relationship with the person in question without requests for a portfolio review or a studio visit. And to do that sincerely with the intent to get to know this person better and to become a contributing member of the local arts community. This idea was a very welcome one to me, the introvert. I'm only going to be comfortable trying to ask someone to look at my work or consider carrying my books in their gallery or shop if I have been able to get to know them.<br />
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Another important aspect of the workshop was navigating the question of "when are you ready for the next step", be it going to a portfolio review, approaching a gallery, self-publishing a book. Here Lauren's advice was to keep in touch with other artists, give careful consideration to your work and the feedback it receives (both positive and negative); to ask for the guidance/advice/critique of a few people whose work and opinions you respect. This idea was encapsulated very succinctly and effectively by the educator Sir Ken Robinson in a <a href="http://www.ted.com/speakers/sir_ken_robinson.html">TED presentation</a>, and in his book <i><a href="http://www.amazon.ca/Element-Finding-Passion-Changes-Everything/dp/0143116738/ref=pd_sim_b_1">The Element</a></i>, in what he refers to as finding your "tribe" - that is a group of people who share your passion. These are the people who can share your experience and who can hopefully be open and honest critics of each others work. While I've been part of tribes who shared my passion for printmaking and for painting, I need to establish a good group to work with in photography and book making/publishing.<br />
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This summary really only touches on a few of the highlights of a very excellent workshop. Lauren is wonderful at connecting with each person in a group, listening to their needs and concerns and responding in a helpful and supportive way. If you have an opportunity to take a workshop with Lauren, I'd highly recommend that you do.Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10862623910757236075noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8249657679940822851.post-49435464921823386972011-08-05T10:26:00.000-07:002011-08-05T10:26:54.702-07:00Weekend Wet Plate Adventures<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7u9G6o7piuD5swA5pN5deFLZrMDyvce5uT_ztaiv0ZaAXPZm8NC71RNs3Zc8jKtSU_TzJHsCmVRCdKURCACYHjHOZDZMTDzUYBa6_lMBYFXTEuOPG2JHTDQG28Pp_UbBSNtVqccBJIJ4f/s1600/11_07_30_WP_Scan_002_blog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7u9G6o7piuD5swA5pN5deFLZrMDyvce5uT_ztaiv0ZaAXPZm8NC71RNs3Zc8jKtSU_TzJHsCmVRCdKURCACYHjHOZDZMTDzUYBa6_lMBYFXTEuOPG2JHTDQG28Pp_UbBSNtVqccBJIJ4f/s320/11_07_30_WP_Scan_002_blog.jpg" width="249" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> <i>In the garden</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Last weekend I started on my solo wet plate collodion adventure. The day before the weekend arrived, I received a package in the mail from Niles Lund containing my silver bath, developer trays and modified film holders. I was excited about getting started, and in anticipation of getting these final items, I had mixed a batch of salted collodion the day before. It was still quite cloudy, so I also mixed a small batch of a "quick clear" collodion recipe that I found on-line. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Before I could get started, I needed to source some glass plates and black trophy aluminum. A friend of mine owns a framing store, and I stopped in to ask if they would cut some 4"X5" glass plates for me. He was happy to do so (at no charge!), which pleased me no end since I was assured of having something to work with. I next went to a local trophy store - the people there were very nice and helpful, and I ordered plates in 3.5" X 4.5", 4" X 5" and 7.5" X 9.5" to fit my various holders. No problem, and they would be ready in 30 minutes. That was a pleasant surprise - I was expecting the usual "two to three business days". When I returned the plates were ready, but came with a shocker of a sticker price! At $0.30 per square inch, my order was over $200 before taxes (each 4"x5" plate was $6, each 7.5"X9.5" plate was $20!). Pleased to have material to work with, but resolved to finding a less expensive source in the future. It's good though to know that there is a local source that can help out in a pinch.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Later in the afternoon, I picked up the glass plates that my friend's assistant had cut, and lovingly interleaved with mat board off cuts - 20 sheets to play with! The euphoria lasted until I arrived home to discover that all the plates were larger than 4"x5" by 1/8" in one or both dimensions and wouldn't fit into the holder. Lesson learned - take the holder with me when I want glass plates cut so that the requirements are fully understood. I'll have to individually grind each plate down before I can use them. Still, they were free and a kind gesture from a friend.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Another problem I'll have to deal with is pouring, sensitizing and developing plates. Collodion is a mixture of volatile, highly flammable solvents. Since my darkroom is in the basement of the house, which also has gas furnace and hot water tank, pouring the plates in the house is just not going to work. In addition, my wife is extremely sensitive to odours (which can trigger horrible migraine headaches). I plan to build a dark box to do the plate pouring and processing outside in the garden. For this weekend, I was able to take advantage of my wife being away to try a process where I poured the collodion onto the plate outside (it doesn't have to be in the dark), then sensitize the plate in my darkroom and develop it there after exposure. This keeps the level of volatile fumes (and particularly flammable materials) to a very low amount - not a permanent solution but one that let me do some playing this past weekend.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">As it was a holiday weekend, I had three days to get my first "solo" experience with wet plate since taking the workshop with Joni Sternbach. I started with the smallest aluminum plates, using a modified 4X5 holder and my Shen Hao field camera. The image you see above is the second plate I produced using the camera. With this exposure as a guide, I made two additional plates using simple subjects from the garden:</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2VZonfQWaeC1-JV7QkedZI4U1g5bwJ9O-mPmtO4tgQuB-zGWlq7l8VMJPu-_CEhoaqnppaF9HwGqJTFstOoTu3kPm64O254p2doWeDCaBml3dTbzi65MjGg_fjiIE51Ufix4c6dE5KpEW/s1600/11_07_30_WP_Scan_003_blog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="252" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2VZonfQWaeC1-JV7QkedZI4U1g5bwJ9O-mPmtO4tgQuB-zGWlq7l8VMJPu-_CEhoaqnppaF9HwGqJTFstOoTu3kPm64O254p2doWeDCaBml3dTbzi65MjGg_fjiIE51Ufix4c6dE5KpEW/s320/11_07_30_WP_Scan_003_blog.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Mexican planter</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBsv2zYJvWA2ObSCe1nOhh71aDVZK_QQQUyplgvAoa_fDHSJU07zdfv_VtcFpEiSR8MXETcgiDySXxnFP1XQZnpY-XINDaCJclPW0siM9pLBOWA_UjjwEcY2HVxFvze1hBNPgMtnO9yj6x/s1600/11_07_30_WP_Scan_004_blog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBsv2zYJvWA2ObSCe1nOhh71aDVZK_QQQUyplgvAoa_fDHSJU07zdfv_VtcFpEiSR8MXETcgiDySXxnFP1XQZnpY-XINDaCJclPW0siM9pLBOWA_UjjwEcY2HVxFvze1hBNPgMtnO9yj6x/s320/11_07_30_WP_Scan_004_blog.jpg" width="250" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Studio rain chain</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">I was quite pleased with these plates - the collodion pour was pretty good, exposures were good and processing went well. I cleaned up, aired out the basement to push any remaining fumes away.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">The next day, I continued experimenting, this time using a small studio building in the garden for setting up still life subjects. The studio had two windows and a north-facing skylight, so gets beautiful even illumination. The day was partly cloudy which made judging exposures a bit of a challenge, and I had no idea how UV-light transparent the skylight is. So there was quite a bit of guessing and experimenting going on. The first image I made using a dollar store magnifying glass as a lens - it gives an interesting effect, but I'll need to make an aperture for it to get to a reasonable exposure time (it lets in too much light for shutterless exposure).</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgySpOedZI3Ts4nzeYdvDl_I3sOMGunKMH_LBT__hk8L97R0NuAp1Q5xfovVGZQvbo8F1BNHH3BFT3ayBG-cldkopcIJYH3FIqB5JX_NUYTCVA7F35J0-u79Tnkt8DpKXnVUKV3qOdySwR4/s1600/11_07_31_WP_Scan_001_blog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="249" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgySpOedZI3Ts4nzeYdvDl_I3sOMGunKMH_LBT__hk8L97R0NuAp1Q5xfovVGZQvbo8F1BNHH3BFT3ayBG-cldkopcIJYH3FIqB5JX_NUYTCVA7F35J0-u79Tnkt8DpKXnVUKV3qOdySwR4/s320/11_07_31_WP_Scan_001_blog.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Avocado and lemon</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">I then went back to the Fuji lens I was using the day before to revisit the same still life:</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieFUrqB1sb54dvh9HT_HaVrqqBQX-tkg6xUKkz9JoiBggv4It2VxQpPJg5R4yyvwuOGASJ5_enlxoSm5Nhjo5LtXue_Lw3F3IAyQYj5_p6LWR8mNt1F5gtPtu0L0spFamQvSpa9-OQcf_Y/s1600/11_07_31_WP_Scan_002_blog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="249" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieFUrqB1sb54dvh9HT_HaVrqqBQX-tkg6xUKkz9JoiBggv4It2VxQpPJg5R4yyvwuOGASJ5_enlxoSm5Nhjo5LtXue_Lw3F3IAyQYj5_p6LWR8mNt1F5gtPtu0L0spFamQvSpa9-OQcf_Y/s320/11_07_31_WP_Scan_002_blog.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Avocado and lemon redux</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">If you click on either image to enlarge it, you'll notice the highlights are very "grainy". This puzzled me because wet plate is known for giving virtually grainless, continuous tone images. I had noticed that when I pealed back the protecting film on my aluminum plates there seemed to be a residue left behind on the surface of the plate. With subsequent plates I wiped the surface with some isopropanol to remove this residue, and the problem went away.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFVeNl5BJHz8ciHE6mrjE9XUTD1rTvtHLulW_YTFJNa67p0Rk0138IuhEC2GeW22IuWTCrw1-vf3veSN-p-6e1t6OcOUDuAIk0-aCggEcHxq2zpBVse1N1fgVdVJm5tY7mMx9rFsPK2aVd/s1600/11_07_31_WP_Scan_004_blog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="252" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFVeNl5BJHz8ciHE6mrjE9XUTD1rTvtHLulW_YTFJNa67p0Rk0138IuhEC2GeW22IuWTCrw1-vf3veSN-p-6e1t6OcOUDuAIk0-aCggEcHxq2zpBVse1N1fgVdVJm5tY7mMx9rFsPK2aVd/s320/11_07_31_WP_Scan_004_blog.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Black Pears I</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieXb9NLQUlerBdHAwECdsAS5OnKjpTjuq1Ufuyo3ThhHC9lsoJp-5jkTba4Muvj2KJMmKLBqmz9W_jFRWwq2czj6yw9u0EFyZpCv-DSYFPBiuYJ6rHRsniAS-zFGMnR6_BuKlg1L4BMEgI/s1600/11_07_31_WP_Scan_005_blog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieXb9NLQUlerBdHAwECdsAS5OnKjpTjuq1Ufuyo3ThhHC9lsoJp-5jkTba4Muvj2KJMmKLBqmz9W_jFRWwq2czj6yw9u0EFyZpCv-DSYFPBiuYJ6rHRsniAS-zFGMnR6_BuKlg1L4BMEgI/s320/11_07_31_WP_Scan_005_blog.jpg" width="249" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Black Pears II</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">I finished my plate making with these two images of pears in a deep dish we bought years ago in Taos. Fun images to make because of the poor sensitivity of collodion to yellows, but I did feel a bit sheepish since pears seem to be one of those cliché images that get made a bit too often.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">The third day I wanted to try out my Ansco 8X10 camera with a Dallmeyer Perfac brass lens. I had Niles modify two 8X10 film holders for me, one to take a 4"x5" plate. I made several plates - the first in open shade seemed somewhat underexposed, the second taken in open sunlight looked like a good exposure (exposures were quite long for an f6.3 lens, although the bellows extension contributed to that) and the third in mixed shade/direct light was overexposed:</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3CcekLKha6_vCf1Xk7ClPSzjtb7YYhwdKdMo8hIHxly-gdVgGo6wmERGS-xf0JaLu1Fr-fG5BGCY1deoVe3_T0tDRDj2U4itWaxFLiQcCNzeRKVE5S_o_K7_YxUiRLWNlloPPrVV7r6wR/s1600/11_08_02_WP_Scan_001_blog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3CcekLKha6_vCf1Xk7ClPSzjtb7YYhwdKdMo8hIHxly-gdVgGo6wmERGS-xf0JaLu1Fr-fG5BGCY1deoVe3_T0tDRDj2U4itWaxFLiQcCNzeRKVE5S_o_K7_YxUiRLWNlloPPrVV7r6wR/s320/11_08_02_WP_Scan_001_blog.jpg" width="258" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Planter foliage</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7JpNpV0aZXJ2Azl4UxcrSo2zjdF92Ty14PmFNb3PIlRJzVUDAQHl0m1MOtnweuBOh4R5JrM13dpPhYWmYv7K2KKZRaSlFg0nEfX6bN2Cx3oTqXdK9UOwUuXsFYVvhvK2eKZQzvfaoyFOs/s1600/11_08_02_WP_Scan_002_blog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7JpNpV0aZXJ2Azl4UxcrSo2zjdF92Ty14PmFNb3PIlRJzVUDAQHl0m1MOtnweuBOh4R5JrM13dpPhYWmYv7K2KKZRaSlFg0nEfX6bN2Cx3oTqXdK9UOwUuXsFYVvhvK2eKZQzvfaoyFOs/s320/11_08_02_WP_Scan_002_blog.jpg" width="258" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Foliage and flowers</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ-jDLBGdSn8a8bQ-mMXShClnnLnwWhMSqFYsNaSG8LX6V9HhjsNa6G-fnjZ6NC5DnqWA0ItEJe3bkPFubaF3_9BMBVWTdRecedsBXnY2hOyw6tydGIVUN0LRwq17orB7UiMmvBoOBEpzb/s1600/11_08_02_WP_Scan_003_blog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="258" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ-jDLBGdSn8a8bQ-mMXShClnnLnwWhMSqFYsNaSG8LX6V9HhjsNa6G-fnjZ6NC5DnqWA0ItEJe3bkPFubaF3_9BMBVWTdRecedsBXnY2hOyw6tydGIVUN0LRwq17orB7UiMmvBoOBEpzb/s320/11_08_02_WP_Scan_003_blog.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Planters on the studio porch</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Overall I was very pleased with how the weekend went. I'm already thinking of what projects I would like to pursue in wet plate, while at the same time recognizing that I have many more plates to make before I become consistently proficient with this technique. For the moment, I think I'd like to do a nice series on the garden planters we have. Each year, Elena puts together about a dozen planters in these funky, fun mexican pots and I think it would be fun to do a "formal portrait" of each planter. I also would like to explore still life some more. And I'm already feeling the excitement about taking things "on the road" to do some landscapes - for that I'll need to finish that dark box!</div>Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10862623910757236075noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8249657679940822851.post-74029888402448679862011-07-25T08:00:00.000-07:002011-07-25T08:00:13.524-07:00Weekend Kallitype Printing<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRrCf9w4Ucxl0EwqYCNHNg90iyM8XeaNABtmGX1T-SaJAtSVSefl-O1dK68HoA06nku8t8_tnfyCTXOqYFtogH8_GpKQlw8-_k6vsR1NaBcMtHgSHfrvhr-o_W0pVA3d0M7GgSuArJ3M7Q/s1600/11_07_24_Kallitype_Scan_001_blog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="283" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRrCf9w4Ucxl0EwqYCNHNg90iyM8XeaNABtmGX1T-SaJAtSVSefl-O1dK68HoA06nku8t8_tnfyCTXOqYFtogH8_GpKQlw8-_k6vsR1NaBcMtHgSHfrvhr-o_W0pVA3d0M7GgSuArJ3M7Q/s320/11_07_24_Kallitype_Scan_001_blog.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Untitled kallitype print, untoned</div><div style="text-align: center;">(click on image to view larger)</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsHZG80tvBwrohaPnosEj8BNCh3DU3SHBxKs_2hWdd1rZ6XLfh4B13-LfdegHwgY7V1JgdCIgrXXszAQ75TwSAPdPnACT8TLg2hd6MB5xE6WkZ1dGzTqzBQJQ4f4jUUsIvEOVziIJHAV8g/s1600/11_07_24_IMG_3381_blog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsHZG80tvBwrohaPnosEj8BNCh3DU3SHBxKs_2hWdd1rZ6XLfh4B13-LfdegHwgY7V1JgdCIgrXXszAQ75TwSAPdPnACT8TLg2hd6MB5xE6WkZ1dGzTqzBQJQ4f4jUUsIvEOVziIJHAV8g/s320/11_07_24_IMG_3381_blog.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">first prints of the series "Richard Serra's Garden"</div><div style="text-align: center;">palladium toned kallitypes</div><div style="text-align: center;">(click on image to view larger)</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">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.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">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.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">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. </div>Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10862623910757236075noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8249657679940822851.post-384273757736353322011-07-24T08:00:00.000-07:002011-07-24T08:00:00.134-07:00Testing Boundaries<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvdoeJp8SpPSTDifPNwUp7yqq2kxAVmtuvPMNmzMJp0UyjlTbuR4QY9pyiiJRrSpEnltE8mZC1cPEKvvKkVCQBlZ8Vi3sxeU4RS3aEWiBtwB3JnSRYejjyADzJCSwPNdzEstHdJ4go98Ry/s1600/11_07_23_IMG_3338_Edit_blog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvdoeJp8SpPSTDifPNwUp7yqq2kxAVmtuvPMNmzMJp0UyjlTbuR4QY9pyiiJRrSpEnltE8mZC1cPEKvvKkVCQBlZ8Vi3sxeU4RS3aEWiBtwB3JnSRYejjyADzJCSwPNdzEstHdJ4go98Ry/s320/11_07_23_IMG_3338_Edit_blog.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Between waking and dreaming</i></div><div style="text-align: center;">(click on image to view larger)</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">I've been thinking recently about work that lies in the space between sharply defined artistic disciplines, particularly when photography is one of those disciplines. These recently thoughts started after I received the new book Orchard Volume 2, a collaborative effort of Ray Meeks and Wes Mills entitled "Not Seen | Not Said". The book consists of photographs taken by Meeks with the addition of tipped in drawings by Mills - this sets up an interesting dialogue between the two bodies of work, with the drawings sometimes partially obscuring the photograph underneath it, and at other times keeping a respectful distance. There is an exciting energy in this book, a catalyst of ideas for exploring the interface between drawing and photography.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">When I was at Lúz Gallery last night, I saw some gorgeous prints of the work of <a href="http://www.luzgallery.com/transformations/">Thomas Bartlett</a>. Bartlett explores the world through abstractions of colour and form. Printed large and hung simply with magnets on the gallery walls, it was possible to envision the works as pastel drawings with beautiful tones and a strong sense of flow.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">I like this idea of blurring the lines between photograph and drawing, and I did do a few <a href="http://thebertieproject.blogspot.com/2010/07/daily-practice-192365.html">experiments</a> last year along these lines. Today, when I walked in the forest, I played with long exposures and then tried various of processing the images as an exercise in looking at the range of possibilities for further exploration. Here's just one example from the day's work, which I find attractive because it seems to connect to master drawings of artists like van Gogh and the pictorialist photography of Alvin Langdon Coburn.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div>Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10862623910757236075noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8249657679940822851.post-24226111761505308712011-07-22T22:12:00.000-07:002011-07-22T22:15:14.952-07:00The Unexpected Moment<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDd80pRgLLHvX9-OPcHQ4tvzFZ6rdluYgGir5ZDcd-mNU-tQVv3vT-gBKTp-BmOdzHMqyxLdqKyEF1oLZxiUiX5cjXbFALPwR27Qtuc6PCezCkaviPImZkKrbN4IDslTvt6ONMcUGcFWUF/s1600/11_07_22_IMG_0653_Edit_blog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDd80pRgLLHvX9-OPcHQ4tvzFZ6rdluYgGir5ZDcd-mNU-tQVv3vT-gBKTp-BmOdzHMqyxLdqKyEF1oLZxiUiX5cjXbFALPwR27Qtuc6PCezCkaviPImZkKrbN4IDslTvt6ONMcUGcFWUF/s320/11_07_22_IMG_0653_Edit_blog.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Unposed Office Chair, Victoria Avenue</i></div><div style="text-align: center;">(click on image to view larger)</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">I was out this evening to hear <a href="http://semetko.com/">Craig Semetko</a> give a talk about his street photography at <a href="http://www.luzgallery.com/">Lúz Gallery</a>. The images I saw were compelling in their strong combination of geometric compositional elements as a context for people engaging in the many different actions that make us human.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Semetko approaches his street photography by constantly looking for characters with stories to tell through their actions. He talked about the contributions of design, information and emotion to making a strong image. Someone in the audience asked about how his experience of the moment transforms what might otherwise be an unremarkable snapshot into an image that pulls us in, that becomes in some way magical. Semetko shared that his strongest images are made when he is alone, and feeling lonely; this combination leads him to seek out connections to others through the making of images.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Much of street photography happens in split seconds, when a variety of human elements come together (the famous "decisive moment"). Beyond a certain element of luck, a lot depends on having a well developed eye and an instinctive sense of impending action while bringing together strong compositional elements. Semetko ascribed his own ability to do this from careful and long study of the work of the masters of street photography, particularly Henri Cartier Bresson. I found this idea really resonated with me; as I've written before an artist must go beyond knowing that they "like" or "dislike" an image. It's important to think more deeply and come to an understanding of why certain images are strong and others don't work well. In discussing his images, Semetko would point out the components that made for an effective composition, adding information on how the image developed from that point, and why the image shown succeeded for him when others he took before and after that moment did not. I learned a great deal from his presentation, even though I am not myself a street photographer. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Craig was very open and sharing during his presentation. He had many wonderful stories to tell about his journey as a photographer and it sometimes seemed that he has lead a charmed life. He spoke about how big an influence Henri Cartier Bresson's work was for him. After making images for about six years, the first gallery show Craig was offered was a two person show - 25 of Cartier Bresson's images along with 25 of Semetko's. I think we all had goose bumps thinking about that.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">As I was driving home, I came upon this scene which oddly went well with the evening. I have no idea why or how an office chair came to be in the middle of the road. But it was if I was being invited to at least tentatively dip a toe in the street photography waters. I think Craig Semetko must have arranged for this!</div>Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10862623910757236075noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8249657679940822851.post-41954646318437323242011-07-01T17:31:00.000-07:002011-07-01T17:31:44.421-07:00Ambrotype Prints - Channeling Chuck CloseI had the opportunity yesterday to get into the darkroom to try printing the ambrotype negative I made last weekend. I have a 4X5 enlarger, but no carrier for glass negatives. I took apart a spare 4X5 negative carrier, and used cardboard to build a glass negative tray on the top half of the carrier. It was an incredible moment when I first saw the enlarged negative, with its continuous tones.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitrpGONozG8KTH81PFaUnP0IurZ5Q_FzU2LchpPrAOGEGTzXLP49JhOy6Ziu1x_acN260xCEoCXHR9H0VPWllT-DCUSIVMqR32mNM_Z-kVgMd6M3vAeQF4HrKty_85SyNsICEdXEB2Wv-u/s1600/IMG_0644_blog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitrpGONozG8KTH81PFaUnP0IurZ5Q_FzU2LchpPrAOGEGTzXLP49JhOy6Ziu1x_acN260xCEoCXHR9H0VPWllT-DCUSIVMqR32mNM_Z-kVgMd6M3vAeQF4HrKty_85SyNsICEdXEB2Wv-u/s320/IMG_0644_blog.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>the modified glass negative carrier</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7HxNG2IDJvPawbn4iuAQa8X8RFZl84-gF-cN2xlqSFhssjfUewuDxpwIOoU4FGMdnfF5KBEBSQ90tSmanoyvYoge9rbVvqwDP-yeathjEgKevm7mOCH_J3Wh77PvYvSeVuyVXGV0MaVnU/s1600/IMG_0646_blog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7HxNG2IDJvPawbn4iuAQa8X8RFZl84-gF-cN2xlqSFhssjfUewuDxpwIOoU4FGMdnfF5KBEBSQ90tSmanoyvYoge9rbVvqwDP-yeathjEgKevm7mOCH_J3Wh77PvYvSeVuyVXGV0MaVnU/s320/IMG_0646_blog.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>in the enlarger</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcRxwP2o6BamW7xIySBlkQx6SmV8XiAVcjyqbaW3o3-oGq1pNzWXQSR9XWlesUG4DnuDWvHruIGMBgxZ7xXXLORLbfUvKvdbPuV10JDDwgPo2Hi2KGLeEVf9B2zrLol24ekbDBOULfRP-_/s1600/IMG_0645_blog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcRxwP2o6BamW7xIySBlkQx6SmV8XiAVcjyqbaW3o3-oGq1pNzWXQSR9XWlesUG4DnuDWvHruIGMBgxZ7xXXLORLbfUvKvdbPuV10JDDwgPo2Hi2KGLeEVf9B2zrLol24ekbDBOULfRP-_/s320/IMG_0645_blog.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>the projected negative</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i> </i>(click on image to view larger)</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">I started by making a proof print on Ilford MGIV paper, at grade 2. The print had the rich tones of the tintypes I had made, but seemed a bit cool. So I made a print on Ilford warmtone paper:</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYdRhr4WCbZueBiDqBNegY3y8cSHRsHWtClQxenVVR5RcEHn2n0HgKckc_mTrUTSY_Jl7UZJ8HGeHW532Zl72Lk0rQWVUfbG5kbQON33ojJDYz4m83XYte-f5tG8x-xS5LAlkZi7rvH0HG/s1600/11_06_30_PrintScan_001_blog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYdRhr4WCbZueBiDqBNegY3y8cSHRsHWtClQxenVVR5RcEHn2n0HgKckc_mTrUTSY_Jl7UZJ8HGeHW532Zl72Lk0rQWVUfbG5kbQON33ojJDYz4m83XYte-f5tG8x-xS5LAlkZi7rvH0HG/s320/11_06_30_PrintScan_001_blog.jpg" width="256" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>fractured self (Ilford Warmtone Paper)</i></div><div style="text-align: center;">(click on image to view larger)</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">One of the things I was interested in trying with the negative was lith printing. I started with a lith print on Fomatone MG Classic paper, which was interesting but a bit too orange in tone. I think I might investigate this paper further by following up with selenium toning to see if I can tame the colour.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha8UwMf4T12TC83hGUGwRuz7UnCXb35JVk__PAFoZ130SpWmzf8Nmi2S7esVJZAOf72PkaJOaI9oY5ghWGO6rX30TTPsapm0PdNFLOFs1AMkx3j0Ewr0xt5XwAceI_KZGX90vGdkWLt1aE/s1600/11_06_30_PrintScan_005_blog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha8UwMf4T12TC83hGUGwRuz7UnCXb35JVk__PAFoZ130SpWmzf8Nmi2S7esVJZAOf72PkaJOaI9oY5ghWGO6rX30TTPsapm0PdNFLOFs1AMkx3j0Ewr0xt5XwAceI_KZGX90vGdkWLt1aE/s320/11_06_30_PrintScan_005_blog.jpg" width="257" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>fractured self (lith print on Fomatone MG Classic Paper)</i></div><div style="text-align: center;">(click on image to view larger)</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">I had made a second print on the Ilford warmtone paper with double the correct exposure so that I could try a process called "second pass lith". The idea is to overexpose the print, process normally, then bleach the print partially followed by a second development with a lith developer. I chose to use copper sulphate bleach because it can cause a split-tone or pseudo-solarization with second pass lith. I like this image, it feels as if it references the experiments of Man Ray:</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbolp3iG4zLl1oMWbgidzqBTqZJOzCI9hRC9seK-gfiQQj6EDlJ6YOWOfZOHDg1tDFit7nycCIY5u-VHyR8w_TNrf54Tg0URIRx8zZcyNQnsvwJEVU4WoRHd3C-NOf8ibnyeJaYGPcRPkI/s1600/11_06_30_PrintScan_004_blog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbolp3iG4zLl1oMWbgidzqBTqZJOzCI9hRC9seK-gfiQQj6EDlJ6YOWOfZOHDg1tDFit7nycCIY5u-VHyR8w_TNrf54Tg0URIRx8zZcyNQnsvwJEVU4WoRHd3C-NOf8ibnyeJaYGPcRPkI/s320/11_06_30_PrintScan_004_blog.jpg" width="255" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>fractured self, rayified (second pass lith print on Ilford Warmtone)</i></div><div style="text-align: center;">(click on image to view larger)</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Finally, I tried a straight lith print on Kentmere Fineprint warmtone paper. I've had hit and miss results with lith printing this paper, it seems very slow to develop and doesn't always give interesting results. However, this print is for me the most successful - it has the creamy tones of a cyanide-fixed tintype combined with shadow detail that has the feel of a charcoal drawing:</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy7t9laDnvt-dPeQl6UJSPmb2-uiKdwnH055boju6loNr9DLreWKaGrcB5uLyemCJWw5xSdKGXmRb5tgcQvTG5xp8q6-8AdEbBjMAs3og-POzVkoHc9z5S4pVbKbWd5fXqVl3makt3__oc/s1600/11_06_30_PrintScan_003_blog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy7t9laDnvt-dPeQl6UJSPmb2-uiKdwnH055boju6loNr9DLreWKaGrcB5uLyemCJWw5xSdKGXmRb5tgcQvTG5xp8q6-8AdEbBjMAs3og-POzVkoHc9z5S4pVbKbWd5fXqVl3makt3__oc/s320/11_06_30_PrintScan_003_blog.jpg" width="256" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>fractured self (lith print on Kentmere Fineprint warmtone)</i></div><div style="text-align: center;">(click on image to view larger)</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">In future, I have a couple of other paper choices to investigate with lith printing. I'm also looking forward to printing this negative as a salt print and a kallitype. I'm excited about getting everything together to make more ambrotype negatives in my studio so that I can keep pushing this process.</div>Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10862623910757236075noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8249657679940822851.post-68387515644442293722011-06-27T18:07:00.000-07:002011-06-27T18:07:20.684-07:00Adventures in Wet Plate<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs0XgayaAvjSYpyNtlA_aCseYAe9pfRGNDfT9XKgXcAttmDD1msmYgy6-r7YiAux2IigAmuoNd-7pi1SD3TUZFAVmQipQI6D06PtUqNMqyeOd2uTOrrr5E-Dgm3hGCqU9Y0DUxT-uSBcGj/s1600/IMG_3314_Edit_blog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs0XgayaAvjSYpyNtlA_aCseYAe9pfRGNDfT9XKgXcAttmDD1msmYgy6-r7YiAux2IigAmuoNd-7pi1SD3TUZFAVmQipQI6D06PtUqNMqyeOd2uTOrrr5E-Dgm3hGCqU9Y0DUxT-uSBcGj/s320/IMG_3314_Edit_blog.jpg" width="254" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Double Vision</i></div><div style="text-align: center;">(my first wet plate tintype)</div><div style="text-align: center;"> </div>I've been learning and working with so-called alternative photographic processes for some time now. I like the idea of using processes that were developed in the first 25-40 years of photographic history, I like the physicality of the resulting prints and I like the fact that by doing these processes I can protect my photographic vision from the potential future loss of currently available analog materials. Whenever a workshop becomes available locally for a new (to me) process, I jump at the chance to take it. So I was very excited when <a href="http://www.luzgallery.com/">Lúz Gallery</a> announced back in December that <a href="http://www.jonisternbach.com/">Joni Sternbach</a> would be coming to Victoria this June to give a workshop on wet plate collodion. And a good thing I did, since the workshop filled up within a few days.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuCeriKGfTYXSp-s4-786mOZ3xLfVhkS2rudLVuBzn6amReil64UOKciXsf_1QfbyWeAYh8Oz1wMDvel90pi72jYW4iOHMILAjHirmzWncgDAErA-MmATVS1NK1NscpkBhvMWKTuxM-f0U/s1600/11_06_26_IMG_1487_blog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuCeriKGfTYXSp-s4-786mOZ3xLfVhkS2rudLVuBzn6amReil64UOKciXsf_1QfbyWeAYh8Oz1wMDvel90pi72jYW4iOHMILAjHirmzWncgDAErA-MmATVS1NK1NscpkBhvMWKTuxM-f0U/s320/11_06_26_IMG_1487_blog.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Tintypes and Ambrotypes from Day 1</i></div><br />
It's the day after the workshop, and I confess I'm totally in love with wet plate. And with Joni and her assistant Lisa. I've taken quite a few workshops over the years, and this one was without doubt the best I've ever taken. And in terms of the group of students, definitely in the top 3 of the various groups I've been part of. High level of interest, energy and excitement combined with a great cooperative spirit (important when sharing 2 cameras and 1 darkroom between 9 students), with a wonderful mix of ages and experience.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQc3Oix7LpMEBan9nMTSumSFS3JUk1n6bfDUkqlfqKCpsUvLtXU2qYMXHFQNbVX1Sy_xJte0rRb1-x2GFLnPhnhjkzyHvmxXlMrBluSa3piOSXu8utOLU0cS1M57x2AYITfTZYzajZKXIU/s1600/11_06_26_IMG_1490_blog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQc3Oix7LpMEBan9nMTSumSFS3JUk1n6bfDUkqlfqKCpsUvLtXU2qYMXHFQNbVX1Sy_xJte0rRb1-x2GFLnPhnhjkzyHvmxXlMrBluSa3piOSXu8utOLU0cS1M57x2AYITfTZYzajZKXIU/s320/11_06_26_IMG_1490_blog.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Elissa Marie self-portrait</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixOCsf3rt9zb2eXbtmqBt1KSy7AIdMhYvt0BlJaxl7Clv-XiwjcL8sIpiaG-N_maM7QtIeTFSjIWE8N_VlqUVKE9m6Nlb-iTzh9k-LKSp-Gxl2avq1EVf1XSjd_wgxEV2E6wiXTfO-Eu4x/s1600/11_06_26_IMG_1492_blog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixOCsf3rt9zb2eXbtmqBt1KSy7AIdMhYvt0BlJaxl7Clv-XiwjcL8sIpiaG-N_maM7QtIeTFSjIWE8N_VlqUVKE9m6Nlb-iTzh9k-LKSp-Gxl2avq1EVf1XSjd_wgxEV2E6wiXTfO-Eu4x/s320/11_06_26_IMG_1492_blog.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Candace - self-portrait</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj0kKcGew6xemHeE-vflhBhNwNJ0vOUlka39trYwN8FTqQz_AoSkPhZQSdSCPRf9Mh490KruVHb8E_yd__zgo5Re4eTcO6tvczczGHq3dkF8dFKiwWfP2lSYEszclTHp_C207mEedyXebW/s1600/11_06_26_IMG_1491_blog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj0kKcGew6xemHeE-vflhBhNwNJ0vOUlka39trYwN8FTqQz_AoSkPhZQSdSCPRf9Mh490KruVHb8E_yd__zgo5Re4eTcO6tvczczGHq3dkF8dFKiwWfP2lSYEszclTHp_C207mEedyXebW/s320/11_06_26_IMG_1491_blog.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><a href="http://www.anotherwayoftelling.tumblr.com/">Ottilie</a> - self-portrait (zombie)</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>tied for the "Sally Mann" award</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><br />
</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsb8X8cDgT8ZQ0ujXdWyXiVF59tdfTDxf37UaVGsSOWuXNPiZIyGzfSuc6lPgpFlkkNrAW2lxkwDategj2XloJbAaYf9zHkuxFf8coksNNIEMl9o5UQpiqYSOSa7XGVMagY0e0yc3BkIn5/s1600/11_06_26_IMG_1488_blog-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsb8X8cDgT8ZQ0ujXdWyXiVF59tdfTDxf37UaVGsSOWuXNPiZIyGzfSuc6lPgpFlkkNrAW2lxkwDategj2XloJbAaYf9zHkuxFf8coksNNIEMl9o5UQpiqYSOSa7XGVMagY0e0yc3BkIn5/s320/11_06_26_IMG_1488_blog-2.jpg" width="252" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Lindsay - self-portrait</i></div><br />
I think the experience we all had with the wet plate process is perfectly summed up by <a href="http://www.lindsaytookthis.com/">Lindsay</a>, who posted a photo of her first wet plate result on facebook with the comment <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><i>"</i></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><i>I think I just died and went to heaven like 50 times over and over again. self portrait ambrotype!"</i></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><i> </i>I felt pretty much exactly the same.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHIoE0qEN6vIwCnrkhSVk2MAOgKgGykWE9rnilJYMzgIv4hd6BrvA_hAK50U_Z75GsjrBKLXt1E9DCmTiAXLqy27Gh6vM2pCw_B53ryEBzOunL6ykli-78d2A0bxUqbC9dfYNR92j5VeY9/s1600/11_06_26_IMG_1493_blog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHIoE0qEN6vIwCnrkhSVk2MAOgKgGykWE9rnilJYMzgIv4hd6BrvA_hAK50U_Z75GsjrBKLXt1E9DCmTiAXLqy27Gh6vM2pCw_B53ryEBzOunL6ykli-78d2A0bxUqbC9dfYNR92j5VeY9/s320/11_06_26_IMG_1493_blog.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Susie - self-portrait tintype</i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJfCsCVfYLI9SJPr5MyxylidyO5-OqrOkWYmpWZGAOfQkFoaVWy1f3_CJFEdw_riZNm4zLnwhrig315FpRGVbFCjaKjJXGqDPBKGmANFgMmAbQSwIliCetRX-k75oULYz2V5h2SEZ8cG-9/s1600/11_06_26_IMG_1494_blog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJfCsCVfYLI9SJPr5MyxylidyO5-OqrOkWYmpWZGAOfQkFoaVWy1f3_CJFEdw_riZNm4zLnwhrig315FpRGVbFCjaKjJXGqDPBKGmANFgMmAbQSwIliCetRX-k75oULYz2V5h2SEZ8cG-9/s320/11_06_26_IMG_1494_blog.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><a href="http://www.redleafstudios.ca/">Richard</a> - self-portrait tintype</i></div><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Every student had successful plates, which given the complexities of the process, the chaotic nature of a workshop environment and the two day duration is quite an achievement. All possible because the course was well organized, and both Joni and Lisa are patient, generous teachers who shared their amazing knowledge of wet plate through clear instruction and with a good dose of humour.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSV51-aKACoi2NFTtYBBx0PVrHPqumeTBx-8-1uwSEgk3kFSxvFTwv4IEtCkRhDp8FMqBM7lKnBWuejctpIlX7iw0OEZEoJx-HyBkIoXv7YgVk8gjYSx7MTEZ2f3VvXcLtR47OXYIbtRuj/s1600/11_06_25_IMG_1484_blog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSV51-aKACoi2NFTtYBBx0PVrHPqumeTBx-8-1uwSEgk3kFSxvFTwv4IEtCkRhDp8FMqBM7lKnBWuejctpIlX7iw0OEZEoJx-HyBkIoXv7YgVk8gjYSx7MTEZ2f3VvXcLtR47OXYIbtRuj/s320/11_06_25_IMG_1484_blog.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Joni exposing the first plate of the workshop</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3EHoF3isSQfr8H1fGzHOO6MvT_wkn9ZxocP581rimDzSUtA8fM78_eSeraHGnZ21BT11HDHz7zqO-NAHrhG9R-9Lr4cib-1woWyGKo4IVkQeEXohxJgphgeBeAHw_2XAgE5U4NngWaW0b/s1600/11_06_25_IMG_1486_blog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3EHoF3isSQfr8H1fGzHOO6MvT_wkn9ZxocP581rimDzSUtA8fM78_eSeraHGnZ21BT11HDHz7zqO-NAHrhG9R-9Lr4cib-1woWyGKo4IVkQeEXohxJgphgeBeAHw_2XAgE5U4NngWaW0b/s320/11_06_25_IMG_1486_blog.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><a href="http://www.davidellingsen.com/">David</a>, Elissa and Ottilie look at the first plate with Joni</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDRIDZiNV6HnmoU2im5gLjL0rWeRspfKZzx2cDxFeQk0VZYdN9luMddKOP2oAl44Rtdv3LW5_dLxzDb8KnOa2VtTg7m61eeEmjtjEVMWAT9XZZv7qxoiaaGPFWLSi-hnIUPdGOdBNNQ5pw/s1600/11_06_25_IMG_1485_blog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDRIDZiNV6HnmoU2im5gLjL0rWeRspfKZzx2cDxFeQk0VZYdN9luMddKOP2oAl44Rtdv3LW5_dLxzDb8KnOa2VtTg7m61eeEmjtjEVMWAT9XZZv7qxoiaaGPFWLSi-hnIUPdGOdBNNQ5pw/s320/11_06_25_IMG_1485_blog.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>The first plate - David, self-portrait</i></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">In her book "Mindful Learning", Ellen Langer, a Harvard professor makes the case that students learn more effectively when they are presented with information in shades of grey rather than a cut and dried black or white approach. In any other wet plate workshop of such short duration, students would stick to making plates on trophy tin which doesn't need to be prepared in advance and is slightly easier to work with. And there is a strong argument to be made for such a "KISS" approach to teaching a process like wet plate.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjej26h35BROW7OkswCp8JZgLHb2nnXWsvHlA10vFqvvTmLOsseKIb1E7_h3itNkmiJFhPnXm_-aMUxKiCWaE8SIErxXcSDcRJtdhFqtYF3T6aTkjCPm4YTnBAyYopJ7kNoa2nDqKnSqf9Q/s1600/11_06_26_IMG_1495_blog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjej26h35BROW7OkswCp8JZgLHb2nnXWsvHlA10vFqvvTmLOsseKIb1E7_h3itNkmiJFhPnXm_-aMUxKiCWaE8SIErxXcSDcRJtdhFqtYF3T6aTkjCPm4YTnBAyYopJ7kNoa2nDqKnSqf9Q/s320/11_06_26_IMG_1495_blog.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Joni repairing a tear on a plate</i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwAubB4jN8W30I1XYzr0tpO_yFOuzSGh8NtHaTIvclRhf0OgLKJRJaJo1P3ez2fjoxd_YFjZgbEFMOM7GFXXoA8mDZj1xh1gJHuxEfDVXPOE4ua-HdiI3glMqfCjNK4pz4Unb9PGdrNJ12/s1600/11_06_26_IMG_1498_blog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwAubB4jN8W30I1XYzr0tpO_yFOuzSGh8NtHaTIvclRhf0OgLKJRJaJo1P3ez2fjoxd_YFjZgbEFMOM7GFXXoA8mDZj1xh1gJHuxEfDVXPOE4ua-HdiI3glMqfCjNK4pz4Unb9PGdrNJ12/s320/11_06_26_IMG_1498_blog.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Joni and Ottilie discussing equipment options</i></span></div><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">What was great about our workshop was the built-in "shades of grey": we were exposed to the ideas and working methods of two instructors; we worked in groups of three and could see how each student coped differently with the plate pouring and processing steps; we were encouraged to work with both tin and glass plates to get a range of experiences. I think these design details of the workshop really accentuated the learning process along the lines that Langer describes in her book. And by working not just with tin, we were confronted with problems with emulsion pealing, and making decisions about exposure and developer dilution in deciding between making a positive or negative ambrotype that lead to discussions of what went wrong and how to possibly solve it.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb9fEbfquW4P9rjQqqwa0MpbXDbor0_hgiWOZ6GAR47abEXGAl5WZM7zxH_V52Sx8dYFUKiBpDO_vyX24ST0Dz1IhOMMxxnVEMaPLj4B_LRjEP-yejeuMzmSm4DtOPbCN2IwQUBBsH0cFm/s1600/IMG_3315_Edit_blog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb9fEbfquW4P9rjQqqwa0MpbXDbor0_hgiWOZ6GAR47abEXGAl5WZM7zxH_V52Sx8dYFUKiBpDO_vyX24ST0Dz1IhOMMxxnVEMaPLj4B_LRjEP-yejeuMzmSm4DtOPbCN2IwQUBBsH0cFm/s320/IMG_3315_Edit_blog.jpg" width="260" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>My second tintype - channeling René Descartes</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">One unexpected fun thing for me was discovering that I like taking portraits. I'm still not crazy about my own self-portraits, although I do like the way wet plate self-portraits look. Gave me new understanding of Chuck Close's longtime fascination with his own self-portrait. We worked in teams of three, so I had a chance to compose and focus selfportraits for both David and Shannon. There's something very breathtaking when you see the image on the ground glass come up with the sharp focus on the subject's eyes. </div><br />
I have one additional plate, a clear glass ambrotype exposed to be used as a negative. I'm going to make some prints with it, and will post those results later.<br />
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Finally, I have to laugh at myself and a case of caveat emptor. During the meet and greet the first night, when we were each introducing ourselves and saying a little bit about why we were interested in wet plate, I specifically mentioned liking the accidental defects that can happen. As it turned out, I ended up with everything I had asked for (and more). My first plate ended up being double exposed because we were testing a camera and the shutter malfunctioned. I do like the double image. My second plate had quite a journey - it fell off the dipper when I was removing it from the silver tank, and Lisa had to work some magic to get it out, but the plate suffered a scratch (that ended up right across the top of my head in the end). After development (a perfect exposure), the plate had a few oyster shells. Joni was helping me remove them with a small piece of cotton ball, but a bit more emulsion was lifted off than should have happened (around the forehead/eye area). So I have a great plate with "additions" by Lisa and Joni - a keepsake for sure. And my ambrotype negative had a bit of peeling, so I have my own version of a "zombie" plate.<br />
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To sum up: the workshop was massive fun, I definitely will set up to do wet plate on my own, and if you ever have a chance to take a workshop with Joni Sternbach - do it!<br />
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</span>Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10862623910757236075noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8249657679940822851.post-56424233671603521822011-06-22T22:08:00.000-07:002011-06-22T22:08:35.797-07:00Savage and Impenetrable<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsNDjCpVfwRYKf64g7FbkCXBkEE0TBtTeznJR33vo0RmMK5syQ9q1kQxQLnzcriLFn3kuN3geJmuH0i30h0vMS9WDGBnSO3OEdKQgquH_5nrf2AaRKA_MkzWtEyOjg_LtLDfd7R6KBvhhv/s1600/11_04_27_IMG_3212_blog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsNDjCpVfwRYKf64g7FbkCXBkEE0TBtTeznJR33vo0RmMK5syQ9q1kQxQLnzcriLFn3kuN3geJmuH0i30h0vMS9WDGBnSO3OEdKQgquH_5nrf2AaRKA_MkzWtEyOjg_LtLDfd7R6KBvhhv/s320/11_04_27_IMG_3212_blog.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYXScQ9ib45pvc5FSOSI51gBVjqpoi87hDr2LKdPdBvtffaEpVR3y4q_XKymzv03xNHxJqg3s0Lv3vjBkluNOAFA9XeMuI-5KtydX0Vmn8AdSZ7OqYLGdmt0NE8I1zxPJY71tTIRfRmeTZ/s1600/11_04_27_IMG_3215_blog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYXScQ9ib45pvc5FSOSI51gBVjqpoi87hDr2LKdPdBvtffaEpVR3y4q_XKymzv03xNHxJqg3s0Lv3vjBkluNOAFA9XeMuI-5KtydX0Vmn8AdSZ7OqYLGdmt0NE8I1zxPJY71tTIRfRmeTZ/s320/11_04_27_IMG_3215_blog.jpg" width="320" /></a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">(click on an image to view larger)</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><pre wrap=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The surrealist artist Max Ernst described the interlacing terror and enchantment evoked by the emblem of the forest as "savage and impenetrable, black and russet, extravagant, secular, swarming, diametrical, negligent, ferocious, fervent, and likable, without yesterday or tomorrow..." </span></pre><pre wrap=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> </span></pre><pre wrap=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I saw this quote when visiting the exhibition "Surrealist Revolution" last week at the Vancouver Art Gallery. This exhibition really opened my mind to the incredibly ambitious reach of the Surrealists in terms of the topics of their investigations and the many approaches and media they used in fully exploring those topics. The most well known images by Dali and Magritte in many ways do a disservice to one's understanding of the Surrealists; this exhibition does much to correct that (and as my friend Jan said - it rehabilitated Dali for her). A number of Surrealists made photographic images; I was particularly taken by a series entitled "La subversion des images" by Paul Nouge. I left the exhibit with a desire to learn much more about the Surrealists - I feel that I may find considerable inspiration in their very broad, comprehensive approaches to art. </span></pre><pre wrap=""></pre>Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10862623910757236075noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8249657679940822851.post-39233993887682341092011-06-11T20:48:00.000-07:002011-06-11T20:48:27.168-07:00Photographs are Objects<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhhYNvKFYhuHKOJcFHBB8N7AUyeurrxAKrG9z6WLIb2xKa2huWy1WSWjlc89TPokyohO5rMbwnSVfzphRxx5B5rmUKLoA4CfsPEigQJEuKSxUMQoWG2rUNl3xfdLrHn0uqq56RRK-4lkAS/s1600/IMG_1434_flickr.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhhYNvKFYhuHKOJcFHBB8N7AUyeurrxAKrG9z6WLIb2xKa2huWy1WSWjlc89TPokyohO5rMbwnSVfzphRxx5B5rmUKLoA4CfsPEigQJEuKSxUMQoWG2rUNl3xfdLrHn0uqq56RRK-4lkAS/s320/IMG_1434_flickr.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMI6emD0DIYgsAY0XWXr2aVHu0XDJAY8zl10agODOAr9XfnfkEfvtdYThPGslE1AFh05sd-ObyWOYVSYRsmdRmvM3gZKdYmzB1kfyUSej2l40G-LKIPHZwKsScn0aELr-7x7OdxntckNbt/s1600/IMG_1435_flickr.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMI6emD0DIYgsAY0XWXr2aVHu0XDJAY8zl10agODOAr9XfnfkEfvtdYThPGslE1AFh05sd-ObyWOYVSYRsmdRmvM3gZKdYmzB1kfyUSej2l40G-LKIPHZwKsScn0aELr-7x7OdxntckNbt/s320/IMG_1435_flickr.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">(click on an image to view larger)</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">I've been thinking recently about the gulf that seems to exist between viewing images online, on screen and what I consider to be the true test of an image's strength - as a physical object. I recently was reminded of how big that gulf can be when I first looked at the work of Lis Bailley's work <a href="http://www.luzgallery.com/lis-bailly/">New Horizons</a> on the <a href="http://www.luzgallery.com/">Luz Gallery</a> website. The images when viewed on the web didn't seem to have much substance to me, so I was very pleasantly surprised at how powerful those same images were when I encountered them as prints on the gallery walls. They had a richness and pull that was completely absent when viewed on screen. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">A couple of years ago, I made a decision to stop scanning black and white film after I developed it, and return to traditional printing of the images. I was craving the opportunity to work in the darkroom, and to hold finished prints in my hands. Over time, I find I'm evolving an odd hybrid workflow for black and white - shoot film, process and print in darkroom, scan print and then post on blog/flickr etc. There's a certain rhythm that's developed in this workflow that really resonates with me. At the moment, I'm laying out a zine of Holga images I took on a trip to San Francisco back in October. All of the images were first printed in the darkroom, then scanned and now printed out with a laser printer. I'm in the process of culling and sequencing the images, and will produce a low-tech zine with the laser printer. It will be the first publication of my newest venture <a href="http://www.studiocentrale.com/">Studio Centralé Press</a>, which marries my long-standing love of books with my conviction that my photographic work (and that of others) is best viewed as physical objects.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">The website is currently under construction, but if you are interested in learning more, I am starting a <a href="http://studiocentrale.blogspot.com/">blog</a> for Studio Centralé which I will update with news of progress and publications.</div>Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10862623910757236075noreply@blogger.com1