Monday, January 20, 2014

slower than molasses in january

Yes, I do camera work. The view camera has been described as a slower way of working than smaller, hand held cameras. In the hands of a slower worker, it's like pouring molasses on a winter's day. 

Saturday I loaded film holders.

Sunday I took up all afternoon working with buckeyes and using the 8x10 view camera with the extension rails. 

To compound it all, I used a Rodenstock Imagon 360mm lens. Mine has no shutter and the unusual aperture set up is initially a bit confusing.

Today I developed in camera paper positives. 

I am still uncertain as to the final arrangement. I like to challenge myself with negative space but find myself drawn to the initial arrangement which was lost due to camera set up, difficulty of working with the Imagon and the rickety nature of the buckeyes (they are in pieces and barely want to stay put). 

original arrangement
view camera set up for final image

front view of the imagon
uncropped in camera paper positive
detail from the above image

I do like the look of the eye in the original set-up. I think I will revisit this image once I get a few of the sheets of film developed. In hindsight, I don't think the soft focus lens was the best choice so I may go back and expose it with a sharper lens and with more depth of field. 


Some notes to keep on hand:

I photographed from about 3 pm until 4:45 pm yesterday. The paper positive exposures were made with window light around 4:30 pm and I rated the film at about ISO 3. I'm thinking that it should be rated about ISO 1.5. The first exposure was about 8 minutes. I calculated a bellows extension factor of about 4 stops and ignored any reciprocity failure for both film and paper exposures. I did a second paper negative exposure of 25 minutes. It was going to be 16 minutes. Then it was twenty which I stretched out to 25. 

I was doing dishes and couldn't be stopped. 

Both paper positives were developed in Sprint paper developer diluted 1:18. 

Film exposures (not yet developed) were 32 seconds and 16 seconds for ISO 100 film (Shanghai?) and 16 seconds and 8 seconds for some older, fogged TMax 400. 






Monday, January 6, 2014

greetings from the frozen midwest

Staying in today to avoid the wind, the wind-chill and the subzero temperatures. I even emptied my work area in the garage to make a spot for the car. That's what garages are typically designed for...the sheltering of cars, not the coating of anthotypes or UV exposure dependent printing. 

It's a good day for late, late portfolio review follow-ups. I think I sent one about four weeks after getting back from Chicago. That would have been early November. I guess now they are New Year's greetings. 

Next week, the Eight Annual OOVAR (Ohio Online Visual Artist Registry) Exhibition will have a closing reception on Saturday, January 11, 2014 from 2-3:30 p.m. in the Carnegie Gallery which is on the second floor of the Columbus Metropolitan Library's main branch. Included is a digital print of the (Basic) Red Tulip Sleeping Dress

The original was just sold by Loretta Puncer's Gallery 510. It is my favorite of the anthotypes and am glad to see it go to a good home. The framed anthotypes do take up a bit of room in my studio / slash office. I really do take after my father. His office was unusable except for a small area of a table in a room full of stacks of medical journals and old mail. 

No nightmarish pictures of cluttered office spaces today. Instead just a few snaps of the start of the (Basic) Red Tulip Sleeping Dress and it's final framed version.








Wednesday, January 1, 2014

New Year Greetings


New Year's greetings from the pecan groves of south eastern New Mexico!

This year I resolve to be less negligent of this blog. In past years, I actively wrote about my studio practice and exhibitions. There were many things to blog about, portfolio reviews in Chicago, an exhibition in Japan, an exhibition I curated, printing platinum palladium on a brand new washi, and lots of anthotype related exhibitions and creations.

There is more in store for 2014.

To get the New Year ball rolling, here is an image of the onion skin anthotype revealed early last month after almost two months of on again-off again exposure.