haunted sleepwear

Lately, I have been fixated on vascular support stockings. They trigger a memory of seeing my father wear them. Occasionally I would see his stockings folded after being laundered.  At other times I might would actually see him wearing them because of his pajama shorts he wore close to bed time.

I made the first version of the pajama shorts in February specifically for an exhibition at Proto Gallery in Hoboken, New Jersey. I made two additional versions early this summer. Number two was made with different coats of saffron and rainbow chard. Number one and number three were made with straight chard. Number three will be on display in Columbus starting tomorrow as part of the Fine Arts Exhibition at the Ohio State Fair. The most recent version ditches the pajama shorts in my attempt to create a sleepwear creature. When she saw the finished red tulip anthotype, my wife Bridgette said she was reminded of one of the ghost hitchhikers from Walt Disney's Haunted Mansion. Disney updated a few of their classic attractions in the last 15 years. So if you want to see the connection, look for an older photograph taken at the amusement park. I am including one appropriated from tvbythenumbers.net.

Pajama Shorts with Anti-Embolism Stockings Number One

Pajama Shorts with Anti-Embolism Stockings Number Two

Pajama Shorts with Anti-Embolism Stockings Number Three

Bed Jacket with Anti-Embolism Stockings Number One

Ghost Hitchhikers from Walt Disney's Haunted Mansion

take note

Camera phones present a useful way to take notes of work in progress. They are certainly helpful with a complicated photographic experiment like mixing plant pigments on top of each other. 

I forgot the order I applied tulip and rose pigments to one of the anthotypes I made in Vermont. I forgot until I discovered this progression of images on the phone.

Iris on top left to right. Red rose on the bottom.

A couple of days later I had settled on creating a four square ground by applying purple iris on top of the red rose (bottom right). The top left is red rose over purple iris. All grids should have received the same number of layers. 

sleepwear 2.0 with chiffon

A few days ago I was thinking about the sleepwear anthotypes. Thinking about how they are rather uncomplicated. Basic photograms done with plant pigments. This probably stemmed from one of the onionskin anthotypes I did this winter. While it succeeded, it also seemed like it was one note. It was too simple and the single layer of pajama top I used didn't immediately read "sleepwear".

Last summer, Bridgette was asking provocative questions as she is apt to do. One of these questions related to the layering of color. One on top of the other. I was initially convinced that the water content of the successive layer would wash away the anthotype exposure underneath much like invasive rain water had done to a couple of anthos.

A few weeks ago I was actually layering beet root juice (from a can) on top of existing onionskin and it didn't have an effect on the layer below. Both remained distinct which led me to the idea of layering exposures one on top of the other.

Here's a couple of images to illustrate where this is heading. I am heading towards anthotypes 2.0 which involves the layering of his and her sleepwear in the final anthotype.

Below is the aforementioned onionskin anthotype with one layer of rose petal emulsion on top.

Below is the same anthotype with three layers of red rose petal emulsion. The light resist is a bed jacket donated by Kristi Bogle which has a connection to the Roswell museum of art.

never show one's failures

I am sure that there is some rule out there that for purposes of professionalism, one does not show one's failures. 

Below is one such failure. I had decided to employ stretch wrap as a water barrier in addition to the 3 panels of clear acrylic. Never again with the stretch wrap. Photo courtesy of Christina Zuercher.

Below is attempt number two. This time with a different pajama set and with red rose emulsion. I still am struggling with composition with the men's pajamas. They are so ...static. 

note from an ephemeral photographer who happens to also make ephemeral things

Note from an ephemeral photographer who happens to also make ephemeral things. I wrote that as I began an attraction and repulsion to SnapChat but on to  anthotype matters.

I am not terribly enthused by this pajama anthotype (arrangement and pattern) which means it just might surprise me in a couple of weeks. You can look at the arrangement from yesterday's entry. Here is a detail of the pajama's textile pattern.

Summer pajamas in iris day 1

Today doesn't really count (as day one). I have had this sheet of  59" x 46" coated water color paper waiting for a couple of things to occur. The first item was getting a sheet of OSB cut down to accommodate the paper. I got around to that late last week. Forty-six inches happens to be the widest sheet the Subaru Forester will accommodate.

The second hold-up: I was planning on using another peignoir but decided that if I was going to continue to use pajamas in this series that the added opacity of men's sleepwear would be best served by exposing the anthotypes as close to the summer solstice as possible. 

Today's mail produced a vintage set of Sears summer pjs. 

The third obstacle actually has a fourth obstacle associated with it. Working this scale means either buying a sheet of plexiglass or scavaging the garage for an alternative. Since a new sheet of plex would be around seventy dollars, I opted for the latter. I ended up cutting down three scraps that when pieced together would cover up the paper and pajamas. That was today. 

Last Saturday I attended a presentation on proper techniques for packing art work for shipping. It was during that session that I was introduced to plastic cling wrap. This is what I ended up using (along with a small amount of packing tape) to secure the three separate pieces of plex, hopefully creating a water barrier in the process.

Tomorrow will be officially day one.

Few and far betweens

Quality versus quantity.

I won't even attempt to use that as an excuse for the few and far betweens which represent my postings to this blog.

There have been a few shows which I will write about tomorrow to keep up appearances. The appearance of being active that is.

The onionskin anthotype #1 is almost ready to come in from the sun. Except for a string of bad, wet days, it has been in all sorts of daylight from cloudy to bright sun. The amazing thing for me is the change in the amount of sunlight it is getting compared to the pokeberry anthotype and the four month winter exposure. To be consistant, there are two winter pokeberry anthotypes. The sleeping dress anthotype needs to be documented. Contrast is a bit low on that one due to the amount of pigment soaked up by the washi I used.

I am coating a second, larger sheet of Fabriano with yellow onion (skin) pigment. I found myself with a nice, big window of time to boil the skins I have been collecting.

The weather has been cool enough to allow for me to stretch out the brushing on of the onionskin broth over several days. The liquid will eventually begin to ripen too much and the coating will come to an end. But for now, no smell so I anticipate brushing on the liquid through tomorrow to build up a rich manila envelope color.

I am also continuing the smaller "hers / his" anthotypes. These also are onion skin based and should be assembled into frames, wrapped in plastic and started today. FYI, smaller pieces of paper (under 20 x 24 ) are easy enough to coat via dunking and agitating in trays. I found it easier, albeit more streaky, to coat the emulsion onto bigger sheets of paper by brushing on the pigment solution. The two pieces above received about 11 - 13 dunks with an older batch of onionskin liquid and another 3 - 4 with the latest solution.

Brushing, dunking, exposing and playing with doll clothes. No wonder curators have trouble with me.

Onionskin Anthotype Day 1

Another day and another anthotype. Over the last couple of weeks, I been squeezing in a little bit of time to coat a sheet of paper with brown liquid made from boiling the skins of yellow onions.

The paper has about eleven coats of onion skin broth. The pajama is in-labeled meaning their is no name from a previous owner. It has been cut along the seems to leave only the button front and collar. The paper is Fabriano Artistico Extra White Hot Press.

Freebie Friday

As an alternative to Black Friday and as a means of shameless self-promotion, I am offering a free postcard to anyone within reading distance of this blog. Please email me your preferred mailing address to frangst@gmail.com

I'll even mail it overseas for free!

This is a self-produced card for the Ohio State University Urban Arts Space exhibit featuring the Pajama Pants Rose Petal Anthotype.

in search of a death color

red tulip anthotype about 12" x 15" made using Barbie's "Nightie Negligee"

Ten days into April without a post. I've been playing catch-up with grading projects which means the artist hat that I often wear is put away for the time being while ideas stew and paper waits to be coated.
I think I hinted at talking about a direction for the anthotypes based upon reviewer comments in Houston. I was getting the Adam Fuss read from Barbara Tannenbaum of the Cleveland Museum of Art. Lamenting a not so good start to Fotofest, my next reviewer gave me a bit of wisdom "no artist owns subject matter". I do want to concentrate on the men's pajamas to avoid any unnecessary connection with Fuss' Christening Dress.

So the direction I want to go with these will encourage the accidental and play up the ephemeral. Drips will be introduced to the anthotypes. I will also shift the garments mid-way through their very lengthy exposure. And I may even attempt to create a "death" color, something blackish from mixing plant pigments.

I am interested in trying two pigments from the backyard that seem to co-exist quite well: dandelions (for yellow) and the henbit (for purple). This latest idea will be difficult to pull off. I want to create a two color anthotype but the application of a second color may undo the exposure of the first. Another consideration: the exposure might be twice as long as a straight forward, one color anthotype.

Henbit and dandelions in the backyard

Anthotypists in the New Year part II

Yes, part II is being published before part I. I never claimed to be organized.

Malin Fabbi's book, Anthotypes – Explore the darkroom in your garden and make photographs using plants, has been published. This is a book that I was able to proof read and offer suggestions. Additionally, two of the pre-Boston Anthotypes included the faded and rained upon Clem Wolford Pajama Top in pokeberry (p. 83, 85), are included within the book.

Here's a link to the Amazon page (and my review): http://www.amazon.com/Anthotypes-Explore-darkroom-garden-photographs/dp/1466261005/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1325687752&sr=8-3
and the AlternativePhotography.com web page: http://www.alternativephotography.com/wp/processes/anthotypes/anthotypes

color blind and home is where the studio is

Last night I was able to re-photograph the red rose petal anthotype of Somnambulist #6 which is the only one I did on the back of Kozo Unryu paper. This one will also have the title of Blue Blouse although it is not blue in the anthotype and it isn't really rose petal red once it interacts with the paper.

Lot's going on in the home is where the studio is. I modified the Holga 120WPC which hopefully will eliminate the vignetting which was randomly cropping up. In the Woodland Cemetery I spotted some amazing tree fungi which will make it's way into the tree bark pinholes. I learned how to identify a new tree (for me), the sassafras, which is one of the first trees to change color in the cemetery. I  may have also settled on a method / process to print these images. More on that later.

Two Windows on the World

Danger looms ahead. My sleepwear project has descended to the level of cuteness and smallness. Children’s pajamas. Once I begin using onesies, I risk becoming the Anne Geddes of the alternative photography world. But not yet.

 

The unaltered pajama on top of the iris coated kozo paper

Today’s trip through the thrift store revealed a summary of consumer pop culture. Transformers, Tony the Tiger, Barbie, various Nickelodeon programs, Thomas the Train, Ariel the Mermaid as Ariel the Princess. I really don’t want to go down that road with this project. It is a little too locked into the late twentieth and early twenty first century.

 

pajama cut into a single layer on top of the coated paper

Two windows today, the world tomorrow. There are three of these south facing 40″ x 40″ windows on the fifth floor. Now two are occupied with anthotypes. The act of photographing and making photographs always has had a public spectacle component. A public exhibition of process.

 

The second anthotype waiting for some direct sunlight.

Afterwards, on the way to a late lunch (lunner), I walked past the Harvard School of Medicine Research Building along Louis Pasteur Avenue. I spotted a young woman photographing two of her friends pointing to signage on the glass windows near the entrance. I had to look. I had to see what she was photographing and how she adjusted her height to achieve the desired frame. I paid attention to the symmetrical finger gestures of her friends and their “tourists of the biomedical research world” smiles. I had to look. The act of every photograph being taken is a spectacle.

and the paper smells like root beer

The pokeberry anthotype of Clem's pajama top (small version) is close to being done. Here is a scan from Sunday afternoon. 

Pokeberry juice has spoiled me. It provided a strong tincture to use. Now I am struggling to get these small violet flowers to have a presence on a sheet of paper. I managed to get about 50-75 cc of tincture but it seems too dilute and the root beer flavored vodka I used as a solvent has created some new concerns. The sugar in the alcohol has created a stickiness to the emulsion. So the update: the new purple flowers have yielded a sticky and weak liquid that really reads blue and the paper smells like root beer.

strategies: 

1. Maybe I can do multiple passes to build up density (suggested by Bridgette). 
2. Let the emulsion evaporate over several days without heating to create a reduction that is denser with pigment.
3. Throw in the towel.

stopping point

After the "unveil" last week I felt the anthotype needed more exposure and more detail in the middle of the object. I cut the pajama top into two layers and use the front of the pajama for the most recent exposure of about 2 1/2 afternoons. Registration is...well...off. That was an accepted part of this final attempt. I am now face with a decision. Do I intentionally move the the subject in future anthotype photograms? Do I keep it in register to maximize sharpness? Do I allow both to occur in the series?

I have a working title for the project of "Fade Away" to refer to the fading action of the sun on the pigment and the passing on of the previous owner of these pajamas and maybe even the fading away of Henry Peach Robinson fame. I'll upload the full PJ anthotype photogram later this week.

I really shouldn't be showing this...

Caveat #1: The only Plexiglass big enough for my Anthotype experiment on the cheap was the sheet of acrylic on which I coat the Forces of Nature prints. I thought I cleaned it prior to re-purposing it but the light of day reveals all of the flaws in my plan.

Caveat #2: This became a test or more accurately a run through. What would I be able to make a photograph with from materials lying around? With the exception of the Fabriano Artistico Hot Press roll of paper Bridgette and I went in on together, everything else was at hand: spring clamps from Big Lots, the aforementioned Plexiglass, the pajama top and the pokeberry juice diluted down a bit with water.

Caveat #3: It's about process. The unfading marks (squares) and rainwater drips (from the day we were in Columbus installing the Naturalists) may very well become part of the piece. Seen above, the spots where the spring clamps were at are a good indication of what kind of change has happened.

I estimate that the Anthotype has gotten about 4 1/2 afternoons of exposure. I will leave it out tomorrow for a final bit of sunlight and tomorrow night for better or for worse I will unveil the Anthotype to Bridgette and think about what I need to do next time so that it won't be a run through.

If it looks fabulous I will blog it on Sunday. If it is a mess, I will still post it Sunday. After all, as an artist I acknowledge the possibility of failure.

I can't stand the rain!

The title of today's blog is from a song lyric stuck in my head. Was it Ann Peebles that sang the most famous version of this song? Sure it dates me but it does speak volumes regarding the fugitive nature of this technique namely don't let the anthotype get wet.

Next Fall I hopefully will have an ample supply of pokeberry juice. At the moment I have two letter sized sheets coated as well as a larger piece in which is covered in diluted pokeberry juice. It is a light pink will probably create a low contrast, barely visible image unless I hit it with beet juice (somewhere in there is a double entendre). My hope is to give this some additional exposure, live with the drips and missing pokeberrry pigment (it will be visible, when done, below the collar).  There will be some noticeable mis-registration which will add to the ghosting effect.

Not Fugitive Enough

January 10 - February 17th window exposure.

Anthotype + sleepware = something positively resistant to light but for how long?


I think the most wonderful thing about creating anthotypes is the questions this process raises. It doesn't use any silver salts or iron. There is nothing precious about it, no gold or palladium involved and it doesn't use a negative. It needs a positive light resist and it forms an image by destroying a pigment that is unsheltered.


So the questions it raises are doubts. Is this a photograph in the traditional sense? How fugitive is the process? I believe that when defining the object know as a photograph, that there are unspoken parameters that viewer and collector expect to be part of the image.


Maybe the definition goes something like this...light has to be involved in the recording of the image i.e something like "the pencil of nature" for those of us insecure about are drawing skill. This could be light on a CCD or a piece of glass coated with collodian and silver nitrate. The unwritten parameters might be the image has to survive X amount of time. Perhaps X is the length of time it would take for a photographer to show the image to someone else in its original form once she / he thinks it is done. Perhaps this time needs to be extended or limited by some other constraint. What if we were to understand this unwritten quality to mean that the photograph must exist for a period of time equal to the time needed to create the image. Or perhaps it should last twice as long. Maybe we should wish it to last one rotation of the earth around the sun.


No matter how one defines a photograph, whether it exists only electronically (via screen) or on paper, there is an expectation that it will hang around long enough. The anthotype is one step removed from the MTV stencils applied to suntanning spring breakers I saw on screen those many years. It is also, strangely enough, in the same ballpark for longevity as the thermal paper prints from the Fisher Price camera I been re-acquainting myself with these last few months. How fugitive is the process? Not fugitive enough.