Re: double take on tricolor

[Marek Matusz <marekmatusz@hotmail.com>]

Katharine,

Now that you have mentioned my name I though I would chime in. My take on the definition is related to what I have said in the portfolio, but over the last few days the discussion has given me even more clarification. So I would say we have monochrome gums and tri-color gums.

A monochrome gum is in its definition and intention not being able to produce all the colours. For example I would use 3 negative separations to make a print that has a venetian red and thalo green. I would use the green to cool down and darken the shadows. Two different separations would be used to print the venetian red to give a wider range of shades. To me this is still a monochrome prints as it is not capable of displaying the whole gamut of color.

On the other hand a tri-color gum is one that is capable of displaying all the colors (even if the artis choses not to do so in a particular print). In my definition it is not relevant if you use 3 or 5 or 7 negatives and as many colors. I frequently use more then 3 colors and more then 3 negatives to apply spot color or shift color balance of a part of the print. As a rule I almost never print just the three layers. My first thalo blue is always printed for the shadows and typically my last layer is another thalo blue that adds definition to the highlights. 

Then there is a gray area in between monochrome and tri-color work for people that print what looks like almost monochrome work. By using unbalanced components of their primary mix (magenta, yellow, cayn) you can shift a color balance and the print does not have the look of tricolor, but I would stil call it that. You can use a color palette of for example some yellow earth, venetian red and prussian blue with RGB separations and end up with limited colors, but you would still be able to see a very earthy looking green and somewhat purplish red.  The color would be all muted, but the process is capable of all colors and I would call it a three-colored gum.

My 3 cents to the gum mix

Marek 

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From:  Katharine Thayer <kthayer@pacifier.com>
Reply-To:  alt-photo-process-l@usask.ca
To:  alt-photo-process-l@usask.ca
Subject:  Re: double take on tricolor
Date:  Tue, 30 Jan 2007 15:08:51 -0800
>
>On Jan 30, 2007, at 8:49 AM, Katharine Thayer wrote:
>
>>But I asked for names of "tricolor gum" printers, and  I've always  
>>understood that to mean three layers of gum.
>
>For clarity, I should amend that to read "at least three layers of  
>gum"  because I agree with Marek's note in the traveling portfolio,  
>suggesting that a tricolor gum can have more than three layers as  
>long as the layers are printed from three color separations. In
>other  words, one of the layers could be printed more than once for
>color  balance or whatever, but even though there are technically
>four  layers of gum, there are still only three negatives, three
>colors,  and the print is still a tricolor gum.
>kt

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