Re: Gum on Masa
Keith, You have demonstrated how sensitive and responsive Masa is, and it befits the subject eminently. Thanks for sharing. I work with ~8 x 10's (my trays and sink are a limitation), but I have been able to do anywhere from 5 - 6 gum passes with or without Cyano, slipping in a formalinized gelatin sizing as and when needed. The paper has held beautifully, probably due to the dimensions of my prints, and mounting Masa on a transparent support. I am readying a series of prints for the Art Ark Gallery (<www.theartark.com>) for an April showing, the subject being a homestead on a local tobacco farm (a Kelowna landmark) that has had 5 generations of a pioneer family witness its gracious aging. Rajul On 17-Mar-08, at 6:30 AM, Keith Gerling wrote: I've been making gum photos on Masa paper.. Here is a link to some current work featuring dancers: http://www.gumphoto.com/masa/index.htm Yes, too many - I'm still editing. As is usually the case with on-line gums, only a resemblance seems to exist between the displayed image and the actual print. Here is a close-up to demonstrate detail:: http://www.gumphoto.com/masa/detail2.jpg As I have only used alternative substrates for the last 5 years (mostly aluminum and gessoed tar paper) it took me awhile to get the hang of printing on paper, especially a paper as thin as Masa, I had to re-learn the entire gumprinting process and to make the learning curve especially tricky I also am using inkjet negatives for the first time in nearly nine years. The Masa I purchase comes in sheets of 21x31, large enough for a decent sized print and cut in half provides almost the same perspective, so there is little waste (which isn't an issue anyway because it is so cheap). These are all gum over cyanotype and are 12x18 inches on half sheets. They were printed with baby-oiled paper negatives. Some observations: Masa is very thin, so on the positive side, it is 1) inexpensive, 2) very easy to register multiple layers, 3) very fast to dry. On the negative side, it is very flimsy and thus difficult to handle when wet. Also, and this is the biggest disadvantage I can see when compared to other papers, it gets very disagreeable when one attempts more than three layers of gum. I can do it, but it is certainly a challenge I'm not a huge fan of using cyanotype as my blue layer, but my usually practice of adding layer upon layer to build up density is not an option. However, it takes a cyano layer very nicely, so rich blacks can be had fairly easily. I'm working now with full sized sheets and the results are very promising. The biggest problem is keeping a larger oiled negative registered while trying to place it under a piece of glass with a sheet of mylar between the negative and the print. Much easier with a smaller print where I can use a contact printing frame. Keith
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