Re: Printing gum with little pigment

[Judy Seigel <jseigel@panix.com>]

On Fri, 16 Jan 2009, Christina Z. Anderson wrote:

> The deal is this, though:  Sookang Kim's gums are NOT beautiful because 
> of some technique, IMHO, they are beautiful because 1) she has chosen 
> effective subject matter and 2) she has mastered the process with, I 
> would assume lots and lots of practice.  it's like someone who is a 
> concert pianist--I'd love to be like them but when it gets down to it, 
> do I want to devote hours and hours per week of practice? With gum, yes, 
> with pianos, no.
>
> I don't think there is a Holy Grail of gum nor a Holy Secret...but damn 
> her prints are gorgeous.  What I like most about them is that they are 
> simple and simply lit.  Like the tea bag.  I, too, am very seduced by 
> large size, and actually very seduced by maestros of any process.
Agreed -- especially about the simplicity of the subject. But I think I 
kind of disagree about the scale... tho maybe that's just because I myself 
am going through (or maybe into) a desire to print small, like about the 
size of your face, so you can just get right into it.

HOWEVER,  we're told that the ideal viewing distance for any work of art 
is the diagonal of the image... Meaning that we view large prints from 
further away than small prints.  So the experience may therefore be quite 
comparable... just a factor of how far away you are -- tho that of course 
could change the effect also (for better or worse)...

J.