[Alt-photo] Re: Gum coating video and Livick, too!

[Peter Blackburn]

Hi Christina and all:

Yes, I can tell you most definitely that Stephen Livick has retired from gum— did so around 2005. I purchased a large chunk of his remaining tricolor pigments (Linel watercolors) when he hung up his gum printing hat to pursue digital endeavors. And, he is still very much alive, too. According to his recent July 3 online diary entry, he's been shooting with a Hasselblad H1. Considering his accomplishments with gum printing, produced almost entirely through analog technology (the exception being the last few years of his work) I consider him among the best gum printers to have ever walked the planet. My contacts with him through the years have always been cordial and helpful.

Glad you asked. And it has been good to read all of the gum and casein discussion here lately, too! 

Peter J. Blackburn


> From: christinazanderson at gmail.com
> Date: Tue, 2 Jul 2013 09:12:35 -0600
> To: alt-photo-process-list at lists.altphotolist.org
> Subject: [Alt-photo] Re: Gum coating video
> 
> Marek,
> 
> I loved seeing you work and talk! It is how I remember your personality when I first met you at Clay Harmon's years ago.
> 
> That image, BTW, is gorgeous. I hope you put it on Flicker or something when it is done. You do really well with flowers, but that one particularly well in its gangliness and how you have framed it.
> 
> I see that you brush first and then roller. That is interesting. You also brush and roller very gently.
> 
> I am always amazed at how different people coat paper. I remember a couple scenarios: a student who was like attacking the paper with the brush and I had to tell her whoooooaaa.... 
> 
> Then Livick's use of the air spray gun and Judy Siegel's cautions still ringing in my ear about airborne dichromate. I have been very tempted, actually, to buy an air gun and test it out and still wonder if her cautions are overblown. Anyone know if Livick is still alive? I heard he quit gum. 
> 
> I always preferred the hake brush because of the borders, but now I mat out my borders so that would not matter anymore. My problem with the roller has been the streaks that have been left behind in the way I use it, streaks that come from the side of the roller and look very interruptive. I noticed when I rollered over and over and finer and finer the streaks disappeared, and with large works I bet a roller is the way to go, but for me and small works a damp hake followed by a dry hake do it all. 
> 
> There is a difference for me between brushing gum and brushing casein, too. I brush far longer with casein and far more vigorously. It doesn't get "sticky" like gum does...gum at a certain point gets tacky and you know it's getting time to quit brushing. Casein gets grabby. I can't quite describe it well but if I don't have the brush marks out of a casein print at a certain point it is no go after that. I also go through many brushes in a day. I will do a set of 4-8 casein prints using one wet brush and several dry, then while those are soaking I will do another layer on another set. By the end of the day I can have 20 hake brushes drying! Luckily the ones I use are cheap and they last for years.
> 
> Chris
> 
> 
> Christina Z. Anderson
> christinaZanderson.com
> 
> On Jun 22, 2013, at 1:08 PM, Marek Matusz wrote:
> 
> > 
> > 
> > While I was coating my yellow gum layer today I remembered that Chris mentioned that she has no luck using rollers. SO I filmed it and here it is. My way of coating with rollers. I know that many on the list are using foam rollers and there is nothing new here, but maybe somebody can learn.It was fun making the video, now to exposing and development.https://plus.google.com/photos/105732508998271877151/albums/5882305049320410433 Marek 		 	   		  
> > _______________________________________________
> > Alt-photo-process-list | lists.altphotolist.org/mailman/listinfo
> 
> _______________________________________________
> Alt-photo-process-list | lists.altphotolist.org/mailman/listinfo