Re: Gum pigs and ball milling

Judy Seigel (jseigel@panix.com)
Mon, 29 Jul 1996 01:16:20 -0400 (EDT)

> >I remember Todd Walker saying that he[Mortensen] ground dry pigments with a
> mortar and
> >pestle. I seem to remember he would add the gum as he ground the pigments.
> > I tried this and found it to be messy and for me didn't work any better.

Terry replies:
> I hope that this does not offend anyone but if Mortensen did ball mill his own
> colours, it would tend to be another reflection of the preciosity I associate
> with his images.

Terry, in the States a mortar & pestle is not the same as a ball mill. I
think many of us find it easier to mix gum and dry pigment in a mortar
and pestle, though I gather you do this with muller or knife on glass.

Either way, at least as Mark Golden explained it to me, the result is
dispersal of pigment particles evenly as possible into the gum. Some
people think they are grinding the pigment finer, but this, according to
high authority, is not happening.

Ball milling, on the other hand, does grind pigments finer, for better or
worse, but that may be the one thing we can't accuse Mortensen of. As for
the "preciosity" of his images -- I find his girlies preferable to
Weston's girlies, in that they are more honest -- but I've said that
before (& I realize that's another list).

Judy