Sturges showed here at the Photoeye Gallery last Spring and was at the
opening. He knew who I was and expressed a desire to do platinum. In a
discussion with him I understood him to say he develops very contrasty and
prints on a soft paper to get the effect. Edmund Teske used to do something
similar though he used a paper that would tolerate a very short development
It was an Ansco paper, not Varigam but I remember it ending in "gam" It's
been almost 30 years since I studied with Teske so it is hard to remember.
I think the only argument on the Sturges matter is whether or not he is a
child pornographer under the strictest legal definition. I thought this was
pretty elementary but I have had arguments made - mostly offline - that he
"disturbs women," is in "bad taste", and "focuses predominately on young
women and girls," which may or may not be true, but none of which are
relevant to his right to display or sell his work. (Can one imagine the
stink raised if someone was having their work censored because it
"disturbed men?")
--Dick Sullivan
Bostick & Sullivan
PO Box 16639, Santa Fe
NM 87506
505-474-0890 FAX 505-474-2857
<http://www.bostick-sullivan.com>http://www.bostick-sullivan.com