I've read through the archives and have some observations I'd like to
share. First, thanks to the people who put together and maintain the
list. It must be a huge job, but it's a great resource and I appreciate
it, also the wonderfully diplomatic way that Steve Avery keeps it all
working smoothly.
I was surprised to read that Rives BFK is the paper of choice for most
people, because I have had nothing but unsatisfactory results from it.
Even with heavy sizing and very diluted pigment, I always get pigment
stain on BFK. (Besides, it has a coarse texture I don't favor.) I
finally gave my stock away (two days before I logged into the archives)
so I wouldn't ever be tempted to use it again. After trying every paper
known to Daniel Smith (which doesn't include Bockingford, which I shall
try after I order some) I settled on Arches Aquarelle, which
consistently gives me beautiful monochrome and tricolor prints. And
again, I was surprised that Arches seems to be held in such poor
esteem. It's true, it does stink like everything, and sometimes it's
not sized evenly, you're right about that. But an added size takes care
of that for me, and no other paper I've found gives the soft but smooth
look I prize.
I was also surprised to read that lamp black is considered an impossible
pigment. I had trouble with it at first, but after I rolled up my
sleeves and did the pigment test in Keepers of the Light (which test was
roundly disparaged in one posting I read) I found the right mix to use
and have been happy with it ever since.
I came onto this list looking for colleagues rather than for advice,
because as I say I'm happy with my process, and I like to think I'm
among friends and will get to know some of you eventually. I've looked
for other gum printers and have never found any til now.
My last observation is that gum printing is a very idiosyncratic
process, and that there aren't any definitive answers. We can suggest
what works for us, but that doesn't mean it's going to work for the
other person, with his particular combination of climate, paper, choice
of sizing, negative, exposure source, pigment brand, gum source, the
look he wants to achieve, whatever. That's part of the the beauty of it
for me, is its unpredictability and resistance to ideology.
This is the first time I've ever posted to a mailing list, so don't beat
me up if I get it wrong.
Katharine Thayer
PhotoSynthesis
Astoria, Oregon