Re: All Gum Show online exhibit

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From: B. Izzo (izzos@gusun.georgetown.edu)
Date: 12/09/00-10:08:55 PM Z


Following Sarah's lead, I am posting the statement which I wrote to
accompany my work in the recent Buckham Gallery All Gum Show.
I was in Flint last week to see the show and really enjoyed having
the opportunity to see the work of so many other gum printers. Darryl
is to be commended for a fine job.

Suzanne Izzo

. . . . .

Much of my recent work uses the historical processes of
cyanotype, Van Dyke brown, and gum bichromate. I find the gum
bichromate process to be especially versatile and often use it
combined with either cyanotype or Van Dyke brown.

The contact negatives which I use for my gum prints are all
enlarged from 35mm black-and-white negatives or color slides.
Often I will use both a negative and its matching positive to
produce a print. For example, in "Fairy Webs," the webs were
printed from the positive in Van Dyke Brown, and the sky was
printed from the negative in gum using a mixture of Prussian
blue and turquoise pigment.

Instead of a film negative, I often use the cliche-verre
technique. In traditional cliche-verre the negative is produced
by drawing or painting the image to be reproduced on a plate of
glass. I have experimented with various non-traditional methods
to produce the glass negative. One of my favorites uses a
roller to apply paint to the glass. Depending on how the roller
is used, the result may be a purely abstract pattern as in "Love
Clouds" or perhaps one reminiscent of crashing waves as in
"Colors of the Sea."

Although I have always considered myself primarily a monochrome
printer, I enjoy using color in my gum prints. Combining the
gum with cyanotype or Van Dyke brown provides one way to
experiment with different color combinations. Many of my recent
prints combine cyanotype with gum, using the positive for one
process and the negative for the other. This can result in
striking color contrasts as in "Rocket of Light." One of the
most versatile aspects of gum is the ability to layer coats of
different colors. For the multicolored image, "Norfolk Leaf," I
used both the positive and the negative to print seven coats of
various shades of green, umber, sepia, and oxide red.

I love to experiment and am constantly trying something new in
my work. As a result, each of my gum prints is unique. I enjoy
the variety and hope that those viewing my work will also.


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