Re: registering paper negatives

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From: Judy Seigel (jseigel@panix.com)
Date: 02/04/01-06:13:50 PM Z


On Sat, 3 Feb 2001, Dave Rose wrote:

> Regarding visible brush strokes and 'bleeding' margins of a print.... it's
> really a matter of aesthetics. I've personally never wanted to display
> anything beyond the image itself, and besides, my images can stand on their
> own merits, without the trickery of a clever border. In my opinion, the

Dave, you leap to a conclusion, that alternative to hard edges is
"extraneous brush marks." I mask the paper, results in a characteristic
edge, with slight "frilling" with subsequent layers, generally to my mind
very beautiful. Or sometimes a cardboard or freestanding plastic mask, all
sorts of options between hard edge and "tricks" or strokes. As a rule, I
find a HARD artifical edge on a hand-applied emulsion irritating.
Obviously a matter of taste rather than aesthetic law.

> extraneous brush marks are usually an undesirable distraction, adding
> nothing to the image. There have been too many times I've seen a mediocre
> 'alt-photo' image with clever borders, and the message is obvious: the image
> basically sucks, and the photographer is trying real hard to prove to the

Who is to declare for the world what *sucks* ?

> world that it was 'handmade' and therefore presumably 'real art'. Despite

I am not a machine and see no point in trying to make art that looks like
it came from a machine. Art IMO usually likes the "mark of the hand," or
if you prefer, traces of PROCESS. In fact that's what made Sally Mann's
collodion neg prints so beautiful, or part of it -- traces of the negative
process, bubbles & cracks.

> my opinions on the subject, I have seen brush-stroke borders that have been
> quite exciting and effective.

I'd agree about cliche "brush strokes" tho they also have a place in
irony. But I have no interest in hiding print origin and character.
Occasionally I have to mat edge out for other reasons, rarely happy with
that. I want to see where the paper meets the paint.

Judy


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