From: Kate Mahoney (kateb@paradise.net.nz)
Date: 10/24/03-01:39:01 AM Z
Well here I go - I have donned my WWII helmet and a bullet-proof vest :)
1) Are brush marks part of the artistic process for you or are they just an
> annoying byproduct of a hand coated product?
Brush marks are an intergral and expressive part of my work. For a really
interesting use of brush marks go to Lloyd Godman's site (he's my lecturer).
This section is relevant: http://www.geocities.com/aporian/ Also see my
remarks on Q. 5.
2) Over time has your brushing style changed? If so has your clients'
> attitudes towards your prints changed?
I haven't had that much time to change over, but I would say that I take
more care about the kind of strokes I make now, and certainly with silver
emulsion on paper I am very conscious of the smoothness of my application.
People seem to like a "tidier" look in the silver, as I do. Of course the
silver emulsion is much thicker than handmade emulsions like cyanotype and
gum, and tends to streak easily. With my work I'm making on glass right now
I encourage marks to give an "aged" and slightly deteriorated feel to the
wor, as this relates to the concept I'm working with.
3) Do you think brush marks enhances some subjects or processes more than
> others?
4) Do you think masking the brush marks makes a print look more purely
> photographic as opposed to being a painting or drawing?
I think these two questions are related - a very photographic image is
probablytidier-looking masked if the image isn't enhanced by the borders.
But...as always, I think it's a matter of personal feelings and taste. I'm
certainly not going to all the trouble of hand-appliying silver emulsion and
then covering up the evidence of process! I might as well print on
commercial paper. And what is a "very photographic image" anyway????
5) What factors affect your decision to exhibit with or without the brush
> marks showing? Is it purely personal choice or are you affected by
> external forces (critics, clients, dealers, etc)
>
Purely personal. Also, I wouldn't be getting approached for exhibitions if
the galleries didn't like what I was producing already. And I wouldn't feel
happy converting what I do into something different for "dealers and
clients". If they don't like my work as it is, they had better find another
artist to admire :) This issue reminds me of when I was a feltmaker and
produced one-of -a-kind garments - people would often ask for "that one but
in a different colour". I would make ANOTHER in the colour they liked and
sometimes with their input, but never the SAME one. Like asking Leonardo to
paint another Mona Lisa with a different colour background to match the
drapes (slightly arrogant analogy but you know what I mean). Churning out
work for a market is not what I am about anyway.
6) In the end I suppose this is part of a larger question I am reflecting
> on, which is: When we are new to a media or technique is it typical to
> push the limits and find subtlety with experience?
Maybe not "find subtlety" but find a style within the medium over
time....maybe subtlety isn't a feature of some media! I would hope that
experimentation would continue and limits would go on being pushed. For
myself I prefer to start in gently and learn the basics, then get into more
"pushy" areas later. I'm doing this with gum, taking time to develop my
skills before I attempt any really wild colour schemes or freaky images.
Brash use of a new technique isn't always the case - experienced artists
have transferrable skills, one of which is "eye" and another "taste". Mind
you I'm not sure if I have been completely successful with the taste part in
my website <grins>.
My two cent's worth
Kate Mahoney
----- Original Message -----
From: "Ian Greant" <ian@51north.com>
To: <alt-photo-process-l@sask.usask.ca>
Sent: Friday, October 24, 2003 3:25 PM
Subject: the politics of brushing - a semi survey
> When I first started hand coating papers I was more than a little
surprised
> how much I enjoyed the actual brushing and brush marks. For a while the
> brush marks were an integral part of my images. Now, a couple years later
> I've calmed down a bit and am not quite as wild with brush. Although how
> much I brush can vary a lot by day and mood :)
>
> Thinking about it and looking at other artists work has gotten me thinking
> and I'd like to toss the following questions out to the group:
>
> >
> >
> >
> >
>> >
>
>
> Disclaimer
>
> I'm not trying to pry any trade secrets from anyone, I have no intention
of
> publishing, compiling the data or doing anything else with it besides
> starting some conversation and perhaps some more thought about my own
> creative process.
>
> Thanks for your patience and indulgence :)
>
> Ian Greant
>
>
>
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