From: jamesromeo (jamesromeo@mac.com)
Date: 10/24/03-12:41:17 PM Z
I mask out when I matte my prints as I to find them a distraction in a
gallery show. I found that some who buy my work like the brush marks not
showing in the matt but there to show the hand coating.
When I make vandyke prints I mask the neg so ther are no brushing marks. I
gold tone and it is a waste of costly toner.
James
> Greetings from Big Wonderful Wyoming,
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Ian Greant" <ian@51north.com>
> To: <alt-photo-process-l@sask.usask.ca>
> Sent: Thursday, October 23, 2003 8:25 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:
>>
>> 1) Are brush marks part of the artistic process for you or are they just
> an
>> annoying byproduct of a hand coated product?
>
> With any image that I've created by contact printing a negative, I consider
> extraneous brush marks a distraction. However, I've done a few photograms
> where the brush marks were an integral part of the image. I think it's very
> much a matter of personal taste and preference.
>
>> 2) Over time has your brushing style changed? If so has your clients'
>> attitudes towards your prints changed?
>
> My "brushing style" is directed toward making clean and blemish-free prints.
> I've found that heavy or excessive brushing can cause degradation and
> staining in gum prints for example. Fast, clean and smooth is the goal.
> I'm not concerned with the outside-of-negative borders.
>
>> 3) Do you think brush marks enhances some subjects or processes more than
>> others?
>
> Yes, I've seen it used quite effectively with certain images created by
> other photographers, but for the most part I still consider it distracting.
>
>> 4) Do you think masking the brush marks makes a print look more purely
>> photographic as opposed to being a painting or drawing?
>
> Definitely. One of my cyanotype/gum prints won a "Best in Show" award at a
> group show eight years ago. Here's the photo:
> http://www.alternativephotography.com/dave_rose/dr_stream_fog.html
> The judges, professional photographers, had no idea exactly what they were
> looking at, they just loved it. They knew it was different but
> unquestioningly a photographic image. They asked me about the print and
> were fascinated by the process description I provided. One judge had been
> puzzled by the odd color, but had thought it was a conventional C print on
> "special paper".
>
> I guess it depends on the image and the viewer. It's easy to imagine a much
> softer image being interpreted as a 'painting' if brushed edges were
> visible.
>
>> 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)
>
> Strictly a personal choice.
>
>> 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?
>
> That's an interesting question. With gum printing in particular, the
> possibilities offered by multiple printing and manipulation are seemingly
> endless. Can you really find the limits and full range of subtleties?
> Probably not, but that's what makes alt-photo processes so exciting and
> rewarding.
>
> Dave in Wyoming
>
>> 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
>>
>>
>
>
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.1.5 : 11/05/03-09:22:18 AM Z CST