Re: Charcoal Prints?Thanks to your spouse.

John: There were three things: (1) A tactility (like platinum/palladium,
but different; (2) a luminesence; and (3) a transparency, almost as if they
had been lit from behind. All of Stewart's prints were shown without glass,
enhancing the tactility. From a later message, sounds like a race between
you and Richard Sullivan. Have at it and let me know. Jim

----- Original Message -----
From: <Grafist@aol.com>
To: <alt-photo-process-l@sask.usask.ca>
Sent: Sunday, March 07, 2004 11:25 AM
Subject: Re: Charcoal Prints?Thanks to your spouse.

> In a message dated 07/03/04 14:29:12 GMT Standard Time, jstrain@iquest.net
> writes:
>
> > It is the John Stewart charcoals that intrigued my spouse (and,
therefore,
> me)
> > . Jim
> .................................................
> Jim, Apologies for my mis spelling Stewart as Stuart, but it is some time
> since I last saw his name in print. There is a little catalog of his work
which
> was issued with an exhibition in London in 1989, '' 24 Still Lifes''. John
> Stewart was born in London in 1919 and has been showing in galleries in
major
> cities around the world since 1976. Would you care to say what
characteristics of
> the ''charcoal'' prints intrigued your spouse and you? Was it the subject
> matter containing all the deep black shadow detail? The texture of the
support
> paper ? They often used Ingres type paper with striations. I often use
this
> paper, myself, to try to emulate, I must admit, the appearance of the
Fresson
> prints which is so distictive. Jose Ortiz Echague used it, too, but I have
also
> tried many types of paper texture for coating on the emulsions .
> The subject of Fresson and Direct Carbon have often been talked
about
> on this list and the distinction has not always been made clear between
Direct
> Carbon and Carbon Transfer. Direct Carbon is much easier to deal with
since
> only one process of development after UV exposure is needed and in the
case of
> my own I.C.I system the sawdust abrasion stage has been dispensed with
and
> replaced by a soak in a bath of weak sodium hypochlorite (household
bleach)
> when the print is afterwards subjected to a fine water spray to remove
surplus
> pigment to the requirements of the worker to give variations of density,
> contrast and, possibly, detail.
> Whether this process could be called ''automatic" as in
silver
> gelatine development or if it is basically a ''control'' system is a
matter
> of endless discussion and depends, finally, on how the individual worker
wishes
> to use it.
> I hope,shortly, to be finalizing a positive way of making
> this I.C.I. paper, which may, as near as damn it, be able to guarantee
> predictable results. Otherwise, without this dissemination, this Direct
Carbon process
> will continue to remain in the shadows, appearing only now and again (
and
> very preciously) when a show of work by Echague or Stewart or a few others
comes
> to light.
> Regards to your wife.
> Bon Chance John- Photographist
>
>
Received on Sun Mar 7 19:16:04 2004