Re: my work online

On Nov 14, 2005, at 6:13 AM, Christina Z. Anderson wrote:

>> The gum images are labeled as "Tricolor Gum Over Cyanotypes." I
>> think
>> Chris later explained that these are duocolor gums over cyanotype, in
>> other words the cyanotype is used as the cyan layer of the "tricolor
>> gum,"
>> which makes them of course *not* tricolor gums, except for "Vanity,
>> Vanity." But to my eye, many of these images also have a black layer,
>> easily distinguishable from the cyanotype or blue layer.
>
> Katharine and David,
>
> A couple clarifications.
>
> They are"Tricolor"--three colors.
>
> I could call them Tricolor **Prints** made from gum over cyanotype but
> that
> is pretty wordy and most people could give a rip. I figured most people
> realize that saying "Tricolor Gum Over Cyanotype" indicates that there
> is a
> layer of cyanotype in there. I label one Tricolor Gum and the other
> Tricolor Gum over Cyanotype--seems pretty straightforward to me.
>
> But then if I print an extra layer of a different gum color does that
> qualify as a Quadcolor?
>
>

David and Chris,
I think the confusion here comes from the fact that the phrase
"Tricolor Gum" has a specific meaning to most gum printers who've been
around a while; it means CMY printed in gum using color separations.
When I label a print "tricolor gum" and when Livick labels a print
"tricolor gum," for a couple of examples, this is what we mean. I
understand the way you're using the phrase, but I think it's confusing
to anyone who has understood the phrase in the established sense and
might be confusing to curators, for example, when your work is held in
museums. And if you used four different colors to make a print, you
could call it whatever you like (my personal terminology for something
like that is "multiple gum bichromate" or just "gum bichromate") but
"tricolor gum" is reserved for a particular kind of gum print.

I was tired last night; forgive me for seeing black where there was no
black. It looked to me that there was a black layer that was
distinguishable from all the other layers but obviously my eyes were
playing tricks on me.
Katharine
Received on Mon Nov 14 10:26:25 2005