Although this blog has a stated focus of discussing hand coated processes and printing methods, the very energy that glues all the process and procedural elements into place is the artistic vision of the photographer. Nomenclature being what it is I prefer using the term printer, and printmaking. Many lines have been blurred over the years with technological advancements. Printmaking is the same now as it was 150 year ago when it was first applied. Speaking for myself, this is exactly why I adore it so much. In the past century of coating rag paper with silver or palladium, the traditional method was rodding, using a thin glass rod, heated and bent for 'handles'. The only real change to that procedure in that century is the advent of the "Puddle Pusher". Acrylic at its best, an 8 1/2" small rod, with a flat handle attached on one side. No more bending glass for handles....
Pushing silver back and forth over a piece of Revere Platinum 100% rag paper, a little soaking in each pass of the rod, is the same thrill today as it was when I first tried it thirty five years ago, as it was a century ago when the Secessionists hung their "poor man's platinum" on gallery walls. I'm going to stick my neck out here and posit that Paul Strand likely printed using platinum or platinum/palladium, as did Edward Steichen in his print of Alfred Stieglitz, and vise versa. Some day, perhaps palladium. My words will only ring well to only a slice of photographers today. Although a growing resurgence in hand coated processes. If there is karma, the resurgence in hand coated printers will continue to grow, and reciprocally, the art buying/collecting public at large will take notice of hand coated printmaking, in limited editions, and come to realize the collectable bargain those prints represent. Those that know me are aware of my fierce belief in limited edition artwork. Open edition and collectable art, are not mutually inclusive terms, for me.
At my age, my only intention is creating as many beautiful prints as is possible in the finite time I have left. How that is received by the public has no part to play with my printmaking. What I do intend for every print that is made by my hand is that it be worthy of an exhibition image, in archival form, printed well to represent the image as previsualized. It is true that pieces of modernity infringe upon the original salt paper process. Today I use a "Puddle Pusher" coating rod, on rag paper that's been around longer than I have, and today I'll slide the printing frame under the Solar Printer, close the printer door and flip on the timer. But that saturated solution of silver, soaked two coats deep into that rag paper is going to get black the same way it did for me thirty years ago, using the sun. I am enjoying the advent of technology upon my beloved printing procedure, but the print quality remains the same as it was those many years before.
What all this is about comes down to is finding a process, as well as a negative density range that reflects your vision. The density range of a negative alters the outcome of how a silver print will look, toned or not. One of the things I hope to bring out is the differences between processes. There are several processes that use silver, like the simplest of them all the salt paper process, the Kallitype, and the Van Dyke Brown. Each process uses a different form of ferric iron or salt as the binder for the silver solution, which ranges from 10% to 13%. Also, there are more than one developer for Kallitype and Van Dyke's, with each altering the final image color, from purplish, through red, red/brown, brown, black. It is the same with Pt/Pd printing. There is more than one developer.
I have found the Kallitype to be a very nice outlet for the printing. Tomorrow's post will show two prints from the same negative, same palladium toning, two different looks for the same image, a salted silver & Kallitype. The salted silver print was a 2 1/2% salted paper & 2 coats of 13% saturated solution of silver on Revere Platinum paper. The Kallitype is a single coat of 10% silver solution to equal part ferric oxalate 20% sol. The salted silver process using this relationship of salt/silver solutions handles a much longer tonal scale than the other methods. By reducing the silver solution, and salt solution relationship, increases the contrast of the image with the salt paper process. Hence the 10% silver ratio of the Kallitype reflects a more contrasty image. You will see this in tomorrow's post, with the two finished prints side by side.
The images I've been working on and posting make up the first portfolio, the Tombstone Portfolio. Next up will be another portfolio with more historical shots of Arizona, some taken in Jerome in the eighties when I made the pilgrimage home from Eugene, Oregon to visit. My connection to Jerome goes back to 1958 when I sat astride one of the burros that took children for rides on the cobbled streets, for 50 cents.
Paper; Canson White: salted 2 1/2% ~ Silver solution 13% ~ 2 coats
Negative; Kodak F-250 Super XX ~ using Burke & James 5x7 flatbed view camera
developed in Pyro/Hydroxide (Hybrid Windish formula) 20 minutes
Un-toned Salted Silver Print
1985 ~ 5"x7" ~ Unique
"Jerome House"
Jerome, Arizona
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