Analog photography
I hope you are all rested and relaxed after summer holidays, cos I’m not 😀 . It was an extreme summer, but I managed to create pretty good photographs.
Oddly enough, I took only two cameras with me – Konica and SeaSea Marine. Both simple, old, 35mm.
What I envisioned and produced will be posted in the next few posts.
Alternative process
Recently I spotted Nikuku vintage frames and thought that they would be perfect with my photogravure photographs.
Alternative process
The Arts Weekend Kinsale is coming to an end. I had a photogravure demo and one of my paintings were in the Philip Gray’s gallery for the exhibition. All in all, Â I think it went pretty good and some happy ladies went home with a piece of finished photogravure print. I joined the event in the last minute but for the next time I’ll be better prepared (I hope).
Analog photography
I hate built in flash, but I wanted to try. This is a straight forward scan. The vignetting and the colour of a Kodak Ektar film  is interesting. It is familiar with all those photos from the 80ties but in a way very much modern.
Analog photography
I bought cheaply two cameras Konica C35 EF and SeaSea Marine, with the idea to use them as my vacation cameras.  Konica is small, practical, light, easy to put in a pocket, cheap, not to be bothered with the terrible financial loss if something goes wrong – drop, theft, etc. Sea&Sea Marine is a chunky yellow piece for underwater photography. It suppose to have working flash, but it’s not working. There is no light leakage and I submerged it 1 m deep, no water inside. They are both in a pretty good shape.
So, I put some Kodak colour film and here is what I’ve got.
Konica was used on a good days, which lasted surpassingly enough for Ireland, the whole week without a drizzle.
Sea&Sea Marine I used when was really grey, awful, rainy day. It is an underwater camera, but the effect that I’ve got on land is very unique.
I like both of them.
In a way those two different sets are close to realty. They represent Ireland with gorgeous blue sunny days and deep dark grey rainy days, with swimmers in a cold ocean water whether rain or shine.
Alternative process
I am participating in the Magnum Photography Awards with my photogravure Meeting Point, which is part of my new portfolio sale of six original photogravure photographs:Â https://www.silaart.com/product/special-edition-portfolio-sixies-photogravure/
If I win the prize on Magnum competition, that portfolio will be worth triple and even more. That is the rule of the market, silly isn’t it?! And if you have “the nose” you can buy it now and earn a lot  later.
“Meeting Point, between past and present, photographic history and photographic present. I use traditional photographic techniques and implement them in a digital world. Meeting point is a photopolymer photogravure photograph. It is Ireland with it’s ageless play between the ocean and the land, meeting point. It is slow, handmade process that leaves deep relief on paper from the heavy printing press, the same way as sea slowly but powerfully makes ridges in the land.”
This morning I want to tell you a few words about owning and desiring original work of art. I have a feeling that people these days don’t know the feeling of supporting something good, something that you believe in to, the pleasure of knowing that you didn’t throw away your money on something that you will discard as trash in a week, maybe month. I am talking about the class, style, the stuff that I was taught in Zagreb in an era where we still had an expression “Vienna school” meaning “de bon ton”, in good taste. The expression would cover among other, the taste for art. Reproductions, kitsch, something that you can buy in a supermarket, meaningless artwork would be considered displeasing and very “no, no”. Looking at artwork only on the Internet, browsing, clicking, and never actually touching, hanging on your wall, admiring from “afar” instead from “up close and personal”. It’s like falling in love with a virtual person, never to touch, never to engage. Constant browsing is not paying attention to anyone in particular. It’s meaningless and empty, very dissatisfying.
Recently, I bought an artwork from the photographer Matthew Marrash. It was one of his photographs that I spotted on the Internet that caught my attention. He works with contact printing from 8×10 negatives. It is a handmade work of art. I wanted to have that piece in my hand so I can actually touch the paper, see the light on the photograph up close and personal and most of all I wanted to support a fellow photographer who believes as I do, that an original, hand made, photograph, taken with film is one of a kind.
Alternative process
Working on the printmaking press and with ink is the most basic thing. Since the 15th century printmakers were using printing presses. It was only logical that in the 19th century printmaking becomes one of the methods to produce photography. Together they create beautiful artworks.
I am continuing with my small edition printing. Only 4 of each negative are printed as a photogravure. Mainly I use sepia, with a touch of black colour from Charbonnel and it is Aqua Wash ink. For me it works perfectly. They are long lasting ink paints.
All my prints need to be dried yet and then I can scan them. For now, just some quick snapshots.
Analog photography
I developed a new film. It is an Adox CMS20II. And as always, I made my first selection of photographs, which one will be kept. Final selection will eliminate all the images that don’t fit my current project, idea, portfolio that is in progress etc. I thought I might show them to you, photos that usually are not included among the artwork portfolio. They are all great (when you are an experienced photographer most of your images are great), but it is like the preparing of an exhibition, a lot of the good ones, will not be included as they do not fit the theme.
Alternative process
This morning, I don’t even remember how, I end up reading text about Art Nouveau, Ramon Garcia-Bragado:
“Art Nouveau- Whatever the case, each was based on a desire to break with the past, to overcome traditional academic canons and seek new, original concepts and forms that looked to the future. At the same time, however, they were also movements inspired by the past and each country’s specific traditions, thus striving to recover their own history and legends. This was one of the main reasons why each movement was different. This apparent contradiction was also carried over into the way works were carried out. On the one hand, new techniques and materials could be used thanks to constant investigation but, on the other hand, there was also a painstaking recovery of ancient artisan traditions in ironwork, glass, carpentry, ceramics and other fields.
Another common feature of Europe’s different Art Nouveau movements was an identification with nature, an approach that went much further than the use of forms and materials, because it was in fact a firm commitment to the quality of life and health of citizens. This can be especially seen in architecture, where natural light and the possibilities of ventilation was maximised to the full in each building and room. It might also seem contradictory that all the new technologies of the day were being introduced at the time, such as gas, electric lighting, elevators, running water and sewage systems, etc. But today we know that a quality of life implies a wise balance between a respect for nature and the use of cutting-edge technologies. In this way, these modernists were indeed pioneers.”
Great text, great art movement, but that wasn’t the reason to post it here with my post concerning my new achievements in photogravure. It is the part where Art nouveau connects and respects traditional handmade craft, ancient artisan traditions, and then uses new materials, new ways with old knowledge. That is my idea, my notion, the same feeling, in 21st century. Old and new work together and create new high quality, one of kind, pieces of art.
Place: Garrylucas, Kinsale, Ireland
I used a direct-to-plate printing method. The how-to-knowledge of the method was kindly shared with me by the wonderful Australian artist, Silvi Glauttauer. Toyobo plates and Epson printer SCP600, saved me fiddling with transparency film and vacuum exposure box. This way, the positive is printed directly on the plate and exposed under UV light, developed in water. Ink that I use is Charbonnel Aqua wash. Paper is for printmaking from Hahnemuhle. Photographing it with film, developed traditionally with chemicals, then scanning the modern way, printing with printer, and back to the old traditional printmaking with ink and printmaking press.
I made only 4 sepia photographs and 1 black carbon. That is it. Archival, handmade, one of a kind. They are for sale.
