Art is on the Wall......

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I’ve recently signed a consignment agreement with Portage Hill Art Gallery located at 6439 Portage Road, Westfield, NY 14787. Audrey and Donald have owned the Art Gallery for 35 years featuring regional and national artists. Several of my Platinum/Palladium artworks are on the wall in both 20 x 16 and soon to be 10 x 8 sizes. Check them out at www.portagehillgallery.com

@portagehillgallery

#portagehillgallery

Framed prints are ready

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Check out the first 3 framed artworks under the Palladium/Platinum Prints section of the website. They are of completed and framed prints. Dan Gates, at the Frame and Glass Shoppe in Jamestown NY, does a great job framing these artworks. He uses the same care with my prints as he does with Andy Warhol’s. Each handmade print is framed to Museum standards using museum glass, 8 ply acid free mat board and special Japanese hanging tape. No chemicals are used to mount these prints. Even the framing should last for generations.

Belleview Point 4 framed palladium print.jpg

Just received my next supply of Handmade paper

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I’ve recently received my supply of handmade paper from Mr. Ichibei Iwano X. Ichibei san has retired and the next generation of paper makers is ready to assume his new role. The son has taken over from his father. The quality level is excellent and equals Ichibei IX in every way.

Katz (left) and Ichibei Iwano IX (right) at work stripping the Mulberry bush to ready for the boiling process. Each batch of paper is made from scratch starting with wood pulp known as Koso. As with his father before him there are no caustic chemica…

Katz (left) and Ichibei Iwano IX (right) at work stripping the Mulberry bush to ready for the boiling process. Each batch of paper is made from scratch starting with wood pulp known as Koso. As with his father before him there are no caustic chemicals used during the entire manufacturing process. This is good not only for making long lasting paper but, also the environment..

Platinum Palladium prints are ready

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Check out the section on this website “Platinum Palladium Prints” to see the successful array of prints ready for sale. The process of handmade prints is very rewarding. Pour the developer on the print and it magically appears. It’s the WOW moment! And the print itself is something that must be seen in person to really appreciate it’s beauty. The noble metals make the image look like it has more depth than other printing methods available.

I can now make any of the photos shown on this site as a Platinum Palladium print. Check it and let me know what you think.

Misty Waters - Palladium.jpg

First Platinum/Palladium test print

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03/08/19

With my new contact print frame in hand, yesterday was my 1st day of testing. Items on the list to confirm processes were applying the Bostick and Sullivan emulsion, UV exposure time and using the developer chemicals. Overall an important day to continue down the path of museum quality of Platinum printmaking.

The first ay results were mixed. Still love the Japanese paper but the prints turned out darker than expected. I’ll be analyzing the process and products to confirm what’s working and modify what’s not. The journey is the destination. I intend to be on this trek a long time!!

Stay tuned as I confirm the quality of my digital negatives, obtain finer brushes and improve my application technique.

Thanks for being a part of my journey.

GW

Digital Negative

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My journey into Palladium/Platinum printing is ready to start. Thank you to Bruce Starrenburg #lightbox for going the extra mile to produce my Digital Negative. Bruce knows the right people to get things done.

Once I receive the negative from Bruce I can start calibrating my UV light box. I’ll also confirm my entire process before diving into the 16” x 20” Palladium/Platinum prints on handmade Japanese Koso Paper.

Almost there!!!

Letchworth State Park

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Spent some time revisiting #letchworthstatepark this past week. First visit to the Park was late summer, then back for the fall leaves. This was my first visit during the winter months. Interesting that I was the only photographer anywhere along the Genesee River. Maybe had something to do with limited visibility, dirty snow and horrible walking conditions.

But nonetheless, see my latest pics of this beautiful Park in the “Earth” section and an additional pic of the day in the “water” section of this website.

In the end some very nice images on a not so nice day.

GW

UV exposure Box

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Just completed a 24” x 24” UV light exposure box to ready for the Palladium/Platinum printmaking. Plywood, whiteboard and LED lighting is all that’s needed. Rather than using LED strips I installed sealed Black Lights that would have looked really cool at a party in the 70’s but now it’s just lighting the inside of a box.

Next up is making the contact print frame to hold the Washi Paper from #thejapanesepaperplace.

Japanese Paper Day

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Had an extraordinary day yesterday. Took a 7 hour drive to and from Toronto Canada to look at ‘paper'. Not just any paper but Japanese paper. And not just any Japanese paper but paper handmade by a living Japanese National Treasure named Hosho Iwano. This very special Kozo Paper, made from the Mulberry bush, will soon be used to make my Palladium/platinum prints. Stay tuned.

Thanks to Sigrid for her time and attention yesterday. Sigrid is the Fine Paper Specialist at #TheJapanesePaperPlace. She was very helpful answering my questions and allowing me time to make good decisions. Thanks Sigrid.

Bent Run Falls

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Enjoyed a day of photography back to Bent Run Falls near the Kinzua Dam in Warren PA. This series of rock formations is a perfect background to the many water falls as you walk up the hillside. This time my vision was to photo from side to side of the water rather than head on. Dramatic scenes along the 1.4 miles of hillside. Check out the two photos chosen (1) shown in “water” and (1) in “earth”.