The Gutenberg series of 3D printed books deals with the evolution of books and how knowledge has been distributed in the past and may be distributed in the future. The content of these 3D printed books cannot be accessed – it is sealed inside the PLA resin binding. You must destroy the book to read the book. These books require the viewer/reader to trust the artist – is the content really in there or not? You can see something is inside but you don’t know if it is really as the artist claims. Much of the artwork which is bought and sold requires trust in the artist and the dealer, and these books expand upon that leap of faith.
Wet-Plate Collodion on Laser etched Trophy Aluminum (Tintype) 6"x8" or 6"x6" or 4.25"x5.5"
After 35 years of making photograms I felt challenged to make something new, but it seemed I had photogrammed every kind of object. I decided to create my own objects to make photograms with - and the best place to start is with simple geometric shapes. I 3D printed geometric shapes which were placed on the wet tintype and exposed to light. Before making the photogram I laser-etched photographs of the geometric objects onto the aluminum to achieve a layered effect. I was able to produce new imagery of timeless shapes using 19th century analog process combined with 21st century laser etching and 3D printing.
Tintype photograms of 3D printed geometric objects on trophy aluminum - 4.25"x5.5" up to 8"x10" tintypes
After 35 years of making photograms I felt challenged to make something new, but it seemed I had photogrammed every kind of object. I decided to create my own objects to make photograms and felt the best place to start is with simple geometric shapes. I designed geometric shapes in Tinkercad and printed them using a Makerbot Replicator 2 3D printer in a translucent PLA resin. The geometric objects are placed on the wet tintype and exposed to light. I was able to produce new imagery of elementary timeless shapes using 19th century analog process combined with 21st century 3D printing.
3D printed artist books/sculptures of photography and text. PLA resin, digital prints on paper, USB drives, fabric, wood, found objects, pens, pencils, cameras - various sizes 2"x3" up to 8"x5" - some are edition 1 of 1 others are in editions of 10
The Gutenberg series of 3D printed books deals with the evolution of books and how knowledge may be distributed in the future. The content of these 3D printed books cannot be accessed – it is sealed inside the PLA resin binding. You must destroy the book to read the book. These books require the viewer/reader to trust the artist - is the content really in there or not? You can see something is inside but you don't know if it is really as the artist claims. Much of the artwork which is bought and sold requires trust in the artist and the dealer, and these books expand upon that leap of faith.
Installation includes 21 3D printed PLA Resin Sculptures ranging from 13.5" to 8.5" tall, 1 Bronze sculpture approx. 16" tall, 180 14"x11" Silver Gelatin Photograms
Ascent explores this evolution from today’s analog man to tomorrow’s digital man. As today's environment of digital interrelationships evolves from history’s analog world man continues to change and adapt. In my Ascent project, I utilize historic analog photographic processes and cutting edge digital modeling technologies to create 3 dimensional digital sculptures from 2 dimensional analog photograms. The technologies evolve similarly to the evolution of man.
The 3D printing process builds a three-dimensional object from a computer-aided design (CAD) model, usually by successively adding material layer by layer, which is why it is also called additive manufacturing
What we’ve been doing…. Lisa and I presented our work for the Peters Valley Artist Talk Series on May 5th, 2021. I love to talk about my art but talking about myself is excruciating. It was a wonderful opportunity to explain how my various projects relate to each other and fit into the context of …
A time lapse video of making a hand sculpture using the Makerbot Replicator 2. The process was involved: At the Digital Atelier in Hamilton NJ we created a plaster cast of my hand and then made a high resolution scan of the plaster cast. The file had to be edited to cut the hand at …
How in the hell did I do that? Sometimes when I look back at an older photogram or print that I made I wonder how I got an effect or what kind of process I was using. Fortunately I have my own personal time machine. It works some of the time. It is pretty simple. …
A recipe for a Silver Sunbeam – A glimpse at how I made a 21st century edition of the classic 19th century book of photographic techniques. John Towler’s 1864 “Silver Sunbeam” was a revolutionary book that shared recipes for making those very new and magical things called photographs. The PDF of the 1864 edition The …
Some would say I like to make things unnecessarily complicated, and that might be true. Sometimes I wonder what it would be like to just press a button and be done with a picture, but I simply don’t know when to leave well enough alone. Take for example my new series Pythagoras… Named for one …
“There’s nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and open a vein.” (said to be from Ernest Hemingway, but the quote has been attributed to others and the source probably predates Hemingway.) Regardless of who said it, the sentiment is real. Writing isn’t hard, but writing well is very hard. …
Making “Undeveloped” – a recent 3D printed artist book – required a bunch of experiments and changes. I can usually see some of the problems and some of the ways I can improve the piece in the digital stages, during the CAD design in Tinkercad or in the slicing in Simplify3D. But sometimes when the …
The annual AIPAD Photography Show is at the Park Avenue Armory April 14-17 and more than 80 galleries will be showing contemporary and historic photography. At Charles Schwartz Ltd. booth #415 I will be showing photogram tintypes, some the traditional monochrome and for the first time I will be exhibiting some tintypes with wild colors. …
Since 3D printers became available to hobbyists and now are being marketed as a consumer product the media has had a field day with stories that range from practical to prophetic to wondrous to ludicrous. Some of the practical uses include 3D printing dental implants and prosthetic devices. The super hyped hysteria about 3D printing …
I am a photographer, I think of myself as a photographer, or, as people say today “I identify as a photographer.” But in the past few years I have departed the flatland of photography and begun making 3D sculptures. It started with Ascent – 3D printed sculptures derived from a complicated process that derived from …
