
Sections of the WHAT REMAINS images reveal subtle details
2016
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.
2003-2005
The unique (edition of 1) collodion wet-plate glass negatives are 4.25"x5.5" and can be contact printed as salted paper prints or silver gelatin prints. All images have been scanned and are available as limited edition digital pigment print enlargements up to 40"x50".
Clematis is a climbing vine with gorgeous flowers. These photograms are of the flower after the bloom has wilted, lost its petals, and gone to seed. The clematis flowers are placed in the enlarger and projected onto a collodion wet-plate glass plate.
2012
wet-plate collodion photogram tintypes on trophy aluminum and powder coated titanium 5.5"x4.25" up to 10"x8"
Using only the most basic elements of photography - light, lenses and silver nitrate - Photonic Drawings are photogram ambrotypes made on either trophy aluminum or on powder coated titanium. Made using the historic wet-plate collodion chemistry on modern substrates, the Photonic Drawings are the simplest interaction of light and lenses and sensitized metal.
2016
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.
Artistic works that do not attempt to represent reality or concrete subjects.
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. …
Returning to the basics, the Elementary series are wet-plate tintype photograms made using a cube, sphere, cylinder, pyramid, and a few other shapes designed in a CAD program and created with a 3D printer, I also returned to the most elementary image making technique: photograms and one of the earliest photographic technologies: collodion wet-plate to …