Making of a Print

Well I have picked up my print and I am meh about it. The printers did a fine job and printed exactly to the proof but I think where I feel it to be a loss is in the punch of the image. I think where I went wrong is not understanding the medium I was printing on. I was hoping that I would have a lot of the qualities of a photograph on the paper when it was never going to happen. But all is not lost

This is what the image has going for it; it is sharp throughout the image. There are no blown out whites or funny digital hiccups that detract from the image. The greyscale is exactly as I had created it and the dark are full. There is not a flaw in the print anywhere in this print. The only thing I don’t like is the lack of a punch in contrast that you get from a photographic paper. With that said, I am not going to trash it but stare at the print for a while and figure out what to do with it. I may just matte and sell it and let buyer frame it themselves. I am, however, going make a large print of the same image on photographic paper.

But to counter that small disappointment I created some images of my Yucca plant that is blooming in the backyard. This is the second year in a row that both plants have bloomed and so I took advantage of my day off and defused sunlight to make these images. Two of these images are shot in front of the vine plant growing next to it. I find that the green textured leaves of the vine plant make a great modeled background when it’s blurred out. The last one is done with black side of my reflector to hide what was behind the flower.

I really liked the soft defused light in the images I created and feel that it is the key that makes the photograph despite what I had originally planned. I was looking for the sunlight streaming through the tree to create drama of highlights and shadows that are in my water lily photographs. Instead I kept battling the high think clouds of the morning so I just went with it and ending up loving them more then what I had planned. Funny how that works.

If you love these or any images on my site feel free to contact me for a price quote on any size of print you want, as well as any questions you might have. I would love to talk to you. And if you have enjoyed this post or the images I have created, feel free to share I would appreciate it.

CR Museum Gallery

Well it took a few weeks but this week I will have my work available to purchase at the Cedar Rapids Art Museum Gallery. I am really excited about it because as I looked around the gallery there are a lot of talented artist’s work I share space with. One, who I am familiar with is my professor of print making, Chuck Barth. He prints using etched plates and creates color prints Mexican flavored inspired figures. Beautiful work.  

I placed two pieces in so far but I have plan to do more as I can afford it. My work centers around the City of Cedar Rapids which is unique from any of the other artist in the gallery. I was told that people are generally interested in artwork of this town, who knew? The work I am planning to put in has a bridge theme to it. Two of which are completed, one I need to print and one I am thinking of needs to be created. The bridge I am contemplating in using to create an image is being worked on now so I am waiting until the project is finished.

Now that I have a taste of getting into a gallery I plan to do reach to more outside the city. I’d like to explore the possibility of Iowa City just because my work would have some familiarity but would be to familiar that it would not sell. I am also considering going out to other cities in different states, I just need to research them and see who I might fit. But it all hinges on getting my work completed.

So, this past month I have been occupied with my new job. The unfortunate thing about being an artist is that sometimes you must work a job to pay the bills. I returned to St Luke’s and now working as a Phlebotomist, I draw blood for the lab. I am good at it and you get to meet people from all walks of life. It’s a job that reminds you how fleeting life can be. I think it pushes me to keep photographing and creating work always, now more than ever. Life is short and I don’t think I have a body of work that is complete. I am on the tail end of my training and my hours are closer to my regular schedule so it is leaving me time to create photos and post. I am excited to get back to work and create more photographs.