Contest time again!

[Chris101]

Every Spring I enter the Eric Fischl photography contest. Last year I won first place for Meat Racks. The guest judge was art collector and tennis player John McEnroe, who also gave a talk about collecting art to a standing room only crowd at the Phoenix Art Museum.

This year we have a photographer you may have heard of judging: Andreas Serrano. I have two entries, both diptychs:

Yellow. Cake.

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Allegory of Relationship

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Entry is tomorrow at noon, but the judging isn't until the 17th or 18th. Talk about yer pins and needles!

 

[Kiwi Geoff]

Now those look really cool Chris. How were they printed??

 

[shtarka1]

Chris, Stunning Lady & Processing In # 1! # 2 Is Signature Chris! Creative, Other Worldly, Deep & Thought Provoking! I Wish You The Best In The Contest!

 

[Phil K]

Great entries!

 

[Deleted member 960]

Good luck, Chris, love that first entry!

 

[Chris101]

Thank you Geoff, Steve, Phil and Bill!

Geoff, they are wet prints on fiber paper. I made all the toners in the lab where I work. The yellow/brown is from vanadium chloride, the red is uranium nitrate and the blue is ferrous ferricyanide. Of course there are also buffers and bleaches involved in formulating the toners. It takes about an hour to do a multi colored toning - in these the heavy metal salt reacts with the silver and the metal replaces the silver in the emulsion, so that the image is silverless, or at least most of it. In some areas, like the eyes on the left picture of the first one, the silver remains.

Since the prints contain toxic metals, they are kept behind glass so that there is no danger of contamination. The uranium is depleted, and is sufficiently diluted that I cannot detect it with my geiger counter.

Bill, the model is a waitress at a local watering hole.

 

[shadowkon]

Finally I get to see some heavy duty wet works from you Chris.
All the best luck to you, friend.

 

[lightp8nter]

Way to go Chris. Fine art indeed. The last one would look great on the side tank of a Harley.

 

[Chris101]

Thanks Will and Nate! Very heavy duty wet works Will! I spent a total of 38 hours on my feet when I toned these (and a few others...) Nate, for what it's worth, the skull is real, but the mouse is a Zhu-zhu pet.

 

[Kiwi Geoff]

Thanks for the very interesting feedback Chris. I haven't used a darkroom for a very long time........ mmmmmmmm!!!

 

[Martytoof]

Wow, good luck Chris! I really like the focus on the two colours. Are they going to be judged as a set, or independent of each other? I think they work really REALLY well side by side.

 

[Chris101]

Thanks Geoff, I love talking about this stuff!

Thank you Marty! Each diptych will be judged independently of the other. You are allowed 3 entries, but I did not do a third entry, because I don't have another colored diptych. So in a way, I am submitting them as a series. These are #'s 7 and 8 of my diptych series. (You can see the others in my 'catalogue' link below.)

 

[stealthman_1]

As always, very cool, inspirational work Chris. 2nd one for me, but that doesn't take anything away fro the quality of the first.:smile:

 

[Chris101]

Thanks Tim! (That's my fave too. But shhhhh!)

By the way, both have now been entered into the contest.

WML!

 

[mhcfires]

Very cool, Chris. You have a way with those exotic toners. Yer gonna glow in the dark yet!:tongue:

 

[Chris101]

Thanks Michael. When I was younger, I was told that chemists had a forty-something lifespan, due to exposure to chemicals. Although OSHA and other regulations have saved us from that, I still feel as if I have gotten my share, so now I feel free to experiment with abandon.

:Wink:

(Actually, you should see the 'moon-suit' I wear when I work with heavy metal toners!)