Last April I embarked on a mission, which took me all the way to Alton, Missouri. The goal was to see if I could capture the total solar eclipse with both daguerreotype and wet collodion mediums, while having no specialized equipment and with no assistants either. The journey and it's fruits are described HERE, with finished daguerreotypes can be seen HERE. Having miraculously secured a 4x5in wet collodion negative of the diamond ring moment of sun's reemergence, I chose to make two editions of prints on vintage gelatin silver paper and using lithographic developer, in order to add even more serendipity to the process.
First printing focused solely and squarely upon the conjunction of sun and moon, centered and enlarged to almost fill the page. It then took me some months to process what I wanted to see in the second edition. I won't bore the reader with repeating what fun lith printing with gelatin silver paper is, as one can find that info in my post about the first round of images, but I decided to stick with that, as well as to continue using vintage photo papers like Kodak's Ektalure and Fine Art, Luminos Charcoal R, and others, but this time I only made prints in 11x14 and 16x20 format, forgoing 8x10 altogether.
With this second and final edition, I wanted to more personally convey my experience of the eclipse and the emotions that those 3.5 minutes so strongly evoked. I recall being awestruck at the surreal nature of what was happening, with day turning into night and colors fading before my very eyes. It seemed like reality glitched for a second, and the sky became host to a most amusing and abstract art installation, a fleeting performance by nature of it's best time sensitive installation. I was also overwhelmed by Nature that was happening all around me. Not only were celestial bodies lined up in most peculiar and perfect ways, but I was also in the depth of a lush forest, an environment I thoroughly enjoy. Below are some examples of 11x14 and 16x20in prints that were completed recently. With 11x14in I decided to give a nod to Man Ray and the abstract movement of his time, with somewhat organic shapes mysteriously appearing in random manner in what is usually a clear sky. In 16x20in images, those shapes are replaced with plant material, and in a way I hear them faintly whispering of work by Anna Atkins and William Henry Fox Talbot. As with the first edition, each print was selectively bleached and selenium toned.
Above prints are available for purchase, feel free to use the email mentioned in contact page her to send an inquiry. Printing of this negative is now done forever, as I placed a thick layer of varnish on it. That varnish contains a myriad dust particles, large and small, so the negative itself is preserved, but basically unprintable. I'm elated to have completed this project and to have already sold a few prints from both first and second edition. My art is my only source of income, and sales allow me not only to survive, but to dream of new heights to achieve within the medium I love so dearly.
Anton
