Fine Art Prints

For over 20 years, I have loved my time in the darkroom working with black and white printing. I do many hours of proofing the images from my contact sheets that get my attention. When I find images that I want to pursue and work with, I like to start with fresh chemicals, clean towels, plenty of energy and a lot of time for burning, dodging, comparing and rejecting.

I always print my portfolio/exhibition images on fiber graded paper, usually Ilford Gallery. Sometimes, I need very cold tones; then I print on Seagull. If my print needs bleaching, I do it as part of the initial printing process. Also, if I do any toning, it is done during the printing process. I always use selenium toner,to varying degrees, but then other toners are possibilities, such as copper tone, browntone, bluetone. Getting the very best print can take hours to completion. Then I have to match the master print. The good fiber paper gets more costly by the month, it seems, but it is worth it because of the better tones of blacks and grays and highlights. The finished print can be a real high for the day!

I like to work in trays with a large sink for the extra work and interim washes. I have a large archival print washer that completes the darkroom-creative process. After the final washing, the prints are dried, flattened, and either mounted and overmatted or stored for future use. The finished print has been printed archivally, and is ready for either hand-coloring*, for exhibition, or framing for sale.

*The Black/white finished photograph hand-colored with Marshall Oils : For a few of my photographs, I hand-color with Marshall oils. I do not use a different surface, and I hand-color by mixing my colors first, then applying them with both a cotton-tipped stick and my fingers. The effect is that of a subtly colored print, and adds to the special art quality of the print. The hand-coloring is a process that takes several hours for each print, all done individually, so that each one is a one-of-a-kind.

Sarah Carson