Etching

I asked my wife to “Come and have a look at my etchings” to which she retorted: “Haven’t heard that one for a while!”

Etching + Photoshop, Image © PeteM2020

Learning the different printmaking techniques has been very enjoyable - pity I did not have more time to dedicate to it. The use of fine paper stock, combined with the tactile feel and  look of the final print, has great appeal to me. 

For the next stage of printmaking I would like to explore current photogravure techniques - combining digital photography with traditional printmaking.  Might be an exciting alternative to traditional wet darkroom printing. 

Let’s see what 2012 brings!

Melbourne Excursion

I would think most Melbourne photo excursions would have images of Flinders Street Station included. So for the record, here is my version!

Flinders Street Station - Image © PeteM2020

I have put together a separate web page with more of my images from the outing. Just click here for the: MELBOURNE EXCURSION WEB PAGE.

Thanks David

Australian Modern Masterpieces

Painting by Jeffry Smart - Art Gallery of NSW

The Art Gallery of Ballarat is currently having a fabulous exhibition of paintings on loan from the Art Gallery of NSW.  Artists including William Dobell, Margaret Olley, Grace Cossington Smith, Sidney Nolan, Arthur Boyd, John Brack, Margaret Preston, Jeffrey Smart and Brett Whiteley. For those of you that did not make it to Sydney, grab this opportunity to see some great Australian works. Ballarat is only an hour’s drive from Melbourne.

Painting by Alan Moore -  Art Gallery of Ballarat

“A Guiding Hand” is an exhibition of the galleries collection of prints. The five Directors who have led the gallery for the past 44 years put this fine collection together. Many well known Australian artists are represented, and for me Lionel Lindsey’s wood block prints always delight. A couple of his original wood blocks are also on display, showing the incredibly fine details carved into the wood.

Here is a link to the Art Gallery of Ballarat for more info. 

Botanical Garden, Ballarat - Image © PeteM2020

Whilst in Ballarat have a look at the large Botanical Garden - the spring flower display is as impressive as the numerous statues. There is an avenue with 25 bronze busts of past Australian Prime Ministers, but I have to admit that some of them I have never heard of!

"Window Art" © PeteM2020

The town is dotted with interesting, grand old buildings. A lot of them are still in fine original condition and very much in use. In one of them, whilst pointing the Percy at the porcelain, I faced an old window with coloured glass distorting the landscape. Wonder what any passers by looking in would make of it all?

Tea toning

Image © PeteM2020

Here is another B&W Photoshop experiment. To bring alive and extended the tonal range of traditional black and white prints, the old darkroom alchemists very successfully toned images with tea. 

Despite being a lengthy, time consuming and rather smelly process, it is still practiced today by diehard darkroom enthusiasts. Although the results can be quite distinctive and great, I think I’ll stick to the Photoshop variant!