Pseudo-Solarised & Vaccum-Pressed
Since the start of the year I have been working on the release of a special edition print. It features a picture of the sixth prototype Ferrari F40GT. I have worked on the original photographic file in Photoshop through a technique I have termed 'Pseudo-Solarisation'. In another post I shall address how I went about this. Pictured here is my first experiment with my new vacuum press. This machine sucks all the air out of its vacuum chamber whilst warming whatever is in it for the purpose of flattening, mounting or laminating prints. Here I have started simply by flattening a print. It is very important to ensure the machine and the room itself are virtually dust free as otherwise the print will show dust particles having been pressed into its surface. This is what happened. It is a learning process. It has always frustrated me presenting curled prints direct from the printer. I am truly excited by the prospect of flat, rigid prints that I can either varnish or appreciate the simple beauty of the printed surface.
This is printed using a 10 ink Epson 7900 printer with Canson High Gloss paper. The print is unlike any I have seen before. The photograph's unusual tonal qualities and deep colouring allayed with this slick paper create a surface that looks almost wet without being too reflective (a quality of gloss prints that is displeasing). When it came from the printer I was taken back to the good ol' days in the darkroom of viewing the newly finished print direct from the fixing bath still with its fluid sheen.
I am working towards releasing the print for sale on this website at the start of next week, 16th May.
