Layers of Destruction
Halloween is that last fun night of the year. Think about it, what have you really got to look forward to the rest of the year? Christmas? Really? New Years? Whatever. So, in the spirit of post Halloween, pre-holiday terror, it is my pleasure to bring you the sadistic work of Micheal Donnor. Donnor is a San Franciscan (GO GIANTS!) photographer who violently attacks his work in order to represent the decay of our mortal souls. The process begins with torturing a negative; it can be scratched, frozen, melted, etc. Then the negative is enlarged onto silver gelatine paper and processed. The print is then abused some more, toned, stained signed, dated, burned, and then preserved in encausting. Th...Read more
Mr. Brian Taylor,
Now showing at San Fran based, Gallery 291, is Brian Taylor and his series of Gum Bichromate and Cyanotype photography on watercolor paper. The 19th century technique is labor intensive and not exactly instant gratification. Brian explains that first a layer of silver gelatin (which is light sensitive) is painted onto the surface of the paper. Then the paper is exposed for ten minutes the process produces a cyanotype, which is an entirely rich prussian blue monochrome image. Then a layer of gum bichromate is painted and the process is repeated. The image now has layer of green on top. The process is repeated another time and that layer is completes the image with a brown color. Before I put ...Read more