Here is a series of four prints (http://chris101.nikongear.com/2010/03/31/80/) I've recently made using uranium toning. I have entered them into an art contest (http://news.pluggd.in/tennis-legend-john-mcenroe-and-world-renowned-artist-eric-fischl-team-up-for-fundraising-event-combining-tennis-and-art-221/) that is to be judged (in part) by John McEnroe (http://www.artincontext.org/gallery/gallery_exhibition.aspx?id=1344) (the crabby tennis guy.) Unfortunately the contest only allows three pictures to be entered.

Given McEnroe's choices for his exhibitions (from the above link) and your opinion of my prints' merits, which one do you think should be cut from my series?

Why?

why not check out what he shows in his gallery as it might give you a clue as to his personal taste which of course should lead you to a decision on what to enter?

Thanks Ann. I did look into McEnroe's collection, and based my choices somewhat on that - he likes stuff by Basquiat (http://images.google.com/images?client=safari&rls=en&q=Basquiat), Bill Traylor (http://images.google.com/images?client=safari&rls=en&q=Bill+Traylor), Phillip Guston (http://images.google.com/images?client=safari&rls=en&q=Philip+Guston) and Gary Komarin (http://images.google.com/images?client=safari&rls=en&q=Gary+Komarin).

It seems to me that Basquiat, Taylor, Guston and Komarin's works all seem to lean more toward illustration than traditional photography. Don't they?

Therefore, eliminate the nude because it is closest to a pure photographic work. It has abstract and somewhat surrealist qualities but it is more like a real, traditional photograph than the others.

why not post them here, at a suitable size, so that we can view them easily

Thanks Randy, that thought occurred to me as well. But I LIKE the nude, and think that it is one of my strongest pieces. I recently hit on an idea - to include the nude and the bag in a diptych so I won't need to eliminate one from this set:

http://homepage.mac.com/cheilman1/images/ng/fischlmcenroediptych1.jpg

This puts the nude back into play as a concept rather than a representation, eh?

Ray, I will. I usually make my web images ≤ 1024 pixels wide, ≤ 738 pixels tall, and the file size < 300 Kbites. Is that a good size for here?

onetrick about contests is to know the judge (s). Enter what you know they will like not what you like. It is human nature (judge or not) to be drawn to those things that have the same values we like.

As one who has been a judge , i wouldn't give this presentation a second look. just my 2 cents. I am sure others may love these two together and in the bottom line, you are the one who has to have the final say.

Really like the screaming head & nude. But aside from that, I'm curious about your toning process. Are these silver gelatin images or an alt process? I would assume your brushing on the toner for the cat & the bag images. Cool results though.

The nude is abstract enough to fit. I was just using the logical approach. :)

onetrick about contests is to know the judge (s). Enter what you know they will like not what you like. It is human nature (judge or not) to be drawn to those things that have the same values we like.

As one who has been a judge , i wouldn't give this presentation a second look. just my 2 cents. I am sure others may love these two together and in the bottom line, you are the one who has to have the final say.

Thanks Ann. I don't think I'd go so far as to put out art that catered to a judge's taste, but I will certainly find the right contest to enter! My photography isn't for everyone, I know this. Your interest however, is appreciated.


Really like the screaming head & nude. But aside from that, I'm curious about your toning process. Are these silver gelatin images or an alt process? I would assume your brushing on the toner for the cat & the bag images. Cool results though.

Thank you Rob!

I mix my own toners according to directions in this book (http://books.google.com/books?id=YElIAAAAYAAJ&printsec=frontcover&dq=Cassell's+cyclopaedia+of+photography&source=bl&ots=2v9ZDUyuF2&sig=j8dkG6U6ZJZCR7Ns7x3E4O5wnOQ&hl=en&ei=PpO5S6emCoOysgPjwoDpDA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=2&ved=0CAkQ6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q=&f=false). Jack's PCS is also a good reference, but you need to experiment a lot, as he is very approximate with concentrations and times. The brush marks are from applying frisket mask, (rubber cement, hexane and dye) which allows me to tone different areas separately. If you blend these toners, they either ignore previously toned areas if the metal activity is lower in the toned area, or blend colors if the metal in place is more active. As vanadium and uranium are toxic, I do all this in a chemistry laboratory with plenty of safety equipment.


The nude is abstract enough to fit. I was just using the logical approach. :)

I can certainly relate to your logic Randy.

As an epilog to this thread, John McEnroe chose none of the pictures I listed above. However he did select a diptych of traditional prints for first prize:
http://homepage.mac.com/cheilman1/threemorediptychs/images/fischlmcenroediptych3.jpg

I entered it only because the fee covered 3 entries, and I didn't want to waste an entry. :eek: It's titled Meatracks, and is a comment on marriage.

This October however I entered the urano-toned diptych in a contest juried by Allen Dutton (http://www.nearbycafe.com/artandphoto/cafegallery/dutton/index.html), and got selected, and exhibited for a month, but did not win.

I haven't given up on the colors and tones from uranium and vanadium, but for now, I'm on 'heavy metal hiatus'.