Angela Cartwright - Mixed Emulsions: Altered Art Techniques for Photographic Imagery

ALTERED ART TECHNIQUES for
PHOTOGRAPHIC IMAGERY

ANGELA CARTWRIGHT

QUARRY
BOOKS

BEVERLY, MASSACHUSETTS

2007 by Quarry Books

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without written permission of the copyright owners. All images in this book have been reproduced with the knowledge and prior consent of the artists concerned, and no responsibility is accepted by the producer, publisher, or printer for any infringement of copyright or otherwise, arising from the contents of this publication. Every effort has been made to ensure that credits accurately comply with information supplied. We apologize for any inaccuracies that may have occurred and will resolve inaccurate or missing information in a subsequent reprinting of the book.

First published in the United States of America by
Quarry Books, a member of
Quayside Publishing Group
100 Cummings Center
Suite 406-L
Beverly, Massachusetts 01915-6101
Telephone: (978) 282-9590
Fax: (978) 283-2742
www.quarrybooks.com

Digital edition: 978-1-61673-515-9
Hardcover edition: 978-1-59253-369-5

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Cartwright, Angela.
Mixed emulsions : altered art techniques for photographic imagery / Angela Cartwright.
p. cm.

ISBN 1-59253-369-8
1. Photographic emulsions. I. Title.
TR395.C335 2007
772dc22
2007016590
CIP

ISBN-13: 978-1-59253-369-5
ISBN-10: 1-59253-369-8

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Design: Rachel Fitzgibbon
Cover Art: Angela Cartwright
Photography: Glenn Scott Photography

Printed in China
Printed in Singapore

Life is like photography. You use the negatives to develop.

A NONYMOUS

To my Mum and Dad

who started a lifetime passion when they gave me the gift of a camera when I was 15.

If you observe an ordinary object or body very closely, it is transformed into something sacred. The camera can reveal secrets the naked eye or mind cannot capture; everything disappears except for the thing that is the focus of the picture. The photograph is an exercise in observation, and the result is always a stroke of luck.

I SABEL A LLENDE

Photography is the process of making pictures by the action of light. It only takes a thirtieth of a second for photo emulsion exposed to light to form an image. There, in that moment, you have captured time, and to me, thats magic.

Art is about expression. Observing the world and then expressing what you see from your own perspective. Photography can open doors to close observation. A snapshot reveals a moment, but it can also show us so much more the texture of a wall, the shape of a feather, the complexity of a nest, the expanse of a landscape, the innocence in the face of a child. When you add color or texture, it creates an entirely new work of art, and allows you to explore additional dimensions. A photograph may embrace the depth of the subject within its frame or spill over onto canvas, wood, or paper.

Artists use imagery to create. The imagery itself may arise from your imagination or from a strip of film. Creativity implies following your instincts, and requires no rational explanation. For me, sometimes stories evolve in my head, and other times those stories reveal themselves as the art is created. This mysterious process is what attracts me. We all have stories to tell.

Many years ago my daughter came home from school and said her art teacher had told her she couldnt color the snowmans scarf pink. I saw red. I told her to have the teacher call me if she could not color her drawings whatever color she wanted. Sad to say, my daughter did not get an A in art class that year. The more important lesson was that I let my daughter be who she is, expressing herself her way. Why cant the snowmans scarf be hot pink and lime green? That sort of individuality is what makes an artist an artist.

My father was a technical artist, and I always admired how his drawings looked exactly like the objects they were supposed to portray. It took years to realize that this approach was my downfall. I was stuck in the limbo of not being able to draw or paint like I wanted to: realistically. I thought I wanted my art to be detailed and perfect. I found that photography achieved realism, while painting those images gave me the freedom to express myself. A friend once reminded me that as humans, we are perfectly imperfect. I have used that as a mantra for years now.

There is an Aboriginal idea that everything has to be dreamed to exist at all. I often dream my ideas and have trained myself to wake up just enough to write them down. If I dont, I am haunted by what I cant remember. I recommend that you write all your ideas down. For me, keeping a notebook and pen by my bed has allowed me to clear my mind to make art, art that shows the way I experience my world.

You will never hear me tell you that something should look a certain way. You are you, and what you create will come from deep inside if only you let it. It is my hope that this book opens doors to artistic exploration and compels you to experiment and discover. Take these seeds of inspiration and plant them in your own garden. Be an unruly artist. Create art that shows the way you experience your world.

Enough of my rambling lets start at the very beginning.

C ONNEMARA

You dont take a photograph. You ask, quietly, to borrow it.

A NONYMOUS

When the bug bit me to take my photographic passion to another level of discovery, I knew the journey would be an exciting one. Every year there are new developments in art products and new ways to use them. The art of discovery and the power of learning make me rekindle my childhood spirit.

Throughout this book well explore the many ways I have discovered that photographic images can be colored, textured, and altered. The specific products and materials used on each of my sample photographs and mixed-media works are listed in the back of the book. You will also find the companies that produce these products starting on .

P ORTAL Black-and-white photograph hand-painted with oils and stamped into, acrylic paint, embossing powders stamped into, fabric, inks