Peter J. Blackburn 
Gum printer and educator Peter J. Blackburn shares two simple, experience-based tips for making gum bichromate printing more approachable. He challenges unnecessarily complicated workflows and shows two options for lighting: The sun and indoors. Writer and photography / Peter J. Blackburn There is no shortage of instructions and opinions for creating gum prints, my writings included. But it seems the more I print, the more I learn, and the more … Read more
Peter J. Blackburn once again gives face time to the gum-printing virtues of unmodified BFK Rives. Give it a try? Writer and photography / Peter J. Blackburn So, here I am again, touting the amazing and bedazzling BFK Rives printmaking paper for gum prints. This time, I present you with five portraits printed in different styles on unaltered, unshrunk, right-out-of-the-package BFK Rives. If you missed my first article exploring gum … Read more
Peter J. Blackburn has found his favorite gum bichromate paper. One that he used to shun. And one that needs no sizing. Writer and photography / Peter J. Blackburn Gum printing for me began in 1988. From the beginning, I ignored the advice of many gum experts to use toxic sizing by searching for ways to print bright, crisp gum prints on unaltered paper. “BFK Rives was the very first … Read more
Peter J. Blackburn begins a two-part informal “white paper” discussing synthetic sizing while reviewing two papers that use sizing and one that doesn’t! Writer and photography / Peter J. Blackburn Once again, the time has come to write about some wonderful watercolor papers currently available, which I find to work quite well for gum and casein bichromate printing. Those who have read my introductory gum printing articles know that applying … Read more
Whether to save money, time, or to explore creative options in your art, hand colored gum bichromate prints might just be the answer. Writer and photography / Peter J. Blackburn I have always loved film. My first roll was purchased back in 1970. To this very day, almost all of my gum and casein prints begin as a film captured image. And I love film cameras, especially those which require … Read more
Peter J. Blackburn wrestles with the constant quality changes of art papers and discovers a surprise choice for gum printing. Writer and photography / Peter J. Blackburn “They are not long, the days of wine and roses: Out of a misty dream Our path emerges for a while, then closes Within a dream.” —Ernest Dowson After more than thirty years of gum printing, I am still dumbfounded by the perpetually … Read more
Peter J. Blackburn gives tips on how to edit your work before showing it to the world. Writer and photography / Peter J. Blackburn All right, gather them up. Begin by sliding out the drawers and spill the contents on the floor. Drag out the piles from under your bed and then very slowly open that hall closet so it all cascades gently to the floor. Check the garage, the … Read more
Peter J. Blackburn tells the classic tale of when boy meets toy, of gossamer wings, and love at first sight. It was just one of those things. Writer and photography / Peter J. Blackburn You see, it all started at the now and then camera show held in Dallas several weeks ago. I hadn’t been to one in years. Being quite satisfied with my current working assemblage, the accumulation of … Read more
Peter J. Blackburn deviates from the beaten path to briefly affirm the conceptual potential of the single, solitary image. Writer and photography / Peter J. Blackburn In a few weeks, I will have the pleasure of addressing a conference of educators on the topic of creativity in the classroom. It will come from the perspective of an artist, from my experience of creating art for thirty years. Creativity has been … Read more
What’s a sun printer to do when the clouds march in? Peter J. Blackburn provides a few ideas. Writer and photography / Peter J. Blackburn As a gum printer who depends upon cloudless sunny days to expose negatives, I am so thankful to live in Texas. More often than not, the sun is readily available here and I can print all year round. Of course, outdoor exposures tend to be … Read more
Peter J. Blackburn’s reflections on brush vs camera… now and then.
Peter J. Blackburn illustrates a time when shifting in reverse was the best way to move forward!
Peter J. Blackburn updates us on his progress with gum printing and his struggles with papers. Writer and photography / Peter J. Blackburn In the five or so years since I wrote an essay for Alternative Photography describing my own personal working methods for gum printing, it would be fair to surmise that significant aspects have changed. And, not surprisingly, many of those changes have come as a response to … Read more
Peter J. Blackburn offers closing remarks to complete his viewpoint as to the appropriate roles the web should play in promoting our art.
How does putting your images on the web change the way people see them? Here is Peter J. Blackburn’s take on this.
Peter J. Blackburn explores the hoodwinking tendencies of technology and the web in relationship to art and the artist.
Peter J. Blackburn argues the case for doing a bit of casual printing in-between more serious alternative process work.
Peter J. Blackburn presents a simple printing device capable of producing sharp prints with ease.
Peter J. Blackburn champions the case for gouache as a useful line of pigments in gum and casein printing.
Peter J. Blackburn invites you to come and eavesdrop on a short conversation reflecting a sad state of affairs in art academia.