Peter J. Blackburn, MA, is a gallery-represented artist in the Dallas, Texas, area. He works principally in gum and casein bichromate and has done so for more than three decades.
From: Dallas, Texas, USA.
Shows: Casein pigment and Gum bichromates.
“While browsing through a basic darkroom handbook early in my photography training at Richland College, Dallas, Texas, I came across a section outlining just a few of the many alternative processes. Gum and casein printing were among them. It was love at first sight, and it has been a passion ever since. That was back in 1988.”
For its extraordinary beauty and the option to print either in monochrome or three- or four-color, Peter chose to work exclusively with the bichromate process right from the start. He exposes his negatives to the ubiquitous Texas sun and credits imaging technology and advances in modern nontoxic paper sizing with helping to streamline his production workflow. In fact, all of his images are printed on fine art paper straight out of the package without any modification other than preshrinking.
“I’m a bit eclectic in my approach to working, using everything from my classic Rolleiflex to a Roland printer. Even with modern accruements at my disposal, I’ve discovered that producing a fine gum bichromate print is akin to mastering classical music. It requires discipline, tenacity, and a bit of finesse. Casein printing using a cheese-based suspension, on the other hand, is pure rock ‘n’ roll!”
More about Peter:
Articles
Workshops by Peter
Contact
- Email: blackburnap (at) aol.com
- Website