Turmeric (Curcuma longa) anthotype by Samuel Favre

“Negative love with candles” by Samuel Favre
Country: Kathmandu, Nepal
Parts used: Powder from root
Amount: 6 tablespoons (for 3 layers of 4 prints)
Extracted by: Mixing, shaking and soaking
Thinner: 200 mL alcohol (bad vodka)
Application: Brushing

Layers: 3
Substrate: Canson, 200mg
Created with: Negative on paper
Exposure: 1 week, August (monsoon season), 2023
Contrast: ✿ (Low)
Challenges or observations: I tested baths with vinegar, baking soda, borax; tried to find the right amount of sunlight, contrast of the negative and number of turmeric layers I should apply. As it is a long process, I’ve been trying since June, until I reached a satisfying anthotype. Sadly, I only had negatives and printing transparencies are hard to find in Nepal, so I accepted the fact that I would have only a negative anthotype. But it was part of the process. Additionally the control of the amount of vinegar was quite difficult to manage. In this print, it gave yellow dots or additional information: The baking soda gave a light orange-brown but tended to lower the contrast. Vinegar tends to lighten the picture to yellow and can be applied after both borax or baking soda baths. Finally, borax tends to give a final brown color.
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