Mounting Options

[bill t.]

I recently saw some of Michael Eastman's work in a Chelsea gallery and his finishing technique is exquisite - I wanted to try something similar.

Eastman's coating techniques give his work a tactile quality that is usually completely missing from photography, and which hugely affects the appearance of the print.  Painters will immediately raise flags about "aping painting" but I have yet to find the patent on the use of canvas or glazing finishes and would rather think of the presentation of a piece for its own sake.  I have been experimenting with super clear varnishes on canvas, which opens up the option to profile targets in their coated states which greatly increases the gamut range available from a given canvas, although not necessarily in useful color ranges.  Wonderful things start to happen just short of the point where the glazing starts to smooth out the canvas texture, provided there is sufficient transparency left through many layers of coating, now there's the problem.  PS, lighting has a lot to do with the appearnce of glazing.

Here's a page that talks about Rembrandt's glazing techniques which Eastman has sometimes referred to.

http://virgilelliott.com/node/19

And Eastman himself is pretty impressive with or without tactile surface qualities.  The greens and reds in his work are examples of colors brought into gamut range by profiling varnished targets.

http://www.escapeintolife.com/artist-watch/michael-eastman/

[Paul Ozzello]

Paul,

I don't think you can mount with a press without marks on the larger prints.  The platen of the press will leave a line.  

On the float mounts, I will float the print, float the mat, leaving about 1/2" of space between the edge of the print and mat.  This will all easily go into a frame with around 1/2 rabbet.  Here is more on the rabbet.

http://www.pictureframes.com/html/rabbet.html

I use several different wood frames for to enhance the overall effect of the float.

I also attached a shot showing a 30 x 40 framed print of a float I recently did.  Mat is 8 ply and print is floated on a 1 ply rag.


Paul

That looks really good Paul. Is there glass in front ?

[Paul Ozzello]

Here's a page that talks about Rembrandt's glazing techniques which Eastman has sometimes referred to.

http://virgilelliott.com/node/19

How would you apply those techniques to a fine art inkjet print ? Can you glaze directly on the print or should it first be 'sealed' with something like Golden GAC 500 ?

[Paul2660]

Paul

Thanks for the compliment.  Yes that print has TruVue conservation clear reflection control.  I will most time use that or standard conservation clear.  Only issue with the CC on prints if this size is the glare. 

Paul Caldwell