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  Print in Process  
 

A Moment of Consequence - 1

A Moment of Consequence” was first exhibited in Nairobi, Kenya at the newly opened Museum of Modern Art (RaMoMa) it was created for a joint exhibition between The Royal Society of Painter-Printmakers and a group of fellow print artists in Kenya.

To the right is the original photographic “mock-up” for the print. All elements have been placed and tonally adjusted before the film transparencies were made. “A Moment of Consequence” was printed by the artist using two photo-etching plates and three different colors of ink.

There were a number of influences which lead to my vision for this piece, not the least of which was a series of masterful engravings called “The Betrayers” by the leading Dutch engraver of the early Baroque period, Hendrik Goltzius. Going “clockwise” they are 1) Icarus 2) Phaeton 3) Ixion and 4) Tantalus.

 

My model Kenzo was the perfect choice as the subject for this print. With his strong athletic physique and handsome expressive face I thought he would give the needed weight and dignity this print required.

 

To simulate the appearance of weightless flight I placed Kenzo on a table covered in white sheets surrounded by 8’ tall panels of white foam board to create a visually simplified environment. Once the photo is taken to a film positive anything that is white will not read on the film, only light gray to a black tonality will be seen. This will greatly aid my post-production work when it comes to separating my subject from his actual environment! Of course a purpose built professional studio would be nice, but rarely available!

Once the pose was decided and we worked out the positioning of Kenzo’s limbs, hands, head and feet, as well as the emotional expression, I climbed up on a ladder to get above him and started shooting! It’s amazing how much of an effect one slight turn of the head or twist of a hand can have on the overall success of an individual shot. It can be the difference between getting the emotionally engaging expression you want and a wonderful flowing line of the body... or not!

Since Kenzo’s one foot was cropped in the shot I chose I chose to work with I had to take it from another photo and “splice” it back on using Photoshop! Then the laborious task of erasing the remaining background began.
When the entire background has been erased so that the image is separated from its former environment, I can begin to create a new environment for my subject to inhabit!
 
To see further developments of this print go to A Moment of Consequence-2

 

 
 
 
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  All images ©2008 David B. Smith