Emulsion Lift using Fujifilm FP-100C45 Completely dried prints were immersed in boiling water for 5 minutes and then moved to a cold water bath. In cold water the emulsion floated off the backing. The backing containing the print adhesive was removed from the bath and a small paint brush (can be a foam brush) was used to paint the adhesive from the backing on to a high quality watercolor paper. After the paper was evenly covered with adhesive the emulsion was lifted out of the water and placed on the treated paper. A brayer was used to squeeze out the air pockets and excess water was simply soaked up by the gentle application of a paper towel. The image was left to dry overnight and then flattened.

As someone who has been doing Polaroid ® transfer techniques for about 15 years, I was very unnerved to hear about the dis- continuation of Polaroid 669 film. I have taught numerous workshops on the process to countless numbers of students, and sold many Daylab ® copy systems to enable them to do the cherished technique. For the past 15 years I have created my own Polaroid transfer images that I have exhibited and sold throughout the country. A number of years ago, when Polaroid still had an active artist support team, I was one of six people in the country chosen to be a Polaroid creative consultant. The company flew me to their headquarters in Massachusetts, where all of "the chosen" sat around a table and discussed our various techniques, and were given equipment and support to continue our artistic pursuits with Polaroid at our side.

It's sad how much has changed in just a few short years. But as someone who is very stubborn and refuses to give up when it comes to something I want, I am now investigating fully the transfer process using Fujifilm FP-100c film with my Daylab, to see how it compares and contrasts to the Polaroid film, and to somehow make it work. Happily, the Fujifilm ten pack film works just as easily in the Daylab as the Polaroid 669 did, and luckily, I'm not the first or only one working on this process. My preliminary investigation started with Steve Pfaff who is the producer of the Daylab machines. We have developed a good working relationship over the years, since I sell many of the Daylab units to my students and use them often in my own artwork. It was he who advised me to contact a man who started using the Fujifilm film for transfers many years ago, named Peter Balazsy.

Peter was very helpful in giving me direction in my own investigative process. He mentioned I should work with Arches 88 printmaking paper since it doesn't have the "sizing" that typical watercolor papers have that contribute to a yellow cast on the transfer. He also warned me that the peeling apart of the film needed to be done in darkness or else the film gets a solarized effect from the light. He said it doesn't have to be total darkness, but that he works at night with just a small night light at the other end of the room, and that works for him. That wasn't going to work for me, however, since I teach in various rooms all over the world with multiple windows, everyone working at their own speed, so darkness could not figure into the equation. I've come up with some makeshift solutions that work well, and I hope can help those out there also enamored with the Polaroid transfer techniques, and wanting some light on the subject. In some ways it's actually easier to do this process with Fujifilm film since you don't have to wet the paper in hot water first before transferring the image. That's a big plus. My contraption to create a relatively dark environment is fairly easy to make and works well. I won't patent it because seeking a patent for a torn apart small carton with a black pillow case around it would seem ludicrous to the legal experts I would have to hire to license my brilliant creation. I will share openly all my secrets on this won- derful process, in the hope that we can continue to work with Fujifilm well into the future, with as many people as possible supporting this magical film.

Using a high contrast image to begin with seems to work best with the Fujifilm film as well the Polaroid film, because trans- ferring the image onto a new surface loses something in translation and needs a bit of "oomph" to create a well formed, dynamic transfer. I tried the Arches 88 printmaking paper and that does work well. I also tried Rives BSK and Canson printmaking papers with similar results, although the smoothness of Arches makes the image more crisp and clear. That can be positive or negative depending on the results one is looking for. Since I have a big stock of Fabriano Artistico hot press 140 lb. watercolor paper left over from my Polaroid days, I tried that too, but the sizing in it does give it a yellowish cast. If I wet the paper first though, apparently the sizing is removed and if I squeegee the paper well, I can use it with good results. The important thing is to dry the paper well. If the paper is too damp, the image will bleed and almost disappear. The time frame for peeling apart the film is similar in the Polaroid and Fujifilm films. Polaroid says 10-15 seconds, even though with that film I like to wait more like 20-25 seconds.