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2009 Orcas Island Workshop

Date: 2009-09-27 - 2009-10-02
Location: San Juan Island

In the 1870s, William Willis made platinum printing a new and exciting process for the world to use. Interest in the medium had waned by the 1930s, when Kodak became the last company to discontinue the manufacture of platinum and palladium papers, because of the impending war and the high cost of platinum. Photographers who wished to print in these precious metals had to coat their own papers. This was an inconvenient task, and platinum and palladium printing almost became a lost art.

This workshops, consisting of two separate weekends (some 30hrs each) designed to give photographers with some darkroom experience a different way of working; one that allows them, the image maker additional control of the total creative processes of making prints.

This hands-on course involves students in selecting papers, making negatives, and producing prints that have no rival. Participants are guided through the processes of printing in platinum and palladium from negative exposure and development, paper selection and coating, processing and clearing and print presentation. Students leave the workshop with finished platinum/palladium prints to add to their portfolio.

Those students that take the second part will work with fine tuning their work. More on paper selection and how to work with modern papers. Exploring the use of Na2 as a printing agent. Becoming more consistent with making prints. Also students will have use of the darkroom to work on the next session.

The workshops starts early Friday morning to take full advantage of the weekend time block for lectures and demonstrations, some print viewing and discussions, will start on Thursday night, so we can get a jump on the printing sessions.

One on one supervision is provided during the printing and work sessions to minimize problems. Students will need to spend some additional money for materials. Details will be sent to students before the workshop begins.

Jan Pietrzak is currently teaching only photography workshops. He has taught or lectured for a number of programs including Otis College of Art and Design in Los Angeles, the Sierra Club, Camera-Image Workshops, Victor School in Colorado and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Santa Monica College and Glendale College. Pietrzak still works with the photographic community as a product advisor to Freestyle Photographic in Los Angeles, California. A photographer and hand-coated printmaker, Pietrzaks delicate platinum/palladium prints deal with a subtle view of nature and the landscape. His background in ;