Digital BW, The Print

I, too, have been looking for a paper that will work successfully with 
Marshall's Photo Oils, which I first began using on my darkroom prints 
in the mid-1970s.  In those days my favorite Kodak paper had very warm 
blacks-- almost brownish black-- and cream-tone whites, which were ideal 
for hand tinted images.  Today I'm printing with Epson's 3800 and 7880, 
and hope to again find a warm-tone paper that can be used to similar effect.

Since my love of photography was inspired by the early realization that 
this could be an art of creative interpretation rather than simply a 
straightforward reproduction of reality, much of my work has been 
predicated on the view that what I capture with the camera lens is 
merely the canvas on which I work, and not the final image. 

Working with film cameras for 25 years, my darkroom techniques included 
selective toning,  the chemical alteration of film negatives, the 
creation and manipulation of paper negatives, and the application of 
texture screens;  post-darkroom processing covered everything from 
Marshall's Photo Oils to brush-applied Farmer's Reducer to pumice stone, 
boric acid, and charcoal rubs. 

In the early 1990s I began to work also with digital imagery, embracing 
the early versions of Photoshop and Painter, and since 1995 much of my 
work has focused on digitally transforming my photographs into artistic 
pieces. 

I love what can be accomplished using the computer and an Intuos tablet 
and stylus-- here are a couple of pieces I've done recently from my 
photos, using brushes and techniques I've developed in Photoshop:

http://www.pbase.com/shoshanna/image/84224547
http://www.pbase.com/shoshanna/image/90358763

... but the hands-on application of actual paint is something that has 
its own magic, and I'd very much like to get back to it.  If anyone can 
recommend a good paper to use with Epson's current UltraChrome K3 inks, 
I'd very much appreciate hearing about it.

Note to Darlene-- It's always good to encounter a "neighbor" on these 
lists-- I live in Gold Beach, on Oregon's south coast, but make the 
beautiful drive to the Medford/Ashland area every six weeks.  Ashland is 
undoubtedly one of the most charming towns in our state, and visiting 
there is always a pleasure.  I recently received an email notice that 
the preview performances of the Shakespeare Festival  were about to 
begin, and that's always something to celebrate, as well as attend, and 
I'm very much looking forward to the season.  If there were any other 
place in Oregon that could lure me into moving away from the coast-- and 
that's not likely!-- it would be Ashland.  I hope you truly enjoy living 
there.

Best wishes,

Shoshanna
http://www.pbase.com/shoshanna



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Darlene Lyon Kruse wrote:
>
> Please share any recommendations you get. I used to do my own darkroom
> prints, usually on Agfa Portriga Rapid 118, later on Oriental Seagull 
> when
> Portriga was no longer made. I too am trying to find good paper for
> hand-coloring digital prints with Marshalls and would appreciate 
> hearing any
> comments and recommendations. I'm printing on an Epson 2200.
>
> Thanks.
> darlene
>
> Darlene Lyon Kruse
> Photographer / Mixed Media Artist
> Ashland, Oregon USA
>
> .
>
>