Eternal Platinum – Contemporary Platinum/Palladium Prints

In celebration of our 3rd anniversary, we present, what is considered the most noble and celebrated of all metal-based photography, the platinum/palladium print. The artists in this exhibition are all masters of the medium, using a variety of techniques to arrive at their own unique approaches to the art of the platinum/palladium print.

This exhibition is in conjunction with PhotoTapas, celebrating the art of photography in Arizona during the month of February.

Exhibiting Artists

• Dick Arentz
• Scott B. Davis, courtesy of Etherton Gallery
• Joy Goldkind, courtesy of Tilt Gallery
• Charles Grogg, courtesy of Etherton Gallery
• David Johndrow
• Stan Klimek
• Andrea Modica, courtesy of Tilt Gallery
• Jean-Claude Mougin, courtesy of Tilt Gallery
• Ryuijie
• Keith Schreiber
• Terry Towery

A platinum print is an exceptionally beautiful and everlasting image presented through a wide range of subtle tones. The creation of a contemporary platinum print, whether from film or digital camera, remains an intimate, handcrafted process. The artist begins by hand coating an art paper with a platinum or platinum/palladium solution, exposing the sensitized paper to ultra-violet light, and then hand processing the exposed paper to create the final, permanent print. No two prints are ever identical.

William Willis invented the platinum print making process in 1873. The process depends on the light sensitivity of iron salts to produce an image. This process depends on replacing the iron salts with platinum or palladium in the final print. Many present practitioners use a combination of platinum and palladium for a single print. When used alone, platinum prints have a tonal range that is generally considered cooler than palladium prints. Whether used alone or together, platinum/palladium prints are highly valued for their great range of subtle tonal variations, producing deep rich shadows and detail filled highlights with a great degree of permanence.

Image Credit: Dick Arentz, Red Oak Creek OH

Dick Arentz and Keith Schreiber will give a gallery talk during our event, Celebrating Photography, a part of our PhotoTapas events.