I've been underground all weekend.  That's right, I spent almost an entire weekend in my studio.  My studio is in my basement (underground).  This weekend I finished 5 of the images for my upcoming solo show at Exhibit A in November.  The images were well along in the process already.  But they needed to go through one of the most important steps in the process before being sent for professional production:  proofing and correcting.  

Proofing and correcting is a painstaking process.  It comes at the end of making a work.  First I must check and recheck each images to be certain that it is properly sized.  Next I must view it at 150% of the actual print size to check for imperfections with a fine tooth comb.  Dust, scratches and white marks must be carefully removed and retouched.  No one wants a print with a big white spot in one corner.  This part of the process takes place in my dark studio using two monitors side by side.  On the right is my Mac Book Pro and to the left is an Apple Cinema Display.  Frankly I can see better looking at the large display.  So I connect my laptop to it to increase the area I can visualize.

Once all of the retouching is done and I like the colors I'm seeing, the real fun begins.  I have to make a series of proof prints that I can use to guide me to getting a print that is actually the way I want it to look.  Once in a while it comes out right the first try but usually it takes between 4 and 10 print adjustments to be satisfied that the color is going to come out right.  

Right now you many be wondering why all of this is so difficult.  In a perfect world, what I see on my screen would match from screen to screen, but it doesn't.  Even with Spyder Calibration my laptop never quite matches my Cinema Display.  Then there are all kinds of printing issues.  I live in a world filled with ICC profiles, variable substrates (papers) and pigment inks.  My brand new printer is an Epson 3880.   It makes beautiful, archival pigment prints.  It also requires an education to run it properly.  So far I've discovered it's much more cooperative if I also use Epson paper.  Every paper has color tones.  The color tones in the paper or surface effect the way the print will look.

Above is a print coming out of the Epson 3880.  It's the 5th and final proof for a new work titled Dance of Life © 2013.  This work should remind you a little bit of Renaissance painting with its rich and vibrant symbolic fruit subject matter.  There is a peeled orange intertwined with a ripe and juicy peeled pomegranate.  In the proofs below you can see that the initial image was far to dark.  Each proof represents a series of changes as I work my way through getting a print that looks like what I had planned.  This print took 5 proofs to get there.  The reason this can be so tricky is that screen color is backlit and prints are not backlit.  This changes how we see the color quite dramatically.  Just because an image looks great on the screen doesn't necessarily make it great on paper.  It takes a lot of work and analyzing to get it just right.  This weekend I did this with 5 images.  Because my end images actually are infused into aluminum, I proof print on glossy paper to simulate the color brilliance.  This seems to be a decent predictor of what the actual print will look like.

Down at the bottom you can see the end result.  This image, Dance of Life © 2013 resulted from about 40 hours of work from starting scan to finished retouching and proofing.  It's now on it's way to be infused into a aluminum panel that will hang, float mounted on the wall.  This one is 24 x 24 inches.  I love its bright, rich colors and active composition.  It's just dripping with life.

Buffalo's Echo Art Fair has come and gone for another year.  I always enjoy participating as an artist with Exhibit A in Corning, NY.  This year I was fortunate to be able to show a total of seven works on aluminum alongside the work of artists Gerald Mead (Buffalo-Assemblage Relief), Ronald Gonzalez (Binghamton-Assemblage Sculpture) and Anne Novado Capucilli (Syracuse- Graphite Drawings on Vellum).  Exhibit A Director, Ann Welles, did a wonderful job creating a very professional looking booth and her hard work is appreciated.  Many people expressed satisfaction with the high quality of Exhibit A's booth and the quality of the artists at Exhibit A.  Quite a few folks said Corning, NY and Exhibit A will be a destination for their travel plans this coming year.

I spent all day Saturday in the booth talking with people who stopped by. There were collectors, art lovers big and small and many people who came to educate themselves about art.  I happily explained what scanography is a few hundred times.   I really enjoyed this opportunity to talk with people, answer their questions about my work and the gallery in Corning.  I met many new and interesting people. Buffalo's art community is a very friendly one.   There were several people who specifically came to the fair to see my insect works.  It was really great to hear that word of these pieces has been traveling.  One insect collector thanked me profusely for elevating insects to a place where people who are afraid of the real thing can still look closely and appreciate their beauty.  That was a really nice thing to hear as I related the story of my own journey in growing to be able to bring myself to touch insects, so that I could actually work with them.  Children at the fair also seemed to love my insects.  I got a few tips for insect handling which may come in very handy if I do more work with insects in the future.  The exchange of information was remarkable and I came away feeling recharged and excited to get back into my studio.

I'm not certain of the total count of visitors to Echo Art Fair this year, but as of this afternoon my friend and fellow artist, Diane Janowski told me that she had counted around 7680 visitors by 5:00 PM today.  That's a lot of art lovers.  I also was featured today in the photo galleries of Buffalo's newspaper, The Buffalo News.  That's pretty fun.  I was interviewed yesterday for a video feature about Echo Art Fair in Buffalo Spree which should be out sometime this week.  That was also a very nice experience.

All in all I enjoyed my experience and look forward to doing it again in the future.  Thanks Buffalo, Exhibit A and Echo Art Fair for a great weekend of art!

I'm excited and busy getting ready for an upcoming, art-filled weekend.   I will have work at Echo Art Fair,  a juried fine art exposition that connects experienced collectors and first-time buyers with established and emerging local, regional and international artists in a centralized and creative environment.   Located at Central Library in downtown Buffalo, NY, Echo Art Fair showcases a broad scope of fine art disciplines.   I will be exhibiting in the Exhibit A gallery booth along with Gerald Mead, Novado Cappuccilli, and Ronald Gonzalez.  Also exhibiting at Echo Art Fair  is Elmira artist  Allen C. Smith.

Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, September 6, 7, and 8 are the dates for Echo Art Fair.  The fair is open to the public from 10:00 am - 6:00 pm Saturday, and Sunday at the Buffalo & Erie County Public Library, Downtown Central Library, 1 Lafayette Square. The two-day fine art fair brings together artists, collectors, businesses, entrepreneurs, vendors, sponsors, and the public.  See art, buy art, talk about art. Eat. Drink. Saturday $5, Sunday is free.  For a complete schedule of events, visit their website:   Echo Art Fair

So if you are in or around Buffalo next weekend, this is the place you should be.  It's a fun road trip if you're looking for something fun to do.   I'll be there all day Saturday.  Look for me in the Exhibit A booth.