A Quiet Bright Reedsong

In school I learned that composition, emulsion, color, exposure, distortion, depth of field, are important elements in creating an image; creating a way for the viewer to see things through your eyes.

When I had the opportunity to spend time with a group of Whirling Dervishes from Turkey, I learned a lot of things about culture, music and life, but when I struggled with printing the images I had made from that brief time, I found that the right exhibit medium is every bit as important a decision as camera techniques. Silver-gel printing techniques did not quite capture the time I spent with the Dervishes: I was looking for images that were both timeless and yet portrayed the Semazens (as they are called in Turkey) as they are: devout; simple; kind. During this time I stumbled upon the process of lith printing and found the soft tonal distribution and colorful mid-tones to perfectly represent my image of the dervishes. When I further treat the prints in a hot bath of selenium the color turns to a warm brown and adds excellent archival protection.

I have published the series in my portfolio. If you are interested in prints from this series, they come in 8” X 10” and 11” X 14” copies on fine art lith paper from Sterling. Contact me directly for pricing.