LAST OF A KIND
The pieces being offered here are likely the last of a kind. In my development of ways to protect and present my photographs with varnish I developed a two layer approach that involved first, airbrush covering with acrylic, then embedding acrylic in the print using a suspension in mineral spirits. The resulting finish is a glowing non glare presentation of the image that is almost magical, and approximates the surface qualities of a fine oil on canvas.
I have a couple of dozen of these in my studio, in Florentine gold frames of varying quality - some hand rubbed gold finish, and it is time to let these go. I say “last of a kind” because the airbrushing required a ventilation system one might only find in an industrial spray paint operation, and that is not my studio, large as it is.
Each of these pieces is firmly and permanently mounted on stretched canvas, the surface is flat, no warps or bubbles, surfaces that have stood the test of many humid Cape Cod summers.
Some of these are presented below. I will be adding to this section in the near future, and presenting this collection at a showing in my studio on Saturday, October 12. Items will be for sale then, but anything shown here can be purchased now.
~ Robert
This villa sits outside of Pienza in the Val d’Orcia. Easily accessible to the main road, it is much photographed. It is iconic.
It is also probably the image in which I went furthest in the direction of abstraction, as I sought a painterly, impressionistic look. I can’t promise that I won’t revisit this style sometime later.
14x18 inch pigment ink print on rag paper, varnished, mounted on canvas and framed in a 3 inch black florentine frame with gold trim.
A scene from West Falmouth harbor that reminds me that the way into a safe harbor can often be a dangerous passage.
20x30 inch pigment ink print on rag paper, varnished, mounted on canvas and framed in a 2 inch gold florentine frame.
This is a unique piece
This image is my conscious homage to Vermeer.
“Knotting a Persian Rug” link had been praised many times as reminding viewers of Vermeer, a compliment that sent me into Vermeer’s life and body of work in order to better understand what people were saying.
In this Florentine Palazzo in the Santo Spirito district, the pensione Sorelle Bandine, I recognized the characteristic light from a window and sturdy armadio and table that might be found in the 17th century and in one of Vermeer’s interiors.
I asked the cleaning lady of the pensione to pose for me, interrupting her work; I don’t usually ask people to pose. She took the opportunity to rest, even close her eyes.
I salute Vermeer.
12x18 inch pigment ink print on rag paper, varnished, mounted on canvas and framed in a 2.5 inch custom gold florentine frame.
This frame is beautiful. It is a custom made, hand rubbed wooden frame covered in gold (not real gold) paint.
This image comes from Quissett Harbor Boatyard. The very careful and precise sanding of the side of a boat caught my attention, and during a very thorough conversation with the man giving so much care I took this picture and obtained his permission to use and publish it.
My thought about this is that the mask hanging from his neck almost takes me into the operating room, and reminds me of the standard and duty of care that human beings have towards the work and people and things that they are responsible for, whether they are surgeons or sanders.
12x18 inch pigment ink print on rag paper, varnished, mounted on canvas and framed in a 2.5 inch custom gold florentine frame.
This frame is beautiful. It is a custom made, hand rubbed wooden frame covered in gold (not real gold) paint. I believe it is a Hackman frame.
This image comes from a very challenging transitional time for me. Someone I was chatting with on Match once asked me “what did it take to get that shot” . I answered, “a year’s nervous breakdown”. I was in the last gasps of a quest for a Ph.D. in medieval European history at Harvard, but I didn’t have a dissertation topic yet, my spouse was in her Fulbright year finishing up hers. I was wondering whether I could “do something with my photography”, I had palpitations every time I got in a vehicle. It was a challenging year.
But….. when people say “that reminds me of a Vermeer”, I feel it was all worth it. The first time I heard this, I had to go find out who Vermeer really was and I did. I accept the compliment. I love light the way he did, I appreciate the probability that he set up his scenes through a lens…. I can feel the lens when I look at his paintings, but I don’t want to die bankrupt the way he did. Maybe this (I almost wrote painting) will be more valuable if I do, but I think it is inherently pretty valuable. If you do, I hope you will give it a home.
12x18 inch pigment ink print on rag paper, varnished, mounted on canvas and framed in a 2.5 inch custom gold florentine frame.
By the way, this frame is truly truly beautiful. It is a custom made, hand rubbed wooden frame covered in gold (not real gold) paint. I forget what it cost, but somewhere between 25 and 50% of the price of this piece.
This is a very beautiful photograph in a very beautiful frame.
16x24 inch pigment ink print on rag paper, varnished, mounted on canvas board and framed in a 2 inch gold florentine frame.
This image comes from years I was partially spending in Ireland, a return to roots, an attempt to build a marriage across the Atlantic, an exploration of a land oddly familiar and strange. The sky was spectacular this day, it always was actually as the weather blew into county Mayo on the west coast from the Atlantic.
The lone visitor to the scene besides me, a woman doing her power walk on the beach leant purpose and perspective to the drama of the sky. Perhaps a quest we can all share.
For pick up in the studio, or shipping can be arranged.