These are just a few examples taken from a series of hand coloured
silver gelatin prints, representing five years work. Inspired by my
grandmother's botanical illustrations, I have sought to photograph
flowers in a way which best captures their simple elegance. The flowers
in this series have been grown by myself or found in the wild. Very
early in this project I decided not to use colour photography because
I felt it would not give the delicate shades and tones required. I,
therefore devised my own hand colouring technique using professional
photo dyes. The process is long and complicated, involving the application
of several separate layers of colour to build up to the final tone.
Each print took many hours to produce. Through the seasons, I selected
the appropriate blooms and meticulously arranged them into a pleasing
composition. The photography and darkroom work took up to a day to
complete with a further full day or more for the application of colour.
Only the best photographic materials and dyes were used. Each flower
study is a unique, individually crafted work of art. No two being
exactly the same.
What follows is a simple presentation of the work involved
and general views of the exhibition at Darlington Arts Centre. ........................
