When the camera was invented, it revolutionised the way people viewed the world.  For the first time, events and people were recorded precisely and (relatively) quickly using a machine. For some artists, it was a threat to their control over recording and describing the world whilst others saw it as irrelevant to artistic expression.  There was however a coterie of artists who used the camera as a means for visual expression. Today, photographers’ interests encapsulate everything in and sometimes outside the visual spectrum.

In this exhibition, the Fine Monochrome Print Group celebrates the evolving journey of photography. The images of Lacock Abbey are a homage to the work of Henry Fox Talbot, a pioneer in the earliest era of photography.   Complementing this homage to history are images that explore the contemporary themes and techniques of the medium.  What ties these works together is excellence in the print. Each portfolio articulates high-end management of the print itself. The print is a physical object that can be held in one’s hands. It is the final statement by the photographer.

In their portfolios, photographers explore a broad range of subjects; landscapes, still life, people, architecture, and much more.

The photographers have used traditional and digital photographic methods to help tell their stories. The traditional methods include silver gelatin, hand-crafted ambrotypes (images on glass substrates), platinum images on vellum with gold and silver leaf, Mordançage techniques, and hand-painted monochrome prints. Several photographers have employed digital techniques to create expressive prints that have an impact.

We hope the viewer can see that traditional and contemporary techniques are complementary and will influence the future of fine art photographic prints.

EVOLVING – exhibiting members of the Fine Monochrome Print Group

Gary Chapman
Rob Crapnell
Tony Dutton
Wendy Dutton
Fred Hunt
Ian Hanger
Mick Lord
Janet Naismith
Julian Pearce
Marion Rodgers
Murray Thompson
Warren Veivers