MFA Image Transfer: Catching Up

In today's post I am following up with some more image transfer experiments. I have continued with rocks and bark, but have also tried the process on different papers, fabrics, and slate. The results are varying, but I am slowly improving. The slate seems to be a good surface for larger scale transfers.

I have also tried transfering my photographs into books. I have selected, thus far, books which are written in Welsh. I had initially wanted to collect travel books about Wales or books about native plants or landscape and cover them with my pictures, and do intend to use these and some travel pamphlets as well. However, when I discovered the Welsh poetry and play books, I began to think about how narratives evolve over time. Stories and languages change as other art forms do in relation to society. Welsh language has an especially interesting history of four main periods, and at one point was a purely oral tradition, with no written alphabet or records, and only other peoples who interacted with the ancient Welsh (The Romans for example) have written observations of the Welsh traditions. Under these circumstances, one can easily see how stories can morph from culture to culture and generation to generation. This evolutionary process mirrors also my work, and the creation of my own interpretations as an outsider envisioning an ancient, fantastical Wales.

The book transfers have thus far been quite successful and allow me to work with other medias which is a process I enjoy. I like working with my hands and having the freedom to alter my photos in other ways, with paints and ink and colored pencils. I will continue to refine this process as the main focus for my MFA, with the slate transfers as my second priority, and the other transfer methods will be continued, though not emphasised in my graded work.