Guided by Diana Bloomfield, learn the interpretive, intuitive, and infinitely creative printing process of tri-color gum bichromate, turning your images into beautifully unique prints in this user friendly, fun and experimental workshop.

Dates:
Aug 5, 2024 - Aug 9, 2024

Levels: Beginner, Intermediate,
Workshop Fee: $1895
Workshop Duration: 1-week (Monday-Friday)
Workshop Location: On-campus
Class Size: 8

In this 5-day workshop, you will learn how to print in the 19th-century photographic printing process of tri-color gum bichromate, using CMYK color separation digital negatives. At the end of this workshop, you will leave with all the prints you’ve made during the week- the good, the bad, and the ugly, and maybe even the spectacular. More importantly, you will leave with a solid foundation in gum printing and an understanding of how to get the most out of this unique and interpretive handmade printing process, making it all your own.

Brumley Nature Preserve (Tricolor gum bichromate over cyanotype) - By Diana Bloomfield
Brumley Nature Preserve (Tricolor gum bichromate over cyanotype) – By Diana Bloomfield
Milkweed Pods (Tricolor gum bichromate) - By Diana Bloomfield
Milkweed Pods (Tricolor gum bichromate) – By Diana Bloomfield

The gum print is essentially built layer by layer, with repeated coatings of a specific emulsion made of watercolor pigment, gum arabic, and potassium dichromate brushed on watercolor paper until a full and rich print of your image is achieved. The print is exposed to UV light and developed in plain water.

A Moment (Tricolor gum bichromate) - By Diana Bloomfield
A Moment (Tricolor gum bichromate) – By Diana Bloomfield

This is a user-friendly course that is appropriate for those with no prior experience in gum printing, as well as seasoned practitioners. So join me in beautiful Rockport at Maine Media Workshops for 5 full days of fun and experimentation with this interpretive, intuitive, and infinitely creative printing process. Once you experience the joy and beauty of gum printing, you will never be the same!

Note: All printing supplies are included in the tuition. Registered students will have image negatives produced by Diana prior to the workshop. Diana will contact the class ahead of time to ask for your images. Please have a few in mind, and Diana can help you choose which ones she will print.

Tree in Fog, Saul’s Camp (Tricolor gum bichromate) - By Diana Bloomfield
Tree in Fog, Saul’s Camp (Tricolor gum bichromate) – By Diana Bloomfield
Ribboned Water (Tricolor gum bichromate) - By Diana Bloomfield
Ribboned Water (Tricolor gum bichromate) – By Diana Bloomfield
Veiled (Tricolor gum bichromate over cyanotype) - By Diana Bloomfield
Veiled (Tricolor gum bichromate over cyanotype) – By Diana Bloomfield

All images copyright Diana Bloomfield.

Share This

Instructor: Diana Bloomfield

A fine art photographer for 40 years, Diana specializes in 19th-century photographic printing techniques. Her process of choice is gum bichromate, loved for its intuitive, interpretive, and endlessly creative qualities.

She was a Photolucida Critical Mass Finalist in 2014, 2018, 2019, and 2022. Diana was also the 2021 Denis Roussel Award recipient, sponsored by Rfotofolio and juried by Christopher James. Her images and one-of-a-kind handmade books are exhibited internationally and included in numerous books and publications. Her art is also in a number of public and private collections, including the Norton Museum of Art, located in West Palm Beach, Florida; The Fine Art Program and Collection at Montefiore Einstein, in the Bronx, New York; the New Mexico History Museum/Palace of the Governors, located in Santa Fe, New Mexico; and in North Carolina State University’s Gregg Museum of Art & Design in Raleigh, North Carolina. Diana is represented by The Cardinal Gallery, located in Toronto, Canada.