Do you love the B&W darkroom but need a creative boost to loosen up? Do you pine for the magic of seeing a print come up in the developer? Are you a teacher wanting to inspire students of any age bracket or are you just seeking inspiration yourself? Do you have notebooks of B&W negatives crying for a new interpretation? If so, this is the class for you! The class will center on the following creative analog B&W processes: mordançage, lumenprints, chemigrams, photo+chemigrams (alias chromoskedasic), bleachout, and even multiple creative toning if time allows. Participants should already be familiar with the B&W darkroom and developing film and paper. Bring lots of negatives for reinterpretation, or photograph and develop film while there. Be prepared to embrace imperfection and chance serendipitous happenings. The evening of arrival we will outline the processes and schedule for the week, choose appropriate images, and then for the next four days be in and out of the darkroom from 9AM-9PM letting the creativity flow. All the while, sumptuous meals are lovingly prepared for us in the background, allowing us to devote all of our time to our work. The day of departure there will be an informal sharing of work right before the finish of the workshop at noon. The Formulary is a most amazing place in a mountain setting for that “mountaintop” creative experience, and August is the perfect time to end the summer filled with new inspiration.
Christina Z. Anderson is an Associate Professor of Photography at Montana State University, Bozeman, where she specializes in alternative and experimental process photography. Her work, which centers on the social and spiritual landscape, has been exhibited internationally in over 75 shows as well as numerous publications. She has authored several books, two of which have sold worldwide—The Experimental Photography Workbook and Gum Printing and Other Amazing Contact Printing Processes. Her web address is christinaZanderson.com.