The New Piezography workshops have been very successful – both for the participants and for myself as a teacher. The new curriculum is very comprehensive and it’s not something that I have previously attempted in which I try and accomplish so much in such a short intensive time. I believe it’s just the right amount. An ounce more and possibly heads would explode (as I have been told.)
Dana Hillesland teaching how to prepare and maintain an Epson printer.
We demonstrate how to prepare the printers (including preventative and curative maintenance). This is a fantastic way in which to assure a perfect start.
John Trotter has learned the fine art of filling refillable carts for the Epson 1430!
We demonstrate how to fill cartridges from desktop size to the large format sizes (and the in between sizes.)
How much do you want to learn about Curves? It’s not necessary as Piezography is turn-key – but its available!
We explain everything you wanted or didn’t want to know about Piezography Curves. It’s not necessary to know about these Curves – just how to select them. But, if you want to know more or you think that you should “just know more” – then you can take in as much as you want to.
Installing QuadTone RIP on both Windows and Mac OS X.
We explain how to install the software and media profiles on both Mac and Windows. For some reason working on Windows seems to baffle Mac users (see the above pic). I’m comfortable on both platforms. I actually use both to image my own work as well as when collaborating with others. As a programmer, I only programmed on Windows. But, I’ve been on Mac since 1984. It’s a dance. But, it’s a dance worth dancing as there are possibilities on both platforms which make them attractive.
In Vermont we provide hardware calibrated 14 bit displays for participant’s laptops. Its interesting as well as disappointing to compare a hardware calibration to a software calibration.
We demonstrate Grayscale Calibration and how to setup and use both Photoshop and Lightroom. Grayscale Calibration is to Color Management what silver printing is to c-printing. I believe that we have one of the most comprehensive color management (grayscale calibration) demonstrations in the world of workshops today. We take this very seriously – so that we can see exactly what we are going to print. I think that you should, too.
Piezography printmaking is fun and fun is Piezography printmaking!
And then the complete Piezography Gamma 2.20 workflow is taught and participants are printing! Some print like mad! Some print and study their results. It’s totally up to you what to print. You can work on a single image or explore different images on different inks and different papers. It’s your time to take advantage of our printers, ink sets and media selection.
One of the original pioneers of Piezography printing – Paul Zeigler.
The participants have access to all five of the major Piezography ink sets each in its own printer.
In Vermont we feature Epson Pro 3880 printers.
And throughout the workshop I am demonstrating my “old school” imaging techniques which result in absolute ‘can’t tell I was there image editing’. And this is incredibly important because as Michael Trupiano says…”Piezography will kick your butt.”
What Michael means by that is that because Piezography minimally doubles the output resolution of an Epson printer – it reveals every little mistake and poor imaging habit one has. So, it kicks your butt into becoming the best imager you can be. And what I try and teach is imaging techniques that will allow you to image with less effort and produce beautiful results. We pay careful attention to sharpening so that the prints appear natural rather than contrived.
A print about be overprinted with the Piezography Gloss Overprint in an Epson 2880 in Santa Fe.
Carbon inks in one of five 1430s in the Santa Fe Workshop.
And we spend a good amount of time in learning specifically how to produce the gray values in the print that we anticipate or that we pre-visualize. This is important because unlike the Zone System which is limited, and unlike Epson ABW process which is limited, Piezography can differentiate very explicitly between 256 gray values. And it does this uniquely by printing tens of thousands of gray levels. Epson ABW is limited to just a few hundred. So with sensitivity comes sensitivity and I believe that Piezography workshops are about learning sensitivity.
Bill Waterbury’s selection of prints made at the workshop.
Bill Waterbury brought his Kodak DCS 760m monochrome camera from the early 2000’s. Absolute butter and cream sensor. Unfortunately 15 years before its time. This was the clearest indication that Kodak lost its way and could have and should have been a leader today in CCD sensors.
Oliver Klink (leaning over his workshop prints) teaches photo workshops around the world, and he attended mine! His precision and skills were well appreciated by all. Chester Ng points to something that intrigues him. We were all intrigued by Oliver’s photography.
Part of Oliver’s purpose for attending the workshop was to see if Piezography would be an improvement over his Imageprint solution. The Piezography matte inks print is on top of the ImagePrint matte inks print. No competition! Oliver is buying two new Piezography systems!
Piezography on Awagami Bizan paper is impressive!
Awagami is now supporting the Piezography workshops with their incomparable Japanese Washi.
Hiroyuki Hamada putting up some his prints after the Vermont workshop. Horoyuki came to see if Piezography could work with his process and he ended up buying a system!
Juliet Mattila attended the Piezography Digital Negative / Pt-Pd print workshop in Santa Fe and decided to take the Piezography print workshop immediately following. She also ended up acquiring two of my collector master prints on hand made paper using JonCone Studio inks.
My own work, pure carbon inks on extremely thick hand made kozo paper bleed printed using my modified Roland SJ-645 12 ink printer. This is from the 2013 Iceland series.
This is another of my pure carbon prints – this time from the more recent Bedell Series.
The workshops end up as hard work with really good food breaks! In Vermont, we are fully catered by Chef Spencer R.B. Cone not because we’re out in the middle of nowhere! Rather, because his food is just insanely amazing (Spencer was a chef in NYC before returning to Vermont). But, we are in the middle of nowhere. In Santa Fe, the workshop is surrounded by amazing restaurants. But, always whether in Vermont or Santa Fe, I also teach the fine art of Paella making. Why? Well – the reality is paella tastes better when prepared in large pans and the workshops are a great excuse to get out a 40” paella pan. And if by some unlikely chance I can not teach you anything about printmaking – I can at least teach you paella.
Chef Spencer R.B. Cone caters the Vermont workshop lunches.
Let the Paella begin!
The mise en place and the big pan over a three ring paella burner. Yes, that is five jars of fire roasted Santa Fe chile. Was too early for the fresh!
The proteins are fired first. In this case, hard and soft Spanish chorizo and local chicken thighs.
However, in Santa Fe I prefer to use local chorizo (lots of it) and also New Mexico green chile! The paella actually mellows the heat.
Then the sofrito is made and the proteins are pushed out to the sides to rest.
In Santa Fe, Michael Trupiano and I cooked together. I’m adding the unique spanish grain rice to the sofrito which is stained with so much local chile from the chorizo.
In Vermont, the rice is added to the sofrito to break down the outer shell of the grain prior to deglazing.
Then basically a lot happens very quickly and precisely with the saffron, the broth, and the other ingredients….and then its time to reduce the heat and enjoy wine and conversation and wait for the crust to develop.
Possibly the only fiddle head fern paella ever made! I cooked this during our early June Vermont workshop.
In Santa Fe, the Don of Making Art Safely grills a slab of salmon with chipotle to lay on top of my finished paella.
And Don is willing to hold an umbrella to protect it from an informal desert sun shower of rain!
In Vermont, we sit under a more formal roof of the deck behind Cone Editions Press in East Topsham, VT.
The workshops are designed for both seasoned veterans and beginners (who may not even have yet prepared a printer). In Santa Fe, we had a returning alumni (Eric) who took his first Cone workshop ten years ago. One of our earliest adopters (Paul) participated although he has been making Piezography prints for nearly two decades now.
Piezography is a unique process and these are unique workshops. We focus on the fine art of printing. And yes, why not? We focus on the fine art of eating.
Check our Piezography Workshop Schedule here for workshops in August, September and October. With only five seats each they tend to fill up early.