Friday, July 15, 2011

KARL KOENIG ONE MAN SHOW

The Albuquerque Photographers' Gallery is pleased to announce a one man show by Karl Koenig.

KARL KOENIG
"IN THIS PLACE..."
ONE MAN SHOW
GUMOILS
PHOTOGRAVURES

JULY 22 - LABOR DAY
RECEPTION FRIDAY, JULY 22ND
6 - 9:00 P. M.

Albuquerque Photographers' Gallery
303 Romero St. NW Ste N208
Plaza Don Luis
Albuquerque, New Mexico 87104
(505) 244-9195
www.abqphotographersgallery.com

The Albuquerque Photographers Gallery is the only cooperative art gallery in New Mexico dedicated solely to exhibiting and promoting contemporary fine-art photography by local photographers.

303 Romero St., Suite N208 Don Luis Plaza, Old Town, Albuquerque, NM
Content ©Albuquerque Photographers Gallery - All images © to the respective artists
www.abqphotographersgallery.com

Photography to Gravure

This group exhibition featured four photographers; Diane Alire, Karl Koenig, Rob Thalmann, and Jorge Tristani, who work in media ranging from silver gelatin photography to gumoil to gravure. This show included images in photography and their translation in gravure.


Diane and Jorge


Diane and Rob

At each opening we give a demonstration on one of the printmaking processes. Here is Diane Alire prepping for her demo.



In gravure, an image is generated by exposing a photo positive or transparency to a photo polymer plate via a high powered light. Artists need to do extensive testing to determine the exact exposing time for each image. The exposed plate is developed in water and can be printed almost immediately. Today, transparencies are computer generated and printed on inkjet printers which replace the large scale negatives used originally when the process was developed in the 19th century.

Diane’s image is created out two plates, one is the positive, the other is the negative of the same image. The positive will be printed in purple, the negative in yellow ochre. The printing is done as follows: First the plates are coved completely in ink using a brayer. The excess ink is removed using first a tarlatan (a very stiff cheese cloth) and then newsprint. The plates are ready for printing if only the recessed areas of the plate contain ink.













Diane first prints the negative plate. She places the plate on the press bed and places a sheet of Hahnemuhle printing paper on top of it. When she runs them trough the press, the ink is transferred to the paper.



After printing the first plate, Diane returns to ink the second or positive plate in purple. Here it is inked up and ready to go!





In order to print the second plate she places it upside down on top of the paper she just printed – this way she is very sure of her registration. The polymer plates are so thin that there is no loss of detail if the plate is printed upside down. Diane now runs the second plate through the press.







And – voila – we have a finished print.



If she was to create more impressions of this image she would have repeat the inking and printing process – these kind of old-fashioned printmaking processes are completely hand-made.

We had a good turnout for this show!





Thank you to all our volunteers and staff for your help. Jeff Simpson, photography!


Anise


Mary Sunstrom and Elena Betke-Brunswick



Tuesday, July 12, 2011

The passing of Gerald Fitz-Gerald


We are sad to announce the passing of Gerald Fitz-Gerald

GERALD FITZ-GERALD, JR.  1939 ~ 2011 Gerald Fitz-Gerald, Jr. was born July 2, 1939 in Houston, Texas to Gerald and Elizabeth “Betty” (Eyler) Fitz-Gerald, who raised their only son in Midland, Texas. He died of natural causes July 9, 2011, peacefully at home, surrounded by family and friends in Albuquerque, New Mexico, following an eight-month battle with cancer.
An accomplished artist who worked in numerous mediums, primarily watercolor in his early painting periods and most notably monotypes later in his career, Gerald’s still-life subjects and Southwestern landscape paintings were hailed as “hauntingly sensual” by The Albuquerque Journal circa 2002. Gerald printed at New Grounds Workshop in Albuquerque with close friends, and served on various art acquisition committees and in donation capacities for the Albuquerque Museum. Gerald was also proud of his tenure as the President of the Albuquerque Museum Foundation in the 1990s.
Gerald grew up in Midland, Texas, attending St. Edward’s High School in Austin before attending Rockhurst College in Kansas City. Gerald returned to Austin to earn a B.A. in English from the University of Texas, where he was an active member of the Phi Kappa Psi fraternity. Following one year in pursuit of a law degree at the University of Kansas in Lawrence, Gerald moved to Albuquerque in 1963.
The New Mexican city is where “Gerry” met his future wife, Dorothy Ann Burke, and established his life as a trust officer for Albuquerque National Bank, his employer for nearly 35 years under numerous banners, including SunWest, Boatmen’s, and eventually Bank of America.
He is survived by his son, Gerald III (“Trey”) and daughter-in-law Rachel, residents of Salt Lake City; daughter, Erin Elizabeth, and granddaughter, Catherine Ann, of Albquerque; and innumerable friends. Gerald was preceded in death by his wife of 40 years, Dorothy, in October, 2007. 
Funeral services will be held at 10:30 a.m., Friday, July 15, 2011 at Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in downtown Albuquerque, while a Rosary Service will be held from 7:00 - 8:30 p.m. on Thursday evening, July 14, at French Mortuary (University Location).
Honorary pallbearers include Tommy Allison, Pat & Nannette Hurley, Jack & Kathleen Oestreicher, Roy Farmer, Susannah Lunenfeld and Sevie Taylor.
In lieu of flowers or gift, the family requests that donations be made in memoriam of Gerald Fitz-Gerald, Jr. to: The Albuquerque Museum, 2000 Mountain Road, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87194
Funeral services will be held at 10:30 a.m., Friday, July 15, 2011 at Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in downtown Albuquerque, while a Rosary Service will be held from 7:00 - 8:30 p.m. on Thursday evening, July 14, at French Mortuary (University Location).
Honorary pallbearers include Tommy Allison, Pat & Nannette Hurley, Jack & Kathleen Oestreicher, Roy Farmer, Susannah Lunenfeld and Sevie Taylor.
In lieu of flowers or gift, the family requests that donations be made in memoriam of Gerald Fitz-Gerald, Jr. to: The Albuquerque Museum, 2000 Mountain Road, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87194