Polaroid emulsion lift photograph on watercolor paper.

This piece began with an image captured on polaroid film using a vintage sx-70 Polaroid camera. Through a process of immersion in hot and then cold water the image, which is secured in a gel-like emulsion, is lifted off of the plastic backing. The image floats freely in the water, before being placed to dry on watercolor paper. The paper has been prepared in advance with an underpainting of watercolor through a wet on wet process. In a more traditional process, the artist would smooth out the image completely. I, however, like to keep some of the wrinkles, to capture the movement that happens in the emulsion lift process so that the fluidity that I enjoy so much in the process is not lost in the final product.

Bloom was created with a polaroid taken at the edge of the Potomac River near Woodbridge, Virginia. The watercolor underpainting seeps through the translucent emulsion giving it the appearance of resting on the surface of the piece.

Painting/photograph size: approx. 3x3"
Framed dimensions: 9.75" x 9.75" x 1.75"