 |
|
Alicia Halloran. Photographer.
Featured piece: Ceramic tile photograph
Alicia and I got together in Chicago and chatted it up over many things (we go a long way back). In one of Alicia's past lives she was a photographer. In this current life she is an I.T. girl and the most loving Kitty Mama out there. See Cat Fancy magazine, August 2001 issue to see what I mean. I know you've got one handy. Also- check out Alicia's website www.HealingHabitat.net |
|
Question ONE
Snooping around Alicia's spacious Chicago apartment, a certain wall hanging catches my eye. Alicia, what's this? |
|
Answer ONE
She explains. It is an 8x8 inch piece of tile. Pink in color. With a black and white photo on it. The photo is of her friend Tammy, shot at Point Park College in Pittsburgh, PA. It calls out to me. I think it is so special. The idea of photo tiles turns me on. I immediately imagine my bathroom walls covered in custom tiles with photos of bars of hairy soap, soap scummed rubber duckies, bubbles or ads for my favorite overpriced bathing products. Recently, I have seen similar tiles in the bathroom of Emeril Lagasse's New Orleans restaurant, Emeril's. I am not sure of the method used at Emeril's, but one thing I like so very much about Alicia's tile is that it was done the old school way, with a negative, liquid emulsion, some sort of a darkroom setup etc. A lot of newer photo tiles I have seen and have samples of are done using heat transfer type equipment, which is nice for productivity reasons and you'll get a four color tile done easily, but somehow I don't feel the same artistry and craft from them. |
|
Question TWO
How did you get your photo on this tile? |
| Answer TWO
Alicia used her knowledge of black and white photography and darkroom developing to transfer this image onto this unusual surface. In detail she explains: "First the tile is painted with the liquid emulsion. A regular paint brush was used for this, and is why there is the brushstroke edges. Then it is left to dry in an light-tight place (I used my dresser drawers when I was in college— I would duct tape them so that there were no light leaks) for a day or until it was dry. Then it is treated like a piece of photo paper. It is put under the enlarger for exposure then put through all of the chemistry involved in photography. Test strips are made with paper and then the tile is exposed. Then it is left to dry. This piece was then toned with a blue toner kind of as an experiment to see how it would affect the tile (turn it blue or not be even). The result was quite nice." Fascinating... |
|
Question THREE
It looks aged, as if it has been through a lot. Was it purposely distressed or is it aging naturally? |
| Answer THREE
"Sadly all of its aging is out of disrespect for its fragile nature. I am trying to be nicer to it, and the rest of the tiled family. This partcular piece did alot of traveling. The original photograph was taken in 1988 and then I discovered tile printing in the summer of 1991. This was one of the first and has been exhibited in galleries in Cleveland, Raleigh, NC, and New York City." Alicia tells me she is amazed at the fact that this tile art piece, a product of her junior year at Parsons School of Design, still even exists considering what it has been through over the years. |
|
Question FOUR
But isn't bathroom tile slippery? How does the image stay on? |
| Answer FOUR
"It is a regular bathroom tile, it has only been treated with a coating of Chrome Alum. And it is glossy. It is not pourous at all and that can make it tricky for the emulsion to stay on. They are very fragile when they are wet, you can just slide the image right off, if you agitate it to hard in the various baths it can bubble or break apart." Originally, Alicia tried transferring the image onto glass block but was unsuccessful. The glass block was too slick and refracted the light. |
|
Question FIVE
Where can I find out more info about the use of liquid emulsion and alternative photography? |
| Answer FIVE
There are many different products out there and many different techniques. For a start check these out. http://www.ticopics.freeserve.co.uk/tech/ http://www.sunspotphoto.com/alternative/liquid.html http://www.merrillphoto.com/Projects.htm http://www.merrillphoto.com/slates.htm http://www.fotospeed.com/pages/index56.html Go and experiment today! if you get some great results or have additional links that would be of interest EMAIL them to us and we'll post! |
