- BARIUM-ENHANCED PHOTOMANIPULATION WITH XRAY “TRANSFORMATION -

“Phototransformations” builds on my longstanding interest in photomanipulation, incorporating a unique technique that I have called “Flottage”, in which I employ controlled flotation of viscous barium for photographic manipulation. Being a heavy metal, barium is a commonly used Xray contrast agent. Moreover, its use by artists has been documented as far back as Van Gogh.

I have devised this technique to explore the hidden dimensions of the painted surface as it relates to the fixed photographic image, thus creating, in the layered white pigment, a virtual “skeleton” that reflects the parent photograph as well as its hidden “alter-ego”. Subject matter includes conventional photographs from my own archives, or from news, fashion or combat, each image depicting something fundamentally unreal, rendered even moreso by the transformative process of medical radiography.

My creative process incorporates two steps: First, the barium is mixed with gesso, then layered and shaped to alter the photograph, resulting in a bas-relief on paper. The resultant “painting” is almost uniformly white, now incorporating elements of photograpy, painting and “sculpture”. After drying, the barium relief is imaged, using medical radiography, resulting in an XRay transparency of the barium painting. Hence, the term “phototransformation”. The desired endpoint is not known until after this XRay has been developed. Reshaping of the relief and repeat XRays are often necessary to achieve the desired image quality.

Although the barium flottage paintings are unique objects, lightbox transparencies, or black/white prints from the transparencies, are created in editions of ten. Dimensions of all transparencies are 14x17 inches, corresponding to the dimensions of a conventional chest xray, hence suitable for display on standard xray viewboxes, which may be provided with the works. Larger (or smaller) transparencies are also possible.