PROJECTS
is paedric o'sullivan
fauxtogravure, n.
Pronunciation: Brit. /ˌfəʊtəʊɡrəˈvjʊə/, U.S. /ˌfoʊtoʊɡrəˈvjʊr/. It sounds exactly like photogravure, which is convenient.
Etymology: < French faux false + TO Toronto + French gravure engraving, aiming for gravitas (Latin gravis heavy) and not yet getting there.
1. A photogravure made in Toronto with considerable craft and disputed gravity. Also: the practice of making such prints.
2. By extension, any print that took eleven attempts, a ruined plate, and an apology to the copper practitioners.
Homophone: photogravure, the real thing.
Antonyms: gravitas; levity (see artist); the selfie; anything finished on the first try.
services
Commissions
I mostly don’t take them.
I’ve tried, and it rarely ends well for either of us. The work on this site is slow, unpredictable and often uncooperative, and that’s on a good day. It doesn’t do deadlines, and I can’t speed it up without turning it into something else.
So rather than let you down, I’ll point you to photographers I trust, who are very good at commissioned work and much better at keeping a schedule than I am.
If you’d like a name, get in touch. If you understand what I'm saying and still want to try something together, also get in touch.
Rent-An-Artist
Everyone wants to know an artist, but very few want to put up with one. This service is for the first group.
​
The Acquaintance (monthly retainer)
You can tell people we’re friends. I’ll react warmly if your name comes up, and I’ll remember at least one of your children’s names.
The House Call (per event)
I come to your party, stand near the art you already own, and look at it for slightly too long. Your guests will assume it’s important. If anyone asks, I’ll say something about the way the light sits in the lower third, which works for nearly everything.
The Opening Escort (additional fees)
I go with you to galleries and openings and translate the wall text into English. I tell you which pieces deserve your money and which deserve a polite nod, and which red dots mean you missed out and which mean you should keep walking. I will also talk you out of the large orange one.
Fine print
Results may vary. The black turtleneck is included at no extra charge. Any commission I earn on a purchase will be disclosed, because even artists have standards.
.png)
HowTo DTP Photogravure
You already know how to make a good photograph. This is where you find out how many ways there are to ruin one.
This is a workshop in direct-to-plate photopolymer gravure, for experienced photographers who are comfortable with their files and comfortable with failure. We print the image onto the plate, expose it, wash it out, ink it, wipe it by hand and pull it through an etching press.
A plate can look perfect right up until the moment it doesn’t. A good day might give you one print you’d hang. I’ve been doing this for years and I still have days that give me none.
It is slow to learn, slow to make and slow to forgive. If you want speed, you probably already own a printer.
You’ll leave with a working method, the numbers I use and why I use them, and an honest tour of the mistakes I made getting here.
Part of the point is to help you decide whether this is the right process for you before you spend money on a press and a bunch of plates. Gravure gives a depth and a black I haven’t found anywhere else, but it asks a lot in return.
People who knew more than I did shared what they knew with me, and I want to pass that on. If you leave knowing gravure isn’t for you, that’s a good result too
if you got this far - some deep thought...
.jpg)
“I am a humanitarian before I am a photographer.”
Jamel Shabazz
“Get the camera to see it the way you see it.”
James Van Der Zee
“I don’t make these prints. Time does.”
Alison Rossiter (attributed)
“To me photography works as the fossilization of time.”
Hiroshi Sugimoto
.jpg)
“I am a humanitarian before I am a photographer.”
Jamel Shabazz
“Get the camera to see it the way you see it.”
James Van Der Zee
“I don’t make these prints. Time does.”
Alison Rossiter (attributed)
“To me photography works as the fossilization of time.”
Hiroshi Sugimoto
