Rodney Polden
11-Mar-2012, 03:30
A portfolio of fine prints arrived in my mailbox this week, and I feel that members of the forum would likely find as much pleasure as I have, in seeing some of that work.
Paul White is the photographer in question, and his website:
http://www.welshruins.co.uk/
gives an impressive taste of the work he has been engaged in for more than twenty years, namely documenting the numerous ruined mansions, farmhouses and other buildings that are found all over the countryside of Wales. He shoots b/w 4x5, and produces fine, archival silver gelatin prints, sensitively toned in selenium and other toners. His website shows some four to five hundred or so examples of his work.
Paul's photographs first caught my attention among the large-format cameras on eBay. A friend decided to share a portfolio of prints with me, with the intention that each of us could matt and hang a few prints at a time in our homes, and then exchange them for others from the collection. We studied those many galleries of images on Paul's website for some weeks before managing to restrict our chosen selection to "only" 46 prints, 16x12. We are neither of us wealthy by any means, but the quality of the compositions, and the atmospheric charm of the locations that Paul has captured in his sustained photographic quest, led us both to feel that his work well deserved our support.
What beautiful artifacts they are! For me, there are very few forms of artwork that outshine a well-printed, toned silver gelatin photograph, and to hold and view such lovely images has been an amazingly uplifting and aesthetic visual experience. The haunting landscapes of these many forgotten, abandoned, ruined dwellings, mostly centuries old, carry so effectively a mood of quiet poignant beauty among the rubble, the ivy, the mists and the fields of Wales.
The photographer has researched extensively, and revisited many of the locations over the years to witness the changes brought by time and weather and neglect. Accompanying the images are brief notes on the houses, their histories, and accounts of his own experiences while tramping miles with his equipment on damp footpaths to reach them for the most atmospheric conditions, often around dawn. Artistry, dedication to an enduring decades-long vision, and a deep involvement with his homeland are evident in Paul's fine prints. Inspiring work, for me - and I hope for you, also.
(I have no personal connection of any kind with the photographer BTW, beyond enjoying his work.)
Paul White is the photographer in question, and his website:
http://www.welshruins.co.uk/
gives an impressive taste of the work he has been engaged in for more than twenty years, namely documenting the numerous ruined mansions, farmhouses and other buildings that are found all over the countryside of Wales. He shoots b/w 4x5, and produces fine, archival silver gelatin prints, sensitively toned in selenium and other toners. His website shows some four to five hundred or so examples of his work.
Paul's photographs first caught my attention among the large-format cameras on eBay. A friend decided to share a portfolio of prints with me, with the intention that each of us could matt and hang a few prints at a time in our homes, and then exchange them for others from the collection. We studied those many galleries of images on Paul's website for some weeks before managing to restrict our chosen selection to "only" 46 prints, 16x12. We are neither of us wealthy by any means, but the quality of the compositions, and the atmospheric charm of the locations that Paul has captured in his sustained photographic quest, led us both to feel that his work well deserved our support.
What beautiful artifacts they are! For me, there are very few forms of artwork that outshine a well-printed, toned silver gelatin photograph, and to hold and view such lovely images has been an amazingly uplifting and aesthetic visual experience. The haunting landscapes of these many forgotten, abandoned, ruined dwellings, mostly centuries old, carry so effectively a mood of quiet poignant beauty among the rubble, the ivy, the mists and the fields of Wales.
The photographer has researched extensively, and revisited many of the locations over the years to witness the changes brought by time and weather and neglect. Accompanying the images are brief notes on the houses, their histories, and accounts of his own experiences while tramping miles with his equipment on damp footpaths to reach them for the most atmospheric conditions, often around dawn. Artistry, dedication to an enduring decades-long vision, and a deep involvement with his homeland are evident in Paul's fine prints. Inspiring work, for me - and I hope for you, also.
(I have no personal connection of any kind with the photographer BTW, beyond enjoying his work.)