Three Color Curl Works
2008–2013

Six Color Curl Works
2009–2010

The works in the Color Curl series are photograms produced by curling, or rolling, sheets of color photographic paper onto a metal wall, using large strip magnets to support the paper during exposure. The paper is unrolled approximating the reach of the artist’s body with his arms outstretched, and is then cut, placed on the wall, and supported with the magnets. The cut sheets of paper are larger than either the enlarger can fully expose or the wall of the darkroom can accommodate, thus the paper must be curled and bowed in order to fit into the exposure field (the effect is something like a ribbon that has been gathered or cinched together appearing almost ruffled). The magnets are kept in the positions in which they were last used, thus each new exposure is a compromise with the one before it. Using a horizontal color photographic enlarger, the photographic paper is exposed to each of the primary subtractive colors (cyan, magenta, and yellow) in succession. Use of this system of color creates the field of all possible colors in the interaction between the primary subtractive colors (for example, when magenta and yellow cross, the result is red; or when yellow and cyan cross, the result is green). The various intensities of those colors are based on several material factors, among them the angle of incidence of the projected light in relation to the surface of the paper and the intermixing of the varied intensities built up by the exposure to each color. This is what causes the wide array of tone and shifts in hue, which in turn constitute an infinite number of possible colors.

These works are all produced with a fifty-two inch Kreonite KM IV 5225 RA4 color processor.

In the case of the Three Color Curl works, each work is exposed to cyan, magenta, and yellow respectively, and between each exposure the magnets are removed and replaced, allowing the paper to curl in different ways. This is all done in total darkness. In the case of Six Color Curl works, the paper is exposed to each color, cyan, magenta, and yellow, twice (in the order of CMYYMC), constituting six independent exposures, with the magnets shifted between each exposure. Any creases, dents, or tears in the paper are artifacts of handling the paper in complete darkness and are therefore part of the work.

Titling Convention:

The works are titled with the number of different color exposures (e.g., if the paper is exposed three times, the resulting work is called a Three Color Curl, because each exposure is one of the primary subtractive colors), the abbreviations of colors the paper is exposed to (e.g., CMY), the number of magnets used to support the photographic paper (e.g., Six Magnet), the location where the print was made (e.g., Irvine, California), the date the print was made (e.g., September 6, 2009), the brand and type of paper used (e.g., Fujicolor Crystal Archive Type C), the emulsion number of the paper (e.g., Em. No. 165–021), and the studio’s inventory number for the work (e.g., 07109). The date attributed to the work is the year of its first exhibition, which is separate from the production date included in the work’s title. A final description of the work, for example one that would appear on a wall didactic in an exhibition space, might read:

Three Color Curl (CMY/Six Magnet: Irvine, California, September 6, 2009, Fujicolor Crystal Archive Type C, Em. No. 165–021, 07109)
2011
Color photographic paper
51 1/2 x 109 3/4 inches

Here annotated:
Three Color Curl [number of color exposures] (CMY [abbreviations of colors used] /Six Magnet [number of magnets]: Irvine, California [city and state/county of production], September 6, 2009 [date of production], Fujicolor Crystal Archive Type C [brand and type of photographic paper], Em. No. 165–021 [emulsion number of photographic paper], 07109 [studio inventory number])
2011 [date of first exhibition]
Color photographic paper [media]
51 1/2 x 109 3/4 inches [framed dimensions]

Six Color Curl works follow the same convention. For example:
Six Color Curl (CMMYYC/Four Magnet: Irvine, California, July 19, 2008, Fuji Crystal Archive Type C, Em. No. 165–021, 28108)
2009
Color photographic paper
51 1/2 x 93 5/8 inches