The Printmaking Process: Is Polaroid Transfer A Lost Art?

As long as there is Fujifilm, the Polaroid transfer image process is not dead, just renamed -- Polaroid / Fuji transfer or Fujiroid(?) transfer. Since Polaroid is no longer making peel-apart film, people have turned to Fujifilm.

There are two types of transfer processes using peel-apart film: image transfer using the film back (the part you would throw away) and emulsion lift (lifting off the entire developed-image along with the chemicals from the paper).

I had an opportunity to do a Polaroid / Fujifilm workshop at Ed Hinkley's Studio, where I also take a watercolor class. We used both Polaroid and Fujifilm so people could see the differences in the techniques and the results. Using the Daylab and Daylab Copier, the Polaroid transfer compared to the Fujifilm has more subtle tones, whereas the Fujifilm has brighter hues. As for the emulsion lifts, the Polaroid lift is more ephemeral, whereas the Fujifilm looks and handles more like a decal. One film is not necessarily better than the other, just different. Note that each transfer or lift, with its own individual marks, is distinct and cannot be duplicated.

Polaroid Transfer of Sailboat.
Slide image copied to Polaroid film using Daylab.

Polaroid Emulsion Lift of Sailboat.
Slide image copied to Polaroid film using Daylab.

Fuji Transfer of Objects on Daylab Copier

Fuji Emulsion Lift of Objects on Daylab Copier

Ed and student Marie-Pier.
Fujifilm in Polaroid Camera

Fujifilm Transfer of Ed and student
Marie-Pier. Fujifilm in Polaroid Camera.

The Transfer Process

We used the transfer process described on the Fujifilm website, which involves pulling apart the film in a "dark box" so that the film is not exposed in the light. Once the film is pulled apart, you press the chemical backing (not the positive image) to paper.

Objects put on the glass of the Daylab Copier

Sample image of objects copied to Fujifilm
in Daylab Copier

Marie-Pier removed the Fujifilm backing,
clipped on paper, from the dark box and
is now squeegeeing the image on paper.

Marie-Pier rubbing Vaseline on the surface

Finished Fujifilm transfer

The Emulsion Lift

The emulsion lift process involves soaking the Polaroid or Fujifilm developed-image in hot water, lifting off the image along with the chemicals from the paper backing, and putting the image on paper.

Put the Fujifilm developed-image in hot water
and peel off the image from the paper backing.

Put the emulsion lift in cold water.

Put matte medium on the paper as a glue.

Transfer the emulsion lift to the paper
and add more matte medium on the surface.

Marie-Pier's original digital photo of Moroccan rugs,
on the left, and the Fuji emulsion lift on the right.

Photo credit: All photos by Amy A. Rudberg unless otherwise indicated.

The Artist's Studio: Judith Roth

As part of my research on artists' studios, I visit artists working in the studio setting and ask them about their materials, methods, practices, and approach to life. The emphasis of these forays is to examine the studio setting and how the artist functions and creates art in that space.

It just so happened that on the day I was going to visit Judith Roth at her studio, I had a flat tire, so I had to take a cab to my class at Lillstreet Art Center at Ravenswood and Montrose. After class, I thought about walking to Judith's home / studio, located at Irving Park Road and Larchmont, about a quarter of a mile away. I called Judith because I couldn't get a cab right away, and she graciously volunteered to pick me up. She drove to her condo building, which was previously a clock-tower factory owned by Bell and Howell. After parking her car in the garage, we walked to the front of the building, took the elevator, and entered her 2500-sf loft space -- divided into her living space and her studio. Looking out from her large windows, I could see a spectacular view of the city skyline in the distance. Entering a doorway with a sign on the door indicating "Employees Only," we were at the entrance of her office / computer area. Another doorway led to her expansive studio space.

Near the windows, on the south wall, there was a pile of sketch books on a small table. Judith said she likes to do graphite sketches of figures across two pages in these books. Next to the sketching table was a platform for a figure model to sit and pose. Judith set up her bench and taboret to do pastels on paper in front of the platform. On the north wall, Judith set up a table with brushes and oil paints. In the middle of the studio, she has a painting table and three easels for her canvases. The rest of the space consists of storage area for a lifetime of work, a sink, and a large bathroom. Although she has a lot of light coming in through the windows from the southern exposure as well as from her studio lights, she said she would like more -- preferably daylight warm / cool flourescent overhead lights -- and a strong, adjustable overhead spotlight above the model stand. She also wants to construct a slightly tilted moveable wall about 6' by 10', on wheels, to tack on large sheets of drawing paper; a larger model stand; and a Victorian sofa.

"I just love being here: the ambience of this old building, the size of the space itself and the height; the views of the neighborhood from my windows and being set between two sets of tracks -- the Metra on the east and the Brown Line just to the west -- where I can watch the trains coming and going and see the city itself in the distance while maintaining a neighborhood feeling. It is having the best of both worlds: trains, houses, trees, birds singing in the summer, seeing both the sun rise and set because of the southern exposure's broad panoramic views; fireworks blasting off all over the neighborhood on the fourth of July and New Year's Eve; the world covered in snow on wintry days, and nights all asparkle, seen from my balcony's fourth floor 'penthouse' just high enough to get a great overview, yet low enough to feel in the midst of whatever is going on outside."

"I sometimes hire a model here in my studio, sometimes sharing the model fee with one or two other artist friends, but had also been doing much of my work over the years at the Figurative Art League (FAL) in the Noyes Cultural Art Center, Evanston, because they were one of the very few studios offering 3-hour, 4-hour, 12- and 16-hour poses over two-week periods in interesting settings and at a very reasonable rate."

"At Noyes I had also shared studio space with portrait artist Richard Halstead for about ten years until I bought my present loft space. However, the sense of community with a group of like-minded artists such as that at Noyes counteracted the isolation of solitary work as well as the expense of hiring and arranging for models. They (the FAL) have recently disbanded after about 30 years, much to my sorrow and sense of loss. They are presently trying to get an article published, describing their history and evolution, since the days when the great figurative painter Fred Berger founded it. This would also be an interesting and important group to document, if only for the historical and archival importance of its existence and now it's passing."

Judith Roth. Young Man.
2008. Oil on canvas,
60" x 36".

Judith Roth. Seated Dancer with Red
Hair. 2006. Pastel on Arches, 32" x 46".

"I am involved with the precarious balancing of realistic and abstract expression. When successful, they intensify each other, the one drawing you into its illusion of depth, weight, and the raw grace of human form; the other making you dramatically aware of the process of paint and drawing materials being moved about on a two-dimensional surface."

Judith Roth. The Pink Blouse /
Marge's Chair. 2007. Oil on
canvas, 48" x 36".

"Sometimes my work is concerned with very controlled modulated tones, carefully and slowly built up with a wide range of graphite sticks and dramatic use of negative or open space. Another body or work was developed in mixed technique, utilizing pastel, chalks, oil crayon, graphite, and turps or wash in various combinations, and in a very free style with strong linear components."

Judith Roth. Male Dancer in
Yellow-Orange Shirt. 1985.
Oil on canvas, 72" x 48".

"The classical training I received at the Boston Museum School was based on the precept that good drawing is the basis of all art; hence, drawing everyday. Learning the traditions and techniques of the masters – anatomy and perspective; the grinding of our own pigments; preparing rabbit-skin glue, gesso and old painting mediums; stretching, sizing, and priming of canvas; laying of gold leaf; fresco painting – contributed to my love for the traditions of the past, and simultaneously, a struggle to break away from them."

Judith Roth. Lady with Book. 1990.
Oil stick and graphite, 29" x 48".

"Raw edges, the feeling of life and process which exist in an unfinished study; the use of space in which the silence – that which is left unspoken – is allowed to manifest itself as articulately as the completed image – these have become basic elements of my work. The medium and techniques used vary, but most of my work itself deals with the abstract essence of the human form and with its poetic interpretation."

Judith Roth. Knee Socks. 1990.
Oil stick and graphite, 29" x 48".

Judith has exhibited widely including Butler Institute of American Art, Youngstown, OH; Maier Museum of Art, Lynchburg, VA; National Academy of Design, NY; J. Rosenthal Fine Arts, Ltd., Chicago. She has a large body of work currently on view at the Berman Center, a women’s health and wellness facility at 211 E. Ontario St. in Chicago. Currently an affiliate member of ARC Gallery, Judith is represented by the Maple Avenue Gallery in Evanston, IL, and Morpho Gallery in Chicago.

Judith Roth. The Equestrian,
detail. 2008. Oil on canvas,
48" x 24".

Credits: Art images labeled with the artist's name were provided by the artist, and all other photos were provided by Amy A. Rudberg, unless otherwise noted.

The Artist's Studio: Martina Nehrling

As part of my research on artists' studios, I visit artists working in the studio setting and ask them about their materials, methods, practices, and approach to life. The emphasis of these forays is to examine the studio setting and how the artist functions and creates art in that space.

I drove to the western edge of the Chicago city limits to visit Martina Nehrling, who lives in a two-story house with her husband in the Galewood Park neighborhood. The former owner had converted the garage in the back of the house into a workspace, and Martina and her husband added heat, insulation, and skylights. Martina said during the summer, the garden is filled with flowers and the entrance to the studio (on the south wall) has ivy-filled trellises, now bare.

Martina uses the 400-sf space as her studio, where she has two desks, small tables, chairs, a sofa, lamps, a ladder, an easel, shelving, storage space, and miscellaneous supplies and equipment. The north wall is a large expanse of space, where Martina hangs her ongoing or newly completed work (Garden Drink, below, was completed in 2008 and measures approximately 4 feet high by 12 feet wide).

On the east wall, Martina has sculptured substrates for painting, and her art materials and supplies are arranged neatly on her desk and on shelves. She said she's experimenting with relief sculptures and painting.

On the day of my visit, Martina was working on a commission for a client who has a home in a sunny climate. As she climbed up her ladder to work on the painting, which measures about 9 feet high by 5 feet wide, she said the painting has to do with the rhythms and progress of time. The finished painting will be in an area with a view of water, so she wanted to provide a sense of motion like the movement of waves, palm fronds swaying in the wind, and lingering clouds in the blue sky. The natural light from the two skylights above seemed to make the brush strokes vibrate on the canvas.

Martina's studio practices: "I’m a morning person so I usually get an early start and tend to work into evening if I can. Preparing canvases (stretching, gessoing), painting, drawing, sketching, and documenting finished work are the main things I do in my studio. Mostly I listen to NPR and sometimes music, but sometimes music can be too directive."

Martina Nehrling. 2007. Through a Purple Patch.
Acrylic on canvas, 42" x 252".

Martina Nehrling. 2008. Throes.
Acrylic on canvas, 30" x 30".

"When I paint I am sounding out elements of my everyday and I am captivated by the pulsation of such disparate events, information, ideas and things. In our cultural landscape of abundant consumer goods and the privilege/burden of access to information, I create compositions of accumulation about that beautiful and horrific, relentless clash; at once the weight and the flimsiness of daily life, both the inspiring and the mundane."

Martina Nehrling. 2008. Susurrus.
Acrylic on canvas, 18" x 24".

Martina Nehrling. 2008. In Waves.
Acrylic on canvas, 36" x 48".

"Grouped or tangled together, I use multiple distinct brushstrokes for their graphic directness, but rich color in order to engage and explore its imprecise language. I am utterly seduced by color’s formal complexity while I revel in its emotive slipperiness and enjoy mining its controversial decorativeness. The inextricability of these aspects, unique to color, continually spurs my engagement. Additionally, color is significant to the marked auditory aspect of my painting process. To develop the tenor, tonality and rhythm of a piece, I listen to the spatial relationships and interrelation of color, often combining both fluid and percussive qualities. I use particular color relationships to interrupt or punctuate the tracking of patterns of value and intensity, creating moments of concord and discord, enjoying syncopation and visual rhyming. With color that refuses to be ignored in patterns akin to lists, sentences, or notes, my paintings often operate as lyrical musing, lush celebration, high pitched lament, or raucous rebellion."

Martina Nehrling. 2008. Garden Drunk.
Acrylic on canvas, 48" x 144".

Martina Nehrling. 2008. Crux.
Acrylic on canvas, 25" x 28.5".

Martina's ongoing and recent exhibitions: Clusterf?#*k!, Zg Gallery, Chicago, 2009; Winter Show, Zg Gallery, Chicago, 2009; Through a Purple Patch, solo exhibition, Zg Gallery, Chicago, 2008; Faculty Exhibition, Sonnenschein Gallery, Durand Art Institute, Lake Forest, IL, 2008; Painters & Sculptors Make Prints, Crisp-Ellert Art Museum, St. Augustine, FL; Summer Show, Zg Gallery, Chicago, 2008; Summer Show, Zg Gallery, Chicago, 2007; Echo, solo exhibition, O’Connor Gallery, Dominican University, River Forest, IL, 2006; ArtFutura, Chicago Cultural Center, Chicago, 2006; Bridge Art Fair / Zg Gallery, Miami, FL, 2006; (un)Natural History, Zg Gallery, Chicago, 2006; Faculty Exhibition, Sonnenschein Gallery, Durand Art Institute, Lake Forest, IL, 2006; Art Chicago / Zg Gallery, Chicago, 2006.

Martina Nehrling. 2008. Blue Million.
Acrylic on canvas, 36" x 48".

For more information on Martina and her art, go to http://martinanehrling.com.


Credits: Art images labeled with the artist's name were provided by the artist, and all other photos were provided by Amy A. Rudberg, unless otherwise noted.

The Artist's Studio: Bruce Thorn

As part of my research on artists' studios, I visit artists working in the studio setting and ask them about their materials, methods, practices, and approach to life. The emphasis of these forays is to examine the studio setting and how the artist functions and creates art in that space.

After my watercolor class, I drove to the 4001 N. Ravenswood building at the corner of Irving Park and Ravenswood to visit artist and printmaker Bruce Thorn at his studio. It was a cold and rainy day, but I was able to find parking near the El (elevated train) on Ravenswood. I entered the building and called Bruce, who then buzzed me in. Rather than taking the stairs, I wanted to use the old elevator, whose capacity was maybe 6 people packed together. I had to pull open two heavy metal gates to get into the elevator and then closed them securely to get the elevator to work. I then went through a door and then a long hallway, where Bruce met me to take me into his studio, which turned out to be very warm and inviting.

Bruce had finished rehabbing a house for resale at the end of last year and wanted to do his artwork in a studio setting rather than at home, and he found a space that was ideal for him in terms of size, function, comfort, and community. The space is 15' x 55' with three large south-facing windows. The ceiling is 12-ft high, and he has 120 running feet of wall space since the bathroom and slop sink are outside in the hallway. Bruce installed picture rail molding where the walls meet the ceiling, so he can rehang his art work without damaging the walls. The studio contains all hand-built work tables (four), a desk, chairs, a small 90-lb Etan press, two easels (his son Tobey occasionally works in the space), scaffolding, and miscellaneous equipment.

Bruce's studio practices: "The idea is to have a work and display space in the same environment, kind of the traditional artists' way. I've learned that the studio can be fully utilized without making a huge mess. Presentation is very important, so I keep it professional. I prefer day light for working because it creates less strain for the eyes, and color seems correct. Sometimes I listen to music, sometimes to the traffic outside the window, often to silence. I keep a guitar around so I can take breaks and musically interact with the visuals. Usually I work about six hours a day. I believe an artist has to be able to work no matter what is going on. If I get tired of painting, I carve linoleum. Art is an engaging activity, and I feel fortunate that I'm able to do such a wonderful thing."

"My work with images emphasizes invention and questions ways that we form associations and meanings. The artworks do away with narrative, replacing it with the vocabulary of color, shape, line and movement. Meandering line often serves as the beginning of a process, suggesting forms and interactions. Anthropomorphic, organic and geometric shapes offer multiple, ambiguous interpretations. Simplified visual vocabularies are utilized to enable complex results."

Bruce Thorn. Hipster. 2005.
Oil on panel, 24" x 30".

Bruce Thorn. Teenager in Love. 2009.
Oil on panel, 24" x 18".

"At first glance, these images appear to be nonobjective abstractions, teeming with enigma. Upon further study, one can discover references to urban and natural environments. Eyes, faces and figures abound. Crowds and sounds of the city converge. Fluid movements, curves, vortexes, color schemes and exquisite details reference the natural world of landscape, ocean and sky. These are objective and subjective abstractions of the world we live in. The message here is about the freedom to imagine and enjoy."

"I am attracted to both the microcosmic and the macrocosmic. How much information can be gained from a close reading of details? What coherent, elegant and powerful messages are offered from an overall glance? What is hidden, what is exposed? The images work well from a distance or close up. From a distance, many are simple and graphic. Upon closer viewing, they offer subtle details and rich textures."

Bruce Thorn. Hen House (Picasso's Niece). 2009.
Oil on linen, 34" x 26".

Bruce Thorn. Meltdown Man. 2009.
Oil on linen, 26" x 34".

"My work addresses the notion that life confronts us with chaos and that the arts help us to come to terms with this chaos. These artworks encourage contemplation and exploration of conflicting beliefs, assumptions and cognitive processes."

Bruce Thorn. Walk in the Park. 2004.
Linoleum block print, 7" x 5".

Bruce Thorn. Early Owl. 2004.
Aquatint etching, 22" x 15".

Bruce's upcoming and recent exhibitions: Fantasy Exhibition Series and open studio, Bruce Thorn Studio, Chicago, March, 2009; The Artist Project, Chicago, 2007; Abstract Imagism, Corbett vs. Dempsey Gallery, Chicago, 2006; Bruce Thorn and Liz Quisgard, Flaten Art Museum, St. Olaf College, Northfield, MN, 2006.

Before our meeting, Bruce had emailed me a press release about celebrating his Fantasy Exhibition Series at his new studio on March 1st. He said the press release -- depicting his art in an upcoming MOMA (Museum of Modern Art) show as well as participating in a Sotheby's auction and a signed photo of Obama standing in front of Bruce's art -- is what he calls a "parody" of the "valuation of artists and their work." In other words, the press release is a "fantasy," but his opening on March 1st is real. Join him at his open studio at 4001 N. Ravenswood on Sunday, March 1st, 1:00 to 6:00 p.m., featuring live boogie woogie piano music by Erwin Helfer.

For more information on Bruce and his art, go to http://www.brucethorn.com.


Credits: Art images labeled with the artist's name were provided by the artist, and all other photos were provided by Amy A. Rudberg, unless otherwise noted.