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Teaching Alternative Printing Techniques: Printing on Silk with Acid Dye Inks

Margaret vB Smith

Friday, October 10 - 9:00AM to 10:00AM
Mendenhall Student Center Great Room 1 and 2

Finding alternative methods of presentation is a continuing process for most photographers. Printing on fabrics has become more popular recently. However, finding a method of printing that is both vibrant and colorfast is not as easy as simply feeding the fabric through an ink-jet printer. I have been experimenting with printing on silk for several years and have finally found a system that works for me. I have converted an Epson 9880 to accept acid-dye inks and have installed an industrial steamer in my studio.

My current work is a series of fine art, form-based photographs of reflections in water. Water is, by definition, fluid. It is this movement that has encouraged me to seek a medium of presentation that accentuates this characteristic. My images are printed on silk charmeuse and chiffon and are layered and hung freely from bamboo to preserve the fluidity of the silk.

My presentation will include a description of my journey seeking this method of presentation, a comparison of basic and advanced printing on silk, an explanation of what it takes to get started with acid-dye printing, and an outline for instruction.

speaker

Margaret Smith
Margaret Smith

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