I spent the night printing 35mm negs of dad onto 11x14 RC paper. I am looking for unseen and forgotten images to make for the coming St. Albert Art Gallery show (August 2017). I have 5x7, 8x10 and 120mm, 35nn film negatives of my father made that last year but the 35mm negs have the visual grain and harshness I am looking to exhibit.
I will go with only 35mm negs this show. I will only need 7 prints, I probably have enough good 35mm work to print 25 or so photographs, so I need to be selective. I think I might expand on my original "last week in the life of dad" idea and show pictures from some of the rest of the time we spent together that last 13 months. A variety of photos will tell a larger more diverse story. I will also do up two magazines for the exhibition, one of my general photography and one specifically on my father (including snapshots of his life). I wish my father could go to the opening night. I think he would be generally happy to be remembered and would feel that the photos are honest to the reality he faced. Would he be proud of the pictures? Not sure of that but I think he would be happy to not be forgotten, happy that people are still talking about the importance of his life.
The time making these exhibition prints is difficult. I have 2 of the 7 complete now except for the spotting-matting-framing. I am flooded of memories of my father and our relationship as I print and print, spending hours, days, and weeks on the photographs. The difficulty is as it should be, I am his son, if this was easy then something would be wrong. It is difficult but it is right, it is my pay tribute to my father. Making these pictures and telling his story is the way I cope and remember who he was.
Miss you dad, miss you everyday and in everyday. Many times I still cannot believe that you are gone, gone forever. I wish we could sit and talk as we often did after one of my night shifts. We would talk of many things, while sharing a breakfast you got up to made for me. I would go home and you would start working, making breads and foods of all kinds for the farmers market. You always had something good for me to take home, some fresh bread, desert, cabbage rolls, pyrogies. There was always something or several things you would make sure I would leave with.
I will go with only 35mm negs this show. I will only need 7 prints, I probably have enough good 35mm work to print 25 or so photographs, so I need to be selective. I think I might expand on my original "last week in the life of dad" idea and show pictures from some of the rest of the time we spent together that last 13 months. A variety of photos will tell a larger more diverse story. I will also do up two magazines for the exhibition, one of my general photography and one specifically on my father (including snapshots of his life). I wish my father could go to the opening night. I think he would be generally happy to be remembered and would feel that the photos are honest to the reality he faced. Would he be proud of the pictures? Not sure of that but I think he would be happy to not be forgotten, happy that people are still talking about the importance of his life.
The time making these exhibition prints is difficult. I have 2 of the 7 complete now except for the spotting-matting-framing. I am flooded of memories of my father and our relationship as I print and print, spending hours, days, and weeks on the photographs. The difficulty is as it should be, I am his son, if this was easy then something would be wrong. It is difficult but it is right, it is my pay tribute to my father. Making these pictures and telling his story is the way I cope and remember who he was.
Miss you dad, miss you everyday and in everyday. Many times I still cannot believe that you are gone, gone forever. I wish we could sit and talk as we often did after one of my night shifts. We would talk of many things, while sharing a breakfast you got up to made for me. I would go home and you would start working, making breads and foods of all kinds for the farmers market. You always had something good for me to take home, some fresh bread, desert, cabbage rolls, pyrogies. There was always something or several things you would make sure I would leave with.
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| Various dad exhibition RC test prints. |
