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Our artist for the
month of September/October 2006 THOMAS
BACKER
Showing in September
at the
T Street Gallery
2801 T street, suite B
Sacramento, CA 95816
www.tstreetgallery.com
ph: (main studio) 451-7342
OPENING RECEPTION
SEPTEMBER 9th
My name is Thomas
Backer. I am a photographer who grew up in Auburn, then transplanted to
Southern California, yet now enjoy my life living again amongst the black
oak trees of Northern California. Traveling is what I love most about life
and photography. The people I meet and photograph when I’m abroad- their
stories and struggles- are what I love learning and sharing with all
others I come in contact with.
Enjoying a bit more non-traditional style of photography, (the constant
joke of my ‘smeary’ looking night shots), I needed to find a way to print
that would embody and support the more ‘artsy’ styled pictures. Though
I’ve never transferred Polaroid prints, I’ve always loved that look that
appeared so much more dreamy and creative that traditional methods- that
is, as long as the printing supported the look of the photograph. Now,
with the advent of digital photography I still wanted a similar, more
rough look to my prints, where ‘straight from the ink-jet’ wouldn’t
suffice. ‘Mizue’ is what I came up with, which seemed like the perfect
balance for my ‘fine-art’ styled travel photographs.
‘Mizue’ is my own unique printing style which I invented in hopes of
creating a combination of digitally based photography and hands-on
printing styles. With this style, I create a print that has a cracked and
molten look, similar to that of a an oil painting laid to dry for several
hundred years. It fully compliments the specific images I’ve chosen for
this show in that it supports a more ancient and ‘dream-like’ world, a
style in which I’ve spent several years developing and testing, to finally
come up with ‘my look.’
The prints themselves are extremely difficult to produce- I ruin about 2
for every one that I finally mount and show! They are delicate,
superficially only be likened to a photograph that has been weathered for
half a century, even though they are new, vibrant, and full of life- the
life that I’ve sought out in my travels- the life that exists behind the
stillness of photography- that of motion, activity and feelings.
I’d love to share more about my unique and new printing process with you,
so please come to the show and view the prints. I can also arrange for a
private viewing, if that would suit your needs easier.
I’m including a few photographs of my process and the final images. I hope
you see the unique and creative look I’ve sought to achieve as
interestingly as I do.
http://www.tombacker.com/
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