Marja-Leena Rathje

One day last week, I took our SLR digital camera and tripod to the printmaking studio in order to do the photo documentation of my year’s work. I’m an amateur photographer, so it’s always an interesting challenge for me, and I’m learning. Fortunately, as of last summer, the studio finally has daylight spectrum lighting, so that’s no longer a problem. We have a good spot on one wall with even and indirect lighting, so there’s minimal glare on the works that have a shiny transparent layer. Some readers may remember my mentioning past struggles with this.

Checking the downloaded images later, I think they have worked out well, but I’m only just beginning to process them – the usual checking for colour (the Raw versions seem better), contrast, light and dark levels, and cropping.

I’m also struggling to come up with a title for the series of ‘studies’ that I did last fall. I find the word ‘studies’ rather dull and over used, and doesn’t quite reflect the playful explorations in creating this little series. I like ‘sketches’ but these aren’t drawings, they are unique uneditioned prints. Hmm… vignettes? traces? reflections? meditations? These will have the series title first, such as this: “Silent Messengers: Vignette I (II, III to X). What do you think, dear readers, any suggestions?

Another part of the documentation process is to check the prints in each edition, select the best ones and also select the artist’s proof, shop proof and any decent trial proofs, and sign them all with edition and proof numbers, title and artist’s signature. Then I record all the information about the process, the paper type and size, print size, and the edition numbers on a special print documentation form, one for each edition, which I then keep in a binder with all my other documentation forms. The shop gets a copy of the documentation sheet along with the shop proof. This is fairly standard practice in printmaking shops. I find the records very useful and I can make copies for any gallery or purchaser if requested.

Now I have to get back to work editing, but here’s one of the small layered pieces I did, and will tentatively title ‘Silent Messengers: Vignette I’. There’s just a little bit of glare in the middle, but not bad, I think.

UPDATE MARCH 29th, 2007: Thank you everyone for your imput, which has helped me chew on the title some more! I’ve finally decided to call these one-of-a-kind little pieces Silent Messengers: Assemblage I to X. I’ve removed the image that was posted here, adjusted it closer to what the original is, and given it its own post.