OK, so I went down to the studio last week, after weeks of inactivity and frustration, considering doing some exposure test times for two of the more 'straightforward' processes, Cyanotypes & Van Dyke Browns. Straightforward it was not! Exposure times were way longer than they used to be....sigh. In a previous post I mentioned the variables going on that have scuppered things in the workspace, humidity and temperature being the main ones....and now this.. I suspect that maybe the 'new' UV light bulbs I bought a while back are maybe not putting light out at the right frequency. It's only a theory of course, and not easy to prove. I will go down there again maybe today and do a few more tests to see if the variances are still there, but to add to the mix I am now possibly thinking about changing over to LED lights in my exposure unit, which I gather are more consistent in their frequency output and less likely to go 'off'
In brighter news I submitted two of my prints for consideration for the Wolverhampton Society of Artists exhibition at Weston Park, starting 30 September, and both were accepted. It is a bit of a double edged sword, as I am delighted that they have been accepted, but that pleasure is blunted by the issues I have had and the torment that they are causing for the future of me making prints to the same standards. I can only say that hopefully I will find a way round the issues and get back to making artwork that gives me a buzz again. Hopefully a more positive post will follow soon!
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