Rust and Rope

This is the first color photograph that I made entirely myself, from exposing the film and developing it, to printing the picture and processing it in a darkroom. It was made while pursuing my MFA degree in photography in 1973. I had just seen an exhibition of the sculptures of Peggy Guggenheim in the Guggenheim Museum in New York. Her sculptures were strange, some being entirely made of rope. When I returned to college, I happened to see this composition in a shipyard in Kingston. The rope reminded me of her work, but it also provides a counterpoint to the rust, which was on a barge being refurbished. It also partly owes it's creation to Aaron Siskind, who's I admired at the time. The negative was carefully preserved all these years, but recently I rediscovered it, scanned it, removed any defects, and made this print. It is a true survivor and is the best print I ever made from the negative. It is made on Epson Exhibition Fiber paper with Epson K2 pigment inks, which have exceptional longevity. There is a border on the left and right of 1" and 3.5" on the top and bottom. It is titled and numbered on the lower left, and signed and dated on the lower right, in archival pen. It is possible that this new print could survive another 100 or more years!