Polaroid transfer- Hawaii, 2007 copyright Elizabeth Galecke Photography
My good friend,Lynn, just opened a really beautiful boutique in Wilmington called Ziabird(www.ziabird.com) She invited me to be her feature artist for the grand opening of her shop! Ted, Lynn and I hung the work a few weeks ago before the store was finished, so this week when I go back- it will be so great to see it all put together! We hung two different themes of work- a small grouping of my portrait work which I framed in a mix of flea-market and modern frames- and then a mix of my Polaroid Transfer work.
“Legend has it that sometime in the mid-1960s one of Polaroid’s research photographers
inadvertenly left a Polaroid negative face down on a countertop, later picked it up,
and found an image had transferred to the counter. He and several of his colleagues began
to play with the process until Polaroid founder Dr. Edwin Land found out about it and
sternly discouraged this deviant activity. And so Pandora’s box was closed ….
for the time being. – John Reuter”
I love working with Polaroid transfers, so I am excited to have these on exhibit. These images I take when I have time off of my portrait work- it is quiet, reflective work- and the subject matter is usually landscape- but intimate- not vast in any way. Little vignettes of scenes that I see when I am traveling or just taking a day off. I love the transfer process, it is challenging and exciting- I am so incredibly old-school. Anything that takes a long time, doesn’t include sitting in front of a computer, has a combination with chemicals and film(except when I am cooking)- and can’t be duplicated exactly ever again- just makes me happy. The unfortunate issue is that Polaroid is stopping production of their film- and if this happens, no more real Polaroid Transfers. Yes, they can be done by computer- but it’s not the same. There are groups like Save Polaroid and the Impossible Project, trying to keep it alive!
Check it out…http://www.savepolaroid.com/learn
http://www.the-impossible-project.com/
Here is a link to find out more about the Polaroid Transfer Process…http://www.alternativephotography.com/process_imagetransfers.html
Soooo, back to Ziabird…
My work is mixed in with all of the great things in Lynn’s store-There is jewelry-some designed by Lynn- who is an amazing artist! and handbags, and clothing too- all unique and made by artists. Please stop by if you are in Wilmington- reception is Friday night – my work will be hanging until July 11.
Ziabird reception Invite June 19
