STATEMENT

Joy Goldkind uses the historic bromoil process as a tool to express her fine art portraits. The images are hand crafted using brush and inks, which adds a layer of mystery to the photograph. These images capture the spirit of the person rather than the realist representation of the subject.

Bromoil was used by photographers of the pictorial movement because they wanted their work to have a more artistic rendering. It is this step away from the clear photographic interpretation that I am looking for in my images. This process uses a bromide silver gelatin image, which is then bleached to remove the silver content. Lithographic inks are used to replace the silver that has been removed by the bleaching.

I use the Bromoil Process to enhance the subject matter of the piece. The images from my work are at times created and inspired from a fantasy world and have an” otherworldly” quality. I use double exposure and slow shutter speeds to change what is true and expected in a scene. This process gives me the freedom to soften blur or completely erase a aspect of the original negative. Creativity by deviation from the predictable is a valuable tool for furthering the artistic vision. Basic techniques are simply a starting point in the process of developing a recognizable style. I would like my work to have a distinct personal reference point so that there is no question about whose images they are.

I use a Wisner 4x5 with one lens for most of my work. Type 55 Polaroid is the film I use when working with models since with motion it is necessary for me to see the results immediately.