"Tiffany - 1997"

Artists Statement

Eight years ago, when I decided to turn my full attention to photography, I was disillusioned about photography in general because some of my earlier work (25 years old) was already beginning to show signs of deterioration. I did not want to be spending my time working in an art form that was self destructive. Since the 1850's it has been well known that a silver photographic image has serious permanence problems.

Living in Tucson, I availed myself of the work at the University of Arizona's Center for Creative Photography, researching how one could make permanent photographs. There was a cyanotype, an iron process, a carbon print, using graphite, and the platinum print. Examples of each were available and I quickly fell in love with the platinotype. Warm toned, great tonal scale, and sharp as a tack because all three require a negative the size of the image, and yet the platinotype is softened because the image is made on watercolor paper. Since the emulsion had to be handcoated, there was a very organic feeling about completing the print to the finished product.

In looking at early images, I was drawn to two photographers in particular. Edward Steichen, and Edward Curtis. Both produced portraits of people that captured a soul within them for me.

So off I went. Learning to print on 2 º negatives that I had from my many years of working with a Hasselblad, while watching my kids play. It was terrific, no darkrooms were necessary, no more chemical smell. Hand coating on the kitchen table and printing outside in the sun, I had the feeling of a pioneer photographer. I felt liberated from the darkroom. I knew then that I loved the process - and the look. But my negatives were small.

I worked with enlarging negatives, but could not get the look of the images I saw photographed on larger format. So I began the process of moving up in formats. That worked well because there was a slight learning curve to hand-coating larger images, 4x5, 5x7, 8x10 and ultimately a used Wisner 11x14. Portraiture was going to be my specialty. Large format platinum portraiture, made to last 500 to a thousand years. Truly archival. Heirloom. Less than 30 people in the world are working in this medium in portraiture. And so here I am, working to educate a public that knows very little about platinum photography, and the platinotype. I hope you enjoy my images presented.

Curriculum Vitae

Dr. Gary Auerbach

auer@azstarnet.com

http://www.azstarnet.com/platinum

Work Experience:

1999-pres. Delegate (WFC) to WHO/FCTC. Framework convention on tobacco control

1992-pres. Consultant, Life Chiropractic University, Marietta, Georgia

1978-pres. Vice President/Owner, Triple A Pistachios, Cochise, Arizona

1989-pres. Owner, Gary Auerbach Platinum Photography, Tucson, Arizona

1975-91 Owner/Doctor, Associates in Chiropractic, Tucson, Arizona

1972-74 Accounting instructor, Palmer Chiropractic University, Davenport, Iowa.

1971-72 Accountant, Audit & Management Department, Coopers & Lybrand, San Francisco

Professional Experience

1994-98 Member, Board of Directors, Southern Arizona Alzheimers Association

1993-94 Candidate for U.S. Congress, 5th Congressional District, Arizona

1992-95 Committee member, Global Task Force on Low Back Pain. World Health Organization

1990-93 Co-founder, Southern Arizona Indigent Chiropractic Health Clinic, Tucson, Arizona

1989-92 President & Founder, World Federation of Chiropractic, Toronto, Canada

1984-89 Member, board of directors, International Chiropractors Association, Washington, DC

1984-89 Conference Chairman, Intern'l Chiropractors Assn., World Health Development Committee

ICA Pacific Asian Conference (1984)

ICA Pan American Chiropractic Conference (1983)

World Chiropractic Conference (1982)

1986-pres Delegate, World Health Organization General Assembly

1977-80 Chairman, Pima Area Advisory Group, Health Systems Agency of Southern Arizona

1978-79 President, Chiropractic Association of Arizona, Phoenix, Arizona

Education:

Doctorate in Chiropractic (1975), Palmer Chiropractic University, Davenport, Iowa

BS, accounting (1971), University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona