Concord, MA
Top: Assabet 2, 2007
Bottom: Assabet 3, 2007
Tintype, wet plate collodion on metal
Image size: 10 x 8 inches
$1,800 each framed
To Purchase Contact 23 Sandy Gallery
www.prifti.net
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Using an 8 x 10 view camera and the 19th century wet plate collodion process, I make tintype portraits of students, friends and acquaintances.
When a photograph is successful the description of external details can begin to express the internal complexity of the subject. The fine detail and tonal beauty of the wet plate process allow me to describe my subjects in more powerful ways than I am able to achieve with contemporary materials.
What begins with an attention to the physical appearance of the subject develops into an evolving exploration of the sitter and myself. The process is slow and labor intensive. Making these portraits requires exposure times ranging from 20 seconds to 2 minutes. It is in that collaboration that I find the power of this medium, as if the commitment required of both me and the sitter is present in the final image.Artist Biography
David Prifti has been an artist and teacher for over 20 years. He holds a BFA from Mass College of Art and an MFA from Yale University. His work is in numerous public and private collections, including the MOMA in NY, and the MFA in Houston.
All images and text copyright the artist. All rights reserved.
