Gene Berryhill – Statement

Travel for me is not only a physical journey but also a spiritual quest. Whether it is in the tropics of the Hawaiian Islands, the Great Barrier Reef in Australia, the Yucatan Peninsula of the Mayans, exotic Asia, the rituals and antiquities of Europe and North Africa or the great USA, treasure is everywhere, waiting to be gathered.

The English painter, Joseph Turner once said he paints sunsets so others will notice them. In a way, his point is well taken. The comment could be interpreted as artist’s arrogance or a true desire to share an incredible moment with another human being. Often, the magic on seemingly mundane things jumps right out and can’t be ignored. I strive to record, save and share, as my work is a personal scrapbook. These images are the journal of my journeys.

Technique and the aesthetic work together very well in my way of thinking. Science and art harmoniously blend within the technical and creative process. Therefore, mixed media photography is my passion. I tend to be attracted to the riskier part of the science, of not knowing the outcome when I begin working on a piece. Seemingly in contradiction, the aesthetic works reliability while science plays its way out of the box. The intrigue of maintaining this balance while experimenting with new materials, chemistry, temperatures and timings keeps my interest and hopefully, my art fresh.

Many people ask how I make my pictures. This is somewhat of a complicated question as it is difficult to give a straight, pat answer. Basically, I manipulate the photos to gain the look and feel of what I’m after at the moment. Oddly, the weather also plays a part, depending on the humidity, light and time of day. I have a dark room with all of the professional amenities, but generally enjoy working in my beach cottage kitchen with common, everyday tools.

The technical rundown on these multi-step process pieces initially involves location shooting, development into slides, then transference to print film. At this point one of two paths is taken. If it is to be an image transfer, such as Kunming, the wet negative is pressed onto a substrate, using the traditional techniques of printmaking. While it is still damp, hand applications are possible using fingers, brushes, pencils and a variety of tools.

The other path of choice is emulsion transfer as seen on Milstatt. It is a very manipulative type of process, as the print is “cooked” in various liquids until the emulsion floats like a jellyfish. The challenge is to capture the “slippery fish” onto the paper, then make it look good. Both techniques (image and emulsion) can also merge from two separate processes onto the same substrate. The final steps involve drawing and painting, making each photograph or transfer unique. Undergrad years were spent specializing in fine art and scientific illustration and still, these tools and influences instinctively make their way into my photographic work.

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