Artist's Statement:
I like the challenge of taking a digital image, which consists of pixels illuminating a screen, and turning it into a print that is imbued with my sensibilities and outlook . I believe the digital image is only a starting point. The steps involved in making a print, using processes from the dawn of photography, are something of a dance, where ideally, every motion counts and contributes to the quality and beauty of the finished print. I begin with a photograph I have taken with a digital camera, which I then convert into a negative. I place the negative on top of paper which I have coated with a light sensitive compound. I then expose it to ultraviolet light. I convert the exposed print into a finished image using one, or more, of the following processes:
Gum bichromate, which was discovered in the 1830’s, is a process using dichromates, gum arabic and pigment to create color images.
Cyanotype, which was discovered in the 1840’s, is a process using ferric ammonium citrate and potassium ferricyanide. The process results in prints that have a distinctive blue hue.
Kallitype, which was discovered in the 1880’s, is an iron- silver process. When toned with palladium, it produces a black and white print with a wide range of tones from dark to light.
Platinum/palladium, was used experimentally as early as 1830. The process was patented in 1873. Platinum/palladium is known for its wide range of tonality, from white to black. It is a desirable process because it will never fade when done correctly.
My work consists primarily of landscapes, close-up botanical studies and recently, vintage automobiles. In my landscapes, I try to evoke the memory of place. With my botanicals and automobiles, I try to honor the subject. I am also interested in surface, the play of light, contour and texture in my botanical studies and vintage automobile prints.
Ultimately, I try to coax the viewer to see a fresh or new view of objects or scenes they might otherwise lightly brush over, or pass by altogether.
Curriculum Vitae:
2/15/25 - 3/30/25 - The Halide Project, Philadelphia, PA - “Living Image 2024/2025” - Juror: Adam Finkelston
8/1/24- 10/5/24 - Light Art Space, Silver City, NM - “Solace in Nature” - Juror: Christina Anderson
6/7/24 – 7/27/24 – New Grounds, Remarque Print Workshop, Albuquerque, NM – “Sublime Synergies: Interactions of Light and Ink”
12/7/23 - 2/3/24 - Center for Contemporary Arts, Abilene, TX - “By Hand: Alternative Process” Texas Photographic Society - Honorable Mention - Juror: Christina Z. Anderson
6/9/23 - 11/4/23 - Light Art Space, Silver City, NM - “Shifting H20 Currents” - Juror: Kristen Martincic
6/9/23 - 7/29/23 - New Grounds, Remarque Print Workshop, Albuquerque, NM – “Opposing Forces: Energetic Tensions in Printmaking and Photography” - Juror: Karen Hymer
3/18/23 - 4/27/23 - Placitas Community Library - “New Mexico - Sense of Place”
2/3/23 - 3/27/23 - Foto Forum Santa Fe, Santa Fe, NM - “Member’s Juried Group Exhibition” - Juror: Sage Paisner
1/18/23 - 2/18/23 - New Mexico Art League, Albuquerque, NM - “Terra Firma - An exhibition of a wide array of works depicting many views of our beloved natural world created by artists living and working in New Mexico”
12/10/22 - 1/7/23 - Placitas Presbyterian Church Gallery - Placitas Performing Artist Series, December Group Show
9/24/22 - 10/22/22 - The Photographer’s Eye, Escondido, CA - “(s)Light of Hand 2022: Juried Alternative Process Show” - Juror: Christina Z. Anderson
7/8/22 – 8/27/22 - New Grounds, Remarque Print Workshop, Albuquerque, NM – “Blurring the Lines: Exploring the Frontiers of Photography and Printmaking”
1/25/22 – 3/5/22 – New Mexico Art League, Albuquerque, NM – “Down to Earth – An exhibition of a wide array of works depicting many views of our beloved natural world”
10/2/21 – 10/31/21 – Old San Ysidro Church, Corrales, NM – “33rd “Annual Old Church Fine Arts Show” - Jurors: Michelle Ellis Party, Executive Director & Chief Curator, Fresno Art Museum, Fresno, CA; Dianna Lyn Walker, Fine Art Photographic Artist of DLW Fine Art, Austin, TX; Tobi Clement, Tobi Clement Fine Art, Santa Fe, NM
8/7/21 – 10/2/21 – Light Art Space, Silver City, NM – “Visions of Nature: Contemporary Views in Alternative Photographic Techniques” - Juror: Diana H. Bloomfield
7/9/21 – 8/28/21 – New Grounds, Remarque Print Workshop, Albuquerque, NM – “Re-Emergence! Explorations in Photography and Printmaking”
3/20/21 – 5/15/21 – Spiva Center for the Arts, Joplin, MO – “PhotoSpiva 2021” - Juror: Adam Finkelston
9/12/20 – 10/ 7/20 - LightBox Photographic Gallery, Astoria, OR – “Altered Reality – An International Exhibit of Historical Process Photography” - Jurors: Diana H. Bloomfield, Karen Hymer, Jim Fitzgerald
My work and creative practice is featured in the book “Digital Negatives with QuadtoneRIP” by Ron Reeder and Christina Z. Anderson, Routledge Press, 2021
Biography:
Tom Wise is a photographer currently living in New Mexico. Tom’s interest in photography was instilled by his father who loved nothing more than to photograph the prairies of Nebraska, then return to his basement darkroom to develop film and make silver gelatin prints.
Tom spent his adult life as an educator in the Omaha, Nebraska area. He returned to photography as he neared retirement. Initially, Tom’s plan was to focus on digital photography, taking classes at the local community college. The first class he took, was “Basic Analog Photography” where the medium was black and white film. This rekindled those memories of working in his father’s darkroom when he was much younger. Tom subsequently focused on analog photography and on his own, started working with alternative processes.
Initially, Tom taught himself how to make cyanotype and kallitype prints using available resources. Tom wanted to create prints with a wider palette so he enrolled in gum bichromate workshops taught by Christina Z. Anderson, and later, Diana Bloomfield. Since then, Tom has been creating monochromatic, duotone and full color prints using platinum/palladium, kallitype, cyanotype and gum bichromate processes.