| | | Norman Kulkin - The Definitive Article
A little information about the series "THE STACK", and the following series entitled "THE TOWER".
First of all I must say that all of the artworks in any medium, are parenthesised by titled series.
Previous to "THE STACK" series was "THE DEFINITE ARTICLE" ("T.D.A.") series.
In fact both "THE STACK", and "THE TOWER", are part of "THE DEFINITE ARTICLE" series.
Each of the individual pieces from "T. D .A." series has their own title starting with the word THE.
After making a few hundred works in the "T.D.A." series, (which were all inspired by news of the day or my thoughts).
At one point one of the titles during manufacture, one evolved to be titled "THE STACK", I liked it so much I made one hundred of them, numbered one through one hundred.
After those hundred I went back to the series titled, "T.D.A.", and created one piece titled, "THE TOWER". I have only made ten in this "TOWER", series.
"THE DEFINITE ARTICLE" ("T.D.A"), are all collage works applied by hand, onto the surfaces of various "found vintage photographs", which include photographic paper media from the 1860's to 1960's.
"THE STACK" series, are all collage works right on top of vintage found "Cabinet Cards", a style of photogaphy mostly made by the albumen process during the 1870's.
"THE TOWER" series were all made on vintage found Carte de Visites, those CDV's were popular in the 1860's to the turn of the century.
In any case, I would only use vintage photographs, that were unsubstantial, or unimportant visually.
Totally anonymous ones were recycled towards my creativity.
A little information about the series "THE STACK", and the following series entitled "THE TOWER".
First of all I must say that all of the artworks in any medium are parenthesised by titled series.
Previous to "THE STACK" series was "THE DEFINITE ARTICLE" series.
In fact both "THE STACK", and "THE TOWER", are part of "THE DEFINITE ARTICLE" series.
Each of the individual pieces from "T. D .A." series has their own title starting with the word THE.
After making a few hundred works in the "T.D.A." series, (which were all inspired by news of the day or my thoughts) .
At one point one of the titles during manufacture, one evolved to be titled "THE STACK", I liked it so much I made one hundred of them, numbered one through one hundred.
After those hundred I went back to the series titled, "T.D.A.", and created one piece titled, "THE TOWER". I have only made ten in this "TOWER”, series.
"THE DEFINITE ARTICLE" ("T.D.A"), are all collage works applied by hand, onto the surfaces of various "found vintage photographs", which include photographic paper media from the 1860's to 1960's.
"THE STACK" series, are all collage works right on top of vintage found "Cabinet Cards", a style of photography mostly made by the albumen process during the 1870's.
"THE TOWER” series were all made on vintage found Carte de Visites, those CDV's were popular in the 1860's to the turn of the century.
In any case, I would only use vintage photographs, that were unsubstantial, or unimportant visually.
Totally anonymous ones were recycled towards my creativity.
The process and some thought, about what I am doing with my collage work.
Since I am quite involved in the Photographic medium, by way of collecting them for years, touching them and seeing millions of photographs a year.
I am inspired to create with Photography.
(To me it is very natural to have evolved visually in this manner, whatever art I have made in the past, which consciously started around 1967-8, was important to get to this point in my creativity.
So, the process of collage, of these particular ones from the "T.D.A." & "T", series, I first would occlude 99% or more of the original image with Italian fine art paper pieces, by gluing small sections of paper material, on top of the original image.
In every case I would leave a section of “Albumen pattern detail, or just plain non-pattern (simple color yellowish).
This is my method for starting my collage. Once I glued the first piece of color Italian paper on to the "Albumen's" surface, I had started and then after time I had the picture plane fairly eclipsed by fine color papers.
Next the design arrives.
In both series the "T.D.A." & "T", the design suggested to me an up-side-down "Figure" or the right-side-up kind, "Stack”, or "Tower" . On each of the series it is approximately the same or sightly different. Some are totally abstract compositions.
Only the Cabinet Card size is around 5x7 inches and the C.D.V ones are smaller, something like 3.75 x 2.5, sometimes a little more or a bit less depending on if I attached some length or found the original trimmed or damaged.
The key to leaving some original surface of “Albumen" in my finished product is a reference to the original process.
Homage to the historic Photographic process origin. In these cases the Albumen process.
The picture that the finished work unfolds in the minds eye,(which to me is figurative) as I have mentioned before, is comprised of other cut up pieces of photographic material of different shapes. Sometimes using pieces of white margin from contemporary photographs, sometimes using unexposed photographic paper from different periods of time. I have an assortment of materials at hand always.
In the margin area of the original Cabinet Card, and CDV, where the photographers name used to reside, it is covered by stacked up pieces of white mat board. A number of pieces of one ply strips are glued in a stack which becomes the highest surface, on the overall surface. On to this mini stack margin, I would type with a typewriter, the date, and the words "THE STACK" or "THE TOWER", that is the place where I sign my art work finished.
When I look at the final work individually I see from the top down visually (topographically). In other words as if the papers, with visual color, or visual picture information, was just laying one on top of another in a stack, or imaginary tower.
My current work is a series entitled, "ENCAPSULATIONS", which are "found photographs” with wet rubber stamped words, sentences, or stories stamped by my alphabet rubber stamps in colors of my choice.
Then thermally laminated between two 7mm pieces of clear laminate.
You may see them by going to: www.normankulkin.wordpress.com
Included are ten from the 100 of "THE STACK SERIES" (C.C.) size
Ten from the "TOWER SERIES" (CDV) size.
Norman Kulkin, May 2010
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