The Daguerreotypist

I had a chance to catch Eric Mertens gallery show at Kuhl Frames this last weekend and found it very inspiring. Eric has some thought provoking work on display and the gallery has done a very good job of hanging the work so that the daguerreotypes are displayed to great advantage. Of course as a pre-beginner I was greatly interested in viewing Eric’s obvious technical mastery as well. If you are anywhere near the San Francisco Bay area, I highly recommend that you stop by. The gallery is holding an opening event tomorrow – Friday May 1 from 6-9 pm. There will be music, an opportunity to meet the artist, and a chance to see some great daguerreotypes. Here are some pictures of Eric’s display.

Tags: Daguerreotype Process by andy
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I spent a fair amount of quality time this weekend in castle daguerre. Several hours were devoted to experimenting more with polishing plates. Since I was dissatisfied with my copper polish in the last go round, this time I worked on a sixth plate that I have that was donated to me by a daguerreian friend. It is already coated with silver and has been used a number of times, so it was a perfect practice subject. I wanted to see in what way working with the silver is different than the copper. [Read more →]

Tags: Daguerreotype Process by andy
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What – the reader says – does this title have to do with daguerreotypy? Well a little more safety information heading your way. I recently stopped by my health care provider for some routine blood tests. I also arranged with my doctor to get a mercury blood level as well. Here are the results:

The screen capture is a little hard to read, but I passed.  I did this to establish a baseline blood level before I start working with mercury. I plan to get an annual test to get a definitve read on whether my safety measures are working. My health plan covered the test, so it didn’t cost me anything. I asked one of my nurse friends however and she tells me it is a pretty cheap test (about USD $25). Even if you are a longer term practitioner you might want to get one done the next time you have to get other bloodwork. You will quickly find out if you have anything to be concerned about.

Happy (and safe) dagging. :)

Tags: Daguerreotype Process by andy
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Another report from the Daguerreian Shopping Network. :) So here’s a product quiz for you: What comes in a box, with foam peanuts, in a steel can, with more foam peanuts, in a bag stuffed with vermiculite, in a chemical adsorbent bag, in bubble wrap, in a bottle dipped in plastic?

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Tags: Daguerreotype Process by andy
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