Charlie in Platinum & Palladium ~ A Mutual Aid Auction
☆ February 2, 2021
In the fall of 2017, after I finished the coffee table book celebrating Charlie’s tenth birthday and had sent it off to the printer, I was in that weird state of being absolutely buzzed from completing the project and also exhausted from the work. I couldn’t sit still and I couldn’t focus on normal stuff. The book had turned out better than I’d ever imagined and sales had too, so I gave myself a gift I’d wanted for years. I drove to New Mexico for a week-long one-on-one apprenticeship with David Michael Kennedy, one of the living masters of Platinum/Palladium printing.
Platinum/Palladium printing is one of the oldest photographic printing techniques. A light-sensitive solution of platinum and/or palladium is hand-painted onto watercolor paper, and a contact print is made under ultraviolet light – traditionally, the sun.
I also learned how to make high-quality negatives from my digital files, which allows me to create Platinum/Palladium prints from pictures of Charlie that I’ve taken with my digital camera.
Platinum/Palladium prints are gorgeous, truly luminous, with a tonal range that surpasses any other form of photographic print. (Frustratingly, it’s impossible to see the incredible print quality through a computer screen.)
The noble metals bond with the paper itself, so Platinum/Palladium prints are estimated to last thousands of years without any deterioration in the quality of the print. The Platinum/Palladium process is a spectacular blend of art, science, and magic.
It’s also quite rare these days. Platinum and palladium are expensive materials to work with, and each print is made, from start to finish, by hand. In 2018 I set up a darkroom to start printing at home, but then I decided to write another book and my fine art was put on hold. Till now.
I’m debuting this work with one of my all-time favorite pictures of Charlie, in platinum and palladium (50/50). I’m offering it for auction with 100% of the proceeds going to mutual aid. The funds will be donated to this reparations campaign: Homes for Black Women.
My friend Allison of Sunny Rising has coordinated this fundraiser with a great group of artists – there is beautiful work on offer, and you can find links to it all on her most recent post.
Charlie in Platinum & Palladium on Italian rag watercolor paper / image area measures 4″ x 5.5″ / archivally mounted on rice paper under glass / handmade barn wood frame measures 10″ x 12″
Please leave your bids in the comment section. The auction is also running on my instagram page – I’ll be cross-posting the highest bids from both places periodically so everyone knows what’s up (instagram seems to prohibit people without accounts from seeing anyone’s pages anymore, boo). Check back here to see if you’ve been outbid! The auction will close February 9th at 9PM MST.
I’m slowly resurfacing and will write more soon…. in the meantime, thank you for all the love messages – let’s share that love with this reparations campaign!
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26 Responses to “Charlie in Platinum & Palladium ~ A Mutual Aid Auction”
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MY NEW BOOK!
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February 2nd, 2021 @ 10:20 am
Learned something new today, thanks for the education about this kind of photography. I just went and looked up DMK and watched his video – WOW – what a learning experience from him and memories to cherish your lifetime. So happy you got to go do and learn this. Love there are so many creative people in the world and you are one of them, Shreve! xoxo
February 2nd, 2021 @ 10:31 am
I bid $250.00, Shreve. Gorgeous print, wonderful reparations campaign, and yet another example of how creative people can change the world. Best wishes on the auction, I will check back in as we go!
~Leslie
February 2nd, 2021 @ 10:49 am
I bid $270.00, Shreve. The Homes for Black Women campaign is absolutely one that I wish to be a part of…even if my bid loses!
February 2nd, 2021 @ 10:53 am
Such beautiful work Shreve. Congratulations! Your subject matter “Charlie” is so stunning in this photo. I’m so happy for you and for the people you are supporting and helping through your charity. I place my bid @ $300.00
February 2nd, 2021 @ 11:24 am
You have really outdone yourself Shreve! I bid $350 on Charlie. I hope the bids skyrocket!
February 2nd, 2021 @ 12:09 pm
Beautiful work and great cause , Shreve! I bid $400 on Charlie.
February 2nd, 2021 @ 2:01 pm
Such beautiful artwork and a fantastic cause. I bit $500.
Thanks,
Joe DePippo
February 2nd, 2021 @ 2:17 pm
All of you above….. my heart is bursting! Thank you so much.
I’m going to post high bids between instagram and here at the end of each day, that seems more sane than trying to keep up throughout the day. Joe, you’re currently in the lead!
THANK YOU all so much for your kind words and generosity!
February 2nd, 2021 @ 5:12 pm
Thank you Shreve. It’s all in honor of Charlie and for a great cause so hope it raises a lot of money to support the charity!
February 2nd, 2021 @ 7:30 pm
stunning! what a beautiful technique. i can’t keep up with the bid but made a donation – great campaign!
February 2nd, 2021 @ 8:51 pm
Status update: as of 8:45pm, the highest bid is $555 on instagram. My thanks to ALL of you!!
February 3rd, 2021 @ 3:44 am
I have followed Charlie and you, Shreve, since the very beginning. He has become a part of my life and I will miss seeing your beautiful picture of him and experiencing his life through you. I will bid $750 for this beautiful print.
February 3rd, 2021 @ 6:05 am
Like Lynda, we have followed Charlie since the beginning and also love the cause you are supporting and will up the bid to $800.
The print is stunning! Thank You!
Joe DePippo
February 3rd, 2021 @ 8:02 am
I’m delighted to be outbid, Shreve! I made a donation to Homes for Black Women in place of my bid. I hope this auction continues to raise awareness and funds. Best wishes to everyone in the Greater Shreve Community, lol.
February 3rd, 2021 @ 8:52 am
Same as Joe and Linda j have followed Charlie faithfully. His pictures ,Eli’s, and his buddies and their stories are something that I look forward to every day. I will continue bidding. If I am outbid in the end, I will donate to your cause it is a good cause.j raise the bid to $850.
February 3rd, 2021 @ 1:31 pm
I can’t afford big $$ to bid right now but I just donated directly to the GoFundMe campaign, love the direct action. I’d also love to buy a print in the future if you make more. Love you and the work you bring to the world Shreve.
February 4th, 2021 @ 7:14 am
I didn’t leave a note here yesterday because you literally left me speechless. Holy moly, Lynda, Joe, and Sarin. Thank you so much! I am still speechless… to be continued.
And thank you to all of you who are donating to the campaign (and other great causes we don’t know about) on your own!
Love makes the world go round.
February 8th, 2021 @ 7:40 am
Brilliant idea that reflect’s Charlie’s brilliance! I would like to bid $1,000.00.
Thank you.
February 8th, 2021 @ 8:59 pm
I would like to bid $1500. Fingers crossed!
February 9th, 2021 @ 12:06 pm
This is one of my favorite photos of Charlie!!!! And how wonderful this special photo is!!! Great cause!!! I’m thrilled the bids are so high-out of my range but I will make a donation. Another wonderful way to honor Charlie-the most amazing friend to all of us!!!!!
February 9th, 2021 @ 8:59 pm
For this cause, I would like to bid $1750. We are all connected to Charlie through Shreve.
February 9th, 2021 @ 8:59 pm
Just in case I’m going up to 1575
February 9th, 2021 @ 9:01 pm
OK it’s 9:00 on the nose and Ilona, you are it! SO much love and thanks to ALL of you who participated, donated directly, and just love Charlie! :) Ilona ~ I’m emailing you directly
February 9th, 2021 @ 9:07 pm
Congrats Ilona!
February 10th, 2021 @ 3:31 am
Oh my, congrats. I woke up for a CT scan at 6 am appointment and my work VPN crasheh st 4 pm. I was busy with the helpdesk for hours. I was going to come back and bid last night. I crashed. I woke up at 5.15 and realized that I missed the important deadline. Congrats Fiona again. Thank you, Shreve for the opportunity. I hope there will be more work of Charlie like this so we can cherish them . I will donate to your cause as I mentioned.
February 11th, 2021 @ 10:50 pm
This print of Charlie is magnificent. Thank you for sharing the information about David Michael Kennedy…I learn so much when I’m here. Again, someone I didn’t know about until I dropped by HoneyRockDawn. I spent a couple of hours browsing his site and watching his videos. There are some very special people in this world. He is one and you are another.
Looking forward to more posts from you about your photographic process.
But most importantly, I hope you are OK and your farmily is bolstering your spirit.
Charlie ‘s built in camouflage enabled him to blend with any landscape – gold, wheat, rust and snow and I like to think he’s sweetly everywhere you are but just harder to spot now. Twinkling his eye on you.
I frequent a site called @M_Crouton (on Twitter) – the Squirrelwood Equine Sanctuary and their farmily makes me think of you and yours. Their “Nightly Crouton” (Crouton is a bull) is sublime…all the animals in the barn having a night night treat. I think you would like it. They have horses, pigs, fowl, donkeys and the personalities are off the charts! It all helps the soul.
Thinking of you and know we are here…virtual but still real, keeping you in our thoughts.
xo