Finding Beauty Through Handmade Photography: The Gilded Vellum Series
Kevin Black Photographer & Printmaker
Since 1976, I have been a professional photographer. Upon graduation from Rochester Institute of Technology with a degree in studio photography I worked in advertising. After decades of producing advertising and packaging photography for national and international brands, I moved to New Mexico. It is here that I began to find myself drawn to more personal, fine art work. Initially, I learned the tintype process. The aesthetic of this medium continues to speak to me. This is where my alternative photographic process journey began. Since then, I have added cyanotype, gum bichromate, kallitype, photopolymer gravure and platinum/palladium methods of working and seeing. I liken my addiction to any other. Once you start, you want more. Oh, yes, added Calvin Grier’s non-toxic PMF methods and RA-4 reversal too. Workshops are my favorite way of learning. Occasionally, I get to teach some as well!
A few years ago I was drawn to gilding photographs, especially vellums and thin Japanese papers from seeing various works by fellow artists such as Kate Breakey and Dan Burkholder. Those shimmering tones and the radiant warm light both in and on the photographic art, draws me in.
I learned the gilding vellum process and wanted more. My research and experimentations led me to my current process refinements. I needed to make the gilded works archival, sustainable, as easy as possible and scalable to any size I wanted.
Finding Beauty Through Handmade Photography: The Gilded Vellum Series
As an artist, I find beauty in the world around me. My artistic journey is deeply tied to nature: I’m a lifelong gardener, hiker, and photographer. These passions come together in my work, where I combine a love for the outdoors with a hands-on approach to photography, creating pieces that reflect both the richness of the natural world and the timeless techniques that photography was built upon.
The photographs I create are handmade using alternative photographic processes—methods that pioneered in the early days of photography. These processes allow me to connect with the past and embrace the craft of photography.
My newest work, is inspired by the long history of gilding in art—a practice used to reflect a connection to a higher power or to symbolize something precious and fleeting. In my work, gold gilding is more than just an aesthetic choice; it reflects the fleeting, sacred beauty of nature at its peak—at the “Golden Hour.”
Creating these photographs is a deeply tactile process that begins long before the camera is even lifted. Growing my own flowers allows me to form a personal bond with the subject matter, ensuring that each plant is treated with care. The connection to the land and the act of nurturing life in my garden grounds my work and gives me a profound sense of purpose.
Most of my photographs are taken in a studio that faces the Sandia Mountains in New Mexico. The sunrise here is something extraordinary—soft, golden light spills over the mountains and bathes the plants I’ve cut in the early morning hours. I set up my camera and work with the natural light, capturing the essence of the plants and flowers in their most delicate state.
In today’s digital world, where photos are often taken with a click and shared in seconds, there’s something deeply meaningful about taking the time to create a photograph by hand. The process itself—growing the plants, harvesting them, printing the images —adds layers of meaning and authenticity to each piece. This is art that is made with intention, with patience, and with a deep respect for the natural world.
Using alternative processes is my way of paying homage to the history of photography, to the artists who came before me, and to the magic of the natural world. In a world where instant gratification often overshadows the beauty of slow, intentional work, I find great joy in creating something that takes time and care. My hope is that when you see my work, you feel a connection—not just to the image itself, but to the process that went into making it.
The gilded images lend themselves to a number of subjects. Although most of what I print are the plants and flowers from the garden and from hikes in the high desert, people portraits are also fun and outstanding. I think that gilding lends a subtle historical and religious connection, even though I do not utilize a halo motif in the work (yet). Some images start as tintypes or ambrotypes, then I scan them to later print as gilded vellums. I love the process of using a combination of historic, hands on processes and digital workflows. It is exciting to work in the 19th Century and the 21st Century in the same day. Like anything else, finding what you think works for you and your art is always a journey.
For the most part, I print directly on vellums using my Epson SureColor P7000 or Epson SureColor P600. Then using a number of steps I can gild these prints in a day. In fact, sometimes I have a show that needs a number of prints and can now produce and frame about 20 in in a week. The garden is always producing something new and amazing, so there is ample inspiration available. The light in New Mexico is killer too.
One issue I find with alternative process prints and work is that viewing them is best done in person. The internet is fine for sharing information and showing images, but have you ever seen a beautifully crafted silver gelatin or platinum print that takes your breath away? The same is true for these gilded prints. They need to be experienced in person. Even changing light and the angle of view brings something new to see. Another dimension of this work is that the prints actually kick reflected light back to the room and viewer. Given the right light, they can create their own Golden Hour effect if grouped in the right light. Yes, using silver, copper, Dutch Gold and imitation silver works the same way as well.
As you can imagine, there are many papers to gild. Although I began with vellums on inkjet printers, I have successfully used teabag papers, many think Japanese papers-almost any thin paper can work. Additionally, I have made platinum/palladium prints, kallitypes, cyanotypes on these papers and then gilded them. A few years ago, I was inspired to try to enter the Awagami MiniPrint call for entry. Now, that was a stretch for me. I submitted 2 prints. One using their inkjet media in color and another using a kozo paper made with Kallitype. I gilded both and submitted them. One won an award! Not a top award, but recognition anyway. You know that excitement when you get a win after stretching a bit?
This event and the fact that I began showing and selling gilded work keeps me excited almost every day, playing with variations of the process. Being able to sell the work readily keeps the addiction going too!
One future process I want to further is making and gilding images on glass and acrylic. These images virtually do not need any direct light on them. They glow from across the room with minimal room light. I found a company that makes prints on glass. Their prints are wonderful and they are kind enough to suffer the small jobs I occasionally bring them. Their printer is about the same footprint of my house and about $85000.00. Well beyond my capabilities! I have a few in house printing techniques for glass that I am currently refining.
On another front, I have two friends who came over to the studio the other day and showed me a mounting and framing process that I will begin refining that shows promise in making the thin paper prints glow not utilizing traditional framing techniques. It is not ready for prime time yet, but soon!
In this creative journey I have spent a ton of hours and thousands of dollars experimenting with techniques and materials in gilding photographs. I do offer workshops locally in New Mexico and have taught folks via Zoom successfully. Now I can offer an online course where artists can work at their own pace. The course is complete with comprehensive videos, downloadable PDF files, resources and supplier lists to make that learning easy. Although I would like people to visit New Mexico, I realize that is impractical for many. It also opens up this workshop to artists internationally.
See work: www.blackinc.net
Social: https://www.instagram.com/kevinblack/
Workshop: https://blackinc.net/gilded-vellum-course