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| Selections from Bob Cornelis's Carta I & II installed at photo-eye Gallery |
photo-eye Gallery is excited to have selections from Bob Cornelis's Carta I and Carta II series on view along side our current exhibition of Cig Harvey's Gardening at Night, up through June 4th, 2016. Originally introduced on the Photographer's Showcase last June, this is the first time photo-eye Gallery has exhibited Cornelis's exquisite platinum/palladium prints here in Santa Fe. A professional fine art printer by trade, Cornelis is obsessed with paper, and through the Carta series, the artist creates formal abstractions utilizing the material as both subject and substrate. photo-eye asked Cornelis to detail the inspiration behind, and process of creating, a few of the images currently installed at photo-eye Gallery.
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| Carta II A – © Bob Cornelis |
"My Carta series began like art projects often do, inspired by the everyday in our lives. In my career as a master fine art printer, I have always been surrounded by paper. We typically think of paper as simply a substrate for images or text, but I am referring to the scraps of paper of all shapes and sizes that are trimmed and discarded.
One day I looked down and noticed that these irregular pieces that randomly fell to the floor assumed a kind of beauty all their own. I took these remnants, added some pieces of my own and through a combination of accidental and arranged placement, began exploring.
To date I have created four distinct variation on the Carta theme, two of which are represented below.
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| Carta I A – © Bob Cornelis |
Carta I A was one of my first successful pieces in the series, emphasizing the organic potential of simple white paper carefully lit and arranged in a non-representational manner. My initial efforts focused on curved shapes that expose a dynamic sensuality. In abstract work, the challenge is to find the right combination of shapes, both familiar and unexpected, composed with a sense of balance and tension. The result reveals its own architecture of form, space and ambience.
Early on I decided I would print these images in a small size using platinum/palladium, one of the few processes capable of capturing the entire tonal range of these subtle planes of light and shadow. And I wanted the print to be seen as an object rather than simply a reproduction.
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| Carta I Q – © Bob Cornelis |
Some images, like Carta I Q take on a more sculptural 3-dimensional look. I want the viewer to feel as if this is an object that would be heavy in his or her hand, though — in fact — it is created with the thinnest of materials. I accomplished this through the careful placement of lighting and curvature of paper surfaces. The addition of different geometric shapes and juxtaposition of linear and curved edges adds to the sense of an object occupying space.
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| Carta II B – © Bob Cornelis |
The second variation of the Carta series makes use of very thin strips of paper rather than larger pieces that allow the use of plane and contour. Images like Carta II B, relying just on line and light, create a spare design that evokes the glow of neon and is reminiscent of the Art Deco style. The use of large amounts of negative space makes the placement of the paper more critical. I discovered that the combination of a more random placement (sometimes achieved by just dropping the strips on the ground) and a carefully composed design could create a pleasing and strongly graphical image.
The greatest challenge and yet the greatest reward of a project like Carta is the seemingly infinite possibilities it presents, limited only by and solely dependent upon my imagination. The opportunity for more broadly sharing my personal vision motivates me to continue exploring what paper and light can reveal."
— Bob Cornelis
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| Cornelis sorting digital negatives in his studio |
Read the interview with Bob Cornelis
Exquisite handmade Platinum/Palladium prints from Carta I and Carta II are available in small editions of 10 from photo-eye Gallery, and are 6x6" in size.
For additional information, and to purchase prints, please contact Gallery Director Anne Kelly at 505.988.5152 x 121 or anne@photoeye.com.