Handmade Wild Horse FIne Art GALLERY

Hi, my name is Tim Layton.

I am a wild horse conservation photographer.

I am on a mission to defend Missouri’s wild horses by protecting their freedom, preserving their habitat, and raising awareness.

My vision is eternal freedom, protection, and preserving Missouri’s wild horses for current and future generations.

I am documenting the story of Missouri’s wild horses so they won’t be forgotten or pushed to the background in our busy world. I believe the more people know about the Wild Horses of Shannon County, Missouri, the better chance they have to survive in the future because we know that people protect what they love..

My handmade wild horse kallitype palladium-toned prints are 8×10 (5×7 image on 8×10 paper) mounted on a custom-cut 11×14 4-ply white mat board. Your new artwork arrives ready to hand on the wall using a standard 11×14 frame.

All proceeds from artwork sales get used for my continued efforts to document the horses’ stories for current and future generations.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

My handmade kallitype palladium-toned wild horse collection is a special collection of handmade original artwork made using 19th-century chemistry and analog methods.

I use the finest quality materials available and follow a proven archival workflow to ensure the artwork lasts for generations.

The chemistry of a kallitype can be traced back to John Herschel in 1842. It wasn’t until 1889 when Dr. Nichol patented the kallitype process, and this is the method that I follow to make my handmade wild horse prints.

The first step in the process is to make a handmade paper negative. I photograph the wild horses with a 35mm camera, and because the kallitype process requires a negative the same size as the print, I have to make an enlarged paper negative in the darkroom from the original film. The process takes a full day, and then I need to flatten the paper negative before proceeding with the rest of the workflow.

Next, I select a cotton rag archival paper that aligns with my artistic narrative. I hand coat a mixture of a light-sensitive ferric oxalate and silver nitrate solution and use a brush to hand coat the paper.

Papers such as Arches Platine, Hahnemuhle Platinum Rag, Bergger COT, Platinum Revere, and Rives BFK are papers that I frequently use. Each paper has its own unique characteristics, and I match the paper with my creative vision when making each print.

I sandwich my analog paper negative that I made in direct contact with the sensitized paper and expose the combination to ultraviolet light.

After exposure, I use a custom mixed chemical developer and a series of clearing, precious metal toning (platinum, palladium, gold), fixing, and washing baths to process the hand print following archival standards.

The chemical-based processing removes the unnecessary light-sensitive by-products from the fibers of the paper and makes it light-safe and permanent.

The precious metal palladium toning makes the kallitype permanent because palladium is impervious to atmospheric elements known to cause the deterioration of artwork. Based on over two thousand years of history, we know that when properly cared for, cotton rag paper continues to be in excellent condition.

LIFECYCLE OF A handmade KALLITYPE Print

You can watch the kallitype transform throughout the process in the images below. You can never correctly judge and adjust a kallitype until it fully dries. I let my prints dry overnight and evaluate them the next day.

STEP 1 – Select a fine art suitable paper of choice. In this example, this is Platinum Revere paper.

STEP 2 – Mix the sensitizer (ferric oxalate and silver nitrate), plus any additives, and hand coat the paper.

STEP 3 – After the sensitized paper is fully dry, sandwich your negative on top of the paper and expose with UV light.

STEP 4 – After the sensitized paper is exposed for the proper time, it needs to be developed to convert the image to metallic silver.

STEP 5 – I developed this print by using sodium citrate with potassium dichromate. Many different developers and additives can achieve a wide range of colors. I wanted a rich, warm-tone print, so I used the sodium citrate developer.

STEP 6 – After going through the clearing bath stage, the print changes again.

STEP 7 – After clearing, the print is toned with a precious metal such as palladium, platinum, gold, or a combination of them to convert the metallic silver to an archival precious metal print. As you can see, the print transforms through each step in the process.

STEP 8 – Next, the print goes through a series of fixing baths to stabilize the image. It continues to transform.

STEP 9 – The print goes through a hypo-clearing bath of sodium sulfite to help with the archival permanence.

STEP 10 – The print is washed for 60 minutes before hanging on a line to wick excess water off it before laying it face up on a drying screen for 24 hours.

This is the final dried-down print.