Ray Carns

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Every day our visual senses are bombarded with thousands of images. Many of these images are blocked out in our discretionary choice of visual input; we see them, yet, we don't see them. Still other images are seen, but not looked at attentively.

I hope to engage the viewer with my images; presenting a bridge between simply seeing the image and engaging with the image on a visual level, while eliciting a response on other levels, as well.

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I learned the basics at Phoenix College where I took Photography 101 through 202 and Color Photography 101 classes in the late 1970s.

While attending Phoenix College, I had two photographs juried into the annual Western Eye Exhibition at Phoenix College. This was the first showing of my work. The juror was Karen Truax. It would be nearly fifteen years later until I would again show my work.

In November 1991 I decided to seriously pursue exhibiting my work. I had spent the in-between years pursuing my photography, searching for a style that would identify my work, experimenting with a number of different approaches, finally coming full circle to a process I had experimented with in college: reticulation.

In December 1991, I saw a brief mention of Artlink, Inc. accepting slides to be juried for acceptance for Mystery Galleries during the upcoming Art Detour in April 1992. The submission deadline was early January. I hurriedly printed twelve photographs from negatives I had reticulated when in college and shot slides of the prints. I submitted the slides and paperwork and waited. This turned out to be my second showing. During the remainder of 1992, my work appeared in five other shows throughout the state. I continue to exhibit in multiple shows each year.

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Reticulation is generally seen as a processing error caused by significant temperature variations in film developing solutions. Reticulation can also be used as a deliberate technique to create images such as the ones I have created.

I begin by exposing and developing black and white film in the normal fashion. After development and drying, each negative is reticulated by immersion in a sodium carbonate solution. The exact reaction is unpredictable and will vary from negative to negative, depending upon such factors as; the type and age of the film, solution strength and temperature.

There are three types of reticulation patterns obtainable; simple, radical, and veiling. Simple reticulation produces a fine pattern in the emulsion. Radical reticulation is an extension of simple reticulation, where the emulsion begins breaking down. Veiling is a further extension, where the emulsion liquifies and disintegrates. Resist material may be added to select areas to prevent reticulation of those areas.

The end result is a manipulated negative from which I make a full-frame, straight print in the normal fashion.

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