Three photomontages. I made #1 on an OCD whim in 2017. I tried many other combinations of elements and overall compositions, based on a somewhat instinctual approach illuminated by Jerry Uelesmann at a workshop years ago. Going through decades of images for potential elements to combine, from phone images to large format film scans, was a monumental task to start with. I wound up discarding all but two possible combinations, returning to them and completing finally in 2021. Without getting too literal about it, I had certain formal ideas, and content combination thoughts, loosely consistent in all three.

The elements are composed and combined using spot channels assigned to different Cone Piezography ink hues- think printmaking, not photo printing. Therefore, compositional subject elements vary in hue and value on different parts of the paper rather than combining to a consistent hue range as a photographic print might. Composing as spot channels in Photoshop, and printing on yet another uncoated fine art paper presented additional challenges, throwing strict previsualization to the wind is helpful.

Full 22 x 30″ deckled sheets of Arches Cold Press Watercolor paper. I made a set of A/Ps for myself, then an edition of 3 each. Outdated versions of Photoshop and StudioPrint RIP were required to complete this, so done is done!