Professor David Armstrong recently hosted a photogravure workshop at the Department of Visual Art and Art History’s Print Media Studios (May 20-23). Photogravure, a 19th C. hybrid photo/printmaking process, has seen a resurgence in recent years and has been part of the focus of his 4 year Canada Council Grant, (After Images, 2012-16), exploring a hybrid of historical and contemporary printmaking, photography, and digital imaging techniques. For the last two decades David has focused on the relation between image, things, and material temporality through the manipulation of material and light (photograms) and photo-based printmaking.

Participating in the workshop were VAAH graduate students Andrew Testa and Tim Laurin, alongside David, and a leading practitioner in the field, Paul Taylor, founder of Renaissance Press (USA). Paul provided an expertise based on 30 years of experience at Renaissance Press which has focused on the art of photogravure and alternative print/photography processes, publishing prints with such recognized artists as Sally Mann, Robert Adams, William Anastasi, Aaron Siskind, amoung others.

The workshop was both intense and rewarding, and the participants look forward to the artwork that will grow out of this experience.