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As they were spewing out of the service bureau, I was thinking – so this is it eh? The process was all so professional and, I am guessing, so 21st century artist. I would try to drop the file off on Wednesday, look at the proof on Thursday and lo and behold the next Wednesday when I was ready to drop off another file a print would be ready.

I became so bold as to drop off two at a time and so obsessed with the cost checked and doubled checked the file so that only one print had to be done again.

I don’t think I would ever do this again though. I am pleased with the way the snaps look, particularly pleased with the spotting and smoothing the water in Pete’s at night that was ruined making platinotypes – and due to when it was made didn’t make a duplicate.

Since size matters, those who have seen them are impressed and this isn’t a tirade against things big, it was simply not satisfying.

I cannot see why this method of working is any different than waiting for the snaps to come back from one-hour photo lab at the Dominion. It is more money but in essence it is still the same passive way of working.

I am fully aware that in current art practice – seeming detached and farming out all unnecessary work is de rigueur. I reckon that I don’t see as the actual craft of making the snap as unnecessary.

It has nothing to do with proving my skill, or making the image mine as in the end these arguments are only valid for those who nothing else to argue about. It is about my practice how I want to make my work and this simply isn’t this.

This was a compromise – the wgas eschewing anything that would look retro and knowing that the future is digital. The mural room became the mural closet that was too small to do what I wanted.

I thought that I should practice what preach and not hate the hands off approach in ignorance. In truth handing things off is easier and printing digitally is significantly easier. Work on a file when it is ready print ad nauseum. Dust is a one time problem as is nay negative flaw once it is fixed it is fixed. it isn’t faster but it is easier.

Topping this was the cost factor - 22 prints that will be seen by maybe 100 people at a cost of $70/print. For the price of one print I could make 45 of my livrinhos of 17 snaps and send them out. 990 livrinhos for the same price. If what one does has something to do with communication rather than covering gallery walls, this exercise seems to be a big misstep.

But – even though I get off the point it is not about that, it is about me, it is about me feeling as I have been a bit more enlightened when I finished the work. To me the passivity of making work this way gained me nothing in fact my life carried on while the work was being made. Heading into the darkroom where I can do nothing else but listen to Paul Kennedy go on and on about he being Paul Kennedy and this is Ideas, on the radio, I am forced to either think and or concentrate on that snap coming up and thinking if it is really worth it. it is a forced 5 minutes with that image and realising what may have to be done, honestly assessing whether I want to continue. I have missed that and now that this exercise is over can go back to it.