How To Create Photograms In The Darkroom Or Outside In The Sun

Posted on February 8, 2012 by Pete Ippel

I have been traveling through my portfolio and documenting my work, here’s how to create images similar to this feather. I highly recommend trying alternative photography processes.

Feather Photogram 4 x 6 inches hand brushed silver gelatin on paper by Pete Ippel

Substrate: I used cold press acid-free watercolor paper
Chemistry: Liquid Light http://www.rockaloid.com/products.html

For the meticulous folk with professional darkroom access

Coat the paper with Liquid Light in a dark room using a nylon brush, they’re easier to clean.
Let the paper dry completely.
Place the object on the paper
Expose to a light with appropriate time (check the Liquid Light box for details)
Develop using standard developer and fixer baths.

If you’re feeling frisky and want to put some of the process to chance:

Coat the paper in the pitch black at home
Let it dry
Place paper in an opaque bag with the object sitting on the paper and walk outside
Pull the paper with the object on top out of the bag and place it in the sun. Count a few seconds, and go develop it according to the instructions on the bottle.

If you get a black piece of paper with no image, shorten the time in the sun
*repeat

Photographic Insight Into The Hypermodern Studio 2002

Posted on January 26, 2012 by Pete Ippel

I was finishing up my thesis at Cornell University and taking double loads of classes in art and cognitive psychology in addition to Spanish. Note the lightsaber, Motorola v200 (Awesome for texting, but the speaker broke 3 times and I swapped out for Nokia 3660 the first camera phone in the US) and various cords and a gigantor thermal wax printer (which I still own).

Enjoy the ten-year Wayback Machine, with a surprise popup of Pete Ippel 2002…and yes all the images were shot with a Sony Mavica 640×480 px and written to a 3.5″ floppy disk.

So this is where the magic happened…lots of Mt. Dew Code Red, sleeping under my desk with a blanket and the computer fan blowing hot air on me to stay warm…then waking up to go to drawing class at 9am, grabbing a strawberry Pop-Tart on the way…

Thank you goes to all my friends and collaborators who provided wonderful support and helped me finish my Thesis “Priorities” on time.

Pete Ippel "Blue Room" Studio - The birthplace of Hypermodern Art, Cornell University

2 Lightsabers, Lappy, CAT5 cable, Motorola v200, and a Spanish Book...Typical

2 Lightsabers, Lappy, CAT5 cable, and a Spanish Book...Typical Studio Equipent

Pete Ippel in "Blue Room" studio 2002, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York

Tectronix 300i Thermal Wax Printer, Macintosh, 2 servers, and a IBM Pentium 95, and the first computer I ever owned: the Compaq 1535 DM

2002, running Windows 98, this was right before I first installed Redhat Linux...

Visiting The Museum Of Jurassic Technology

Posted on January 14, 2012 by Pete Ippel

I read Mr. Wilson’s Cabinet Of Wonder: Pronged Ants, Horned Humans, Mice on Toast, and Other Marvels of Jurassic Technology while enrolled in the San Francisco Art Institute New Genres Masters Program back in 2003, and today I finally had the opportunity to check out MJT in person. I particularly enjoyed the motorized rotating bell wheel installed on the first floor. Take a listen: Ambient Sound From the Museum of Jurassic Technology, Culver City, California

Tea garden on the roof of The Museum of Jurassic Technology, Culver City, California

I also enjoyed sipping on hot tea with lemon and sugar while contemplating the view from the roof. The babbling fountain and the bird cages integrated into the columbarium are very appropriate touches.

I highly recommend checking out this hidden bastion of conceptual art especially if you appreciate detail, like reading, have an active imagination and a penchant for steam-punkery, even before it was cool. For more information contact The Museum of Jurassic Technology.

Hypermodern Audio: Ten Year Anniversary Of Something Fantastic

Posted on January 13, 2012 by Pete Ippel

Enjoy the hot cut from the floor of the Blue Room, 2002
Cynical and DJZN Live – Fantastic Cutting and scratching with no slide mixer on my side…Yea I’m the platinum blonde…it’s a down-tempo jam with a ton of layers and a lot of back cueing with a knob, turntables run through analog guitar pedals…enjoy. For more sonic delights check out the audio section of Hypermodern.net

DJZN AKA (Pete Ippel) and Cynical (Ryan Schmidt) Mixing in the Blue Room, Cornell University Tjaden Hall, 2002

DJZN AKA (Pete Ippel) and Cynical (Ryan Schmidt) Mixing in the Blue Room, 2002

Captured In The Moment of Creative Synchronicity: Successful Portfolio Crate Built With Repurposed Materials

Posted on January 8, 2012 by Pete Ippel

Last night at the suggestion of my father I made a call to a mutual friend who is a professional video maker, set maker, and expert woodworker. The two men have worked together on countless sets/costumes for Momenta, the resident company of The Academy Of Movement and Music.

Shipping Portfolio Crate Made of Repurposed Materials

We succeeded in making an art crate out of the following

1.) 12′ x 6″ x 1″ poplar plank bought at the store
2.) 3′ x 6″ x 1″ off cut in a garage that was scrap
3.) 1 sheet of reused Styrofoam insulation from an old set
4.) Lots of wood screws
5.) Pneumatic nail gun and tacks
6.) 1/4″ Wood paneling repurposed from my dad’s flooded basement that flapped on the rack like a basketball being dribbled on the roof while we drove
7.) 1/4″ Carved Luan sheet that was a key block for one of the prints I was shipping inside the crate
8.) Gorilla Glue

I watched the two of these men collaborate and zip out a awesome crate in about an hour – closed packed and ready to ship, complete with nylon webbing handles.

I just kept the garage clean, swept up, and watched the magic. True teamwork, not much talking, a few jokes, and a bunch of sawdust.

Afterwards we sat down and watched the season in review in the basement…a fantastic evening of creaive synchronicity.

Moving Backwards and Forwards In Time: Perceptions Of A Son

Posted on January 5, 2012 by Pete Ippel

Today I spent the afternoon in the dance school where I grew up with creative movement. My father still leads his class, as he did back when I was a boy. This is the second time in the last twelve months I have had the opportunity to watch and participate in the creative process with the person who is the greatest male artistic influence in my life.

He learns while teaching, being an expert, and a child…all at the same time.

My Art Is The Opposite Of The Broken Antique lamp That Your Grandma Gave You

Posted on January 3, 2012 by Pete Ippel

I want to bring you the ultimate satisfaction so that when you see my art in your home you are filled with energy. The way I explained it to a friend the other day is that my art is the opposite of the broken antique lamp that your grandma gave you…

Every time you walk past that thing you never know if you should throw it out or get it fixed, but you don’t know where to get it fixed, and it’s never high enough on the priority list, so it just sits there – unused – collecting dust and occupying a space in your home and your mind.

Art is freedom, when you walk past or think about a piece you are nourished by its energy surplus. You know who put in the effort and the piece resonates with your core. It’s something to share with your family, your friends, and you have a close personal relationship with the artist. I have a vast portfolio of completed art pieces that I am sharing for your enjoyment. In addition, I am dedicated to collaborating with you to produce the ultimate custom creation.

Everyone deserves to have excess energy in their home, and I’m happy to cooperate with you to attain it. Come by the studio, and see the art in person, and if not check it out on line. As my dear friend and artist Jacquelyn Strycker said on her blog post about the recent record setting Picasso sale “if you have a hundred million or so to spend on art, or even if you have significantly less, consider making a culturally significant, yet economically and societally responsible purchase” by supporting local and emerging artists.

Hypermodern

I make art and share.

Category Archives: Art