Fine Art Photography Comes to Life on the d’Vinci Hi-Fi JET
Stephen Schaub | Pawlet, Vermont
New printing technologies are rapidly changing the way photographers approach their work. Consider, for example, the work of Stephen M. Schaub of Pawlet, Vermont, a Yellowhouse Master Photographer and author of Through a Glass Darkly, a fine art publication featuring 25 of Schaub's haunting and lyrical "neo-Pictorialist" images, several of which have recently been acquired by the Polaroid Collection.
"We are truly in a new age of experimentation," Schaub said. "New technologies enable me, as an artist, to continue the creative process right through to the finished print, adjusting and controlling the color, ink density and tonal gradations throughout the entire printing process. This is very exciting, and we are just scratching the surface of what these technologies can do."
"New technologies enable me, as an artist, to continue the creative process right through to the finished print, adjusting and controlling the color, ink density and tonal gradations throughout the entire printing process. This is very exciting, and we are just scratching the surface of what these technologies can do."
Schaub's body of work, the "Haiku Series," is a limited-edition collection of photographic prints that are more sculptural and textural in nature than any of his previous work. Final 40" x 40" wall prints are offered in an edition of three, as well as an edition of one 75" x 100" (display length 65" - 70") Japanese-style Shoji screen on selected images. In his own words, the "Haiku Series is a visual exploration of unprocessed emotion, with each finished piece existing as a meditation on the emotional energy of the original subject."
Integral to this series is Schaub's d’Vinci Hi-Fi JET Fine Art Printing System, a state-of-the-art 12-color 54"-wide inkjet printer based on Roland's Hi-Fi JET Pro FJ-540 inkjet printer. It features a uniquely formulated 12-color ink set including CMYKOGLcLm inks from Roland and four additional dilutions of black. In particular, the d'Vinci's varying densities of black ink greatly enhance the level of detail in all facets of printing - from the tonal quality to the subtleties within the gray scale.