Process

Michael Barnard has been creating artworks in the mediums of film, painting, constructed objects and photographic images for over thirty years. His works are found in collections across the U.S. and Europe and his films have won numerous awards.

Photofields is a unique photographic form created by Michael Barnard that allows a new dimension of aesthetic formalism and expressiveness. Technically speaking, these works are highly permanent and will withstand diverse sorts of environmental impact unusually well.

Barnard has been building an archive of diverse images from around the world and it is from these images that the final Photofield works emerge.

The artistic process Barnard uses to create these Photofields is a combination of traditional film/digital image acquisition using digital printing techniques. The images are physically cut and painstakingly fitted together to create unique montage images. These compositions are sometimes created quite quickly from a pre-conceived concept, but can also take years to evolve into their final form.

Individual photographic prints (printed digitally using archival pigmented ink/paper technology which ensures stable print life of up to 250 years) are precisely trimmed and mounted on panels of aluminum or aluminum/composite honeycomb. The mounting process utilizes a special technique where the images are coated with an ultra-thin plastic material that requires special heat and pressure-application techniques. Aside from giving the finished work a pleasing surface, this coating offers powerful UV radiation suppression combined with robust physical protection from the elements.

The aluminum panels are backed with a wooden frame, which adds additional structural strength. This wooden frame also allows the finished Photofield to float about 1” off the wall. Photofields can be hung either singly or in groups. Sizes of a single Photofield can go up to 44” x 120”.