Exhibition: Precious Landscapes – Stuart Clook

Precious Landscapes celebrate the iconic and anonymous landscape through handmade platinum, cyanotype and gum bichromate prints on cotton rag paper and vellum.

Stuart Clook uses the subtle tonal range, luminosity and inherent permanence of these processes to communicate the extraordinary beauty and drama of the landscape that he sees.  Stuart’s goal is to inspire those who see his work to look more carefully at the world to discover beauty in the familiar and in the lesser known places around us.

Gold Street Studios Gallery. Trentham East Victoria. Until 27 October 2019

‘My photography and print making is influenced by the pictoralists and tonalist movements of the late 19th century where I use contemporary materials to make landscape prints of platinum, cyanotype and gumbichromate in muted colours of dreamy and painterly imagery. These historical processes renowned for their subtle tonal range, luminosity and inherent permanence are labour and time intensive yet rewarding and addictive with endless creative possibilities that help me use the full photographic syntax to make prints with personality that will stand the test of time.  

Like a small but growing number of photographers I’m exploring analogue and alternative photographic processes to help me express my thoughts and feelings about the land that we live, work and play in. These processes help me make my prints in a uniquely personal way and where I can use my hands in today’s digital and machine centric world. 

I love the fact that the outcome is not guaranteed and that sometimes serendipity can play her part in making for a truly unique and handmade photographic print.

My goal is to inspire those who see my work to look more carefully around them and to discover how precious our world is.’ Stuart Clook.

Photograph above: Icy Grasp. Platinum palladium on vellum over silver leaf. 52.5 x 42.5 cm. Stuart Clook.