6 Years Ago!

Gosh 6 years ago, before the darkroom trailer was scared with silver nitrate and other stains! The ice fishing tent is also for wet plate work, only used it a few times.

Beauty Emiily Carr Book

Got me a beauty Emily Carr book today, All her collected writing. She was such a talented painter and author! I have always found her work very inspiring. Her forest scenes have been a direct influence on the Ambrotypes of forest scenes for the Ambrotos Kanata project.

The book cost $2.25 CAD at the thrift shop but retails at $40!

Tying Down the Large Black Trays!!

I keep trying to streamline and lock down all the moving parts in the darkroom trailer. Its an ongoing battle. Here is how I am currently doing the large trays. Having some carpentry skills (boxes and table tops) is helping things a bit!

First trays to use.

Extra trays to use, you can never have enough of these babies!

New 6V Batteries for Fanny the Motor Home

Got 2 new 6v batteries for the motor home Fanny. The old ones were all used up and would not hold a charge. Cost was $480 CAD, got a $40 rebate on the old batteries.

The motor home has 4 batteries. A 12v motor/ignition battery, a 12 volt  in RV underneath box (2nd ignition battery? and generator starter battery). 2 6volt RV interior power batteries combined to create 12volt.

These batteries will help with longer boon-docking in remote locals while shooting AMBROTOS KANATA. 

The complicated battery wire hookup. I need to do a better job marking what wire goes where!

New Inverter Installed in Fanny

Put a new 2000 watt inverter in Fanny the motor home. The inverter changes battery DC power to AC power. It will create a backup power source in the RV and allow higher wattage items like a toaster or other appliances, while boon docking (no AC plug in). Cost $180, glad I got it working.

The inverter will help with longer boon-docking in remote locals while shooting AMBROTOS KANATA.  

2000w inverter placed behind the driver seat in the RV Fanny

Big Wet Plate Order

Spent a bunch of money on AMBROTOS KANATA today, feel a bit bad about it, but it needed to be done. 200 grams of Silver nitrate and 2 litres of USP Collodion purchased. I have lots of Silver Nitrate but with the $72 in FED EX shipping costs I decided to order some more. The shipping cost remained the same with no silver or with 200 grams.

Total cost $1064 CAD, at lot of money when your retired and unemployed. I hope I can sell some plates this year to offset costs somewhat.

Mixed Up Some New Collodion

Mixed up 2000ml of fresh Gerry Collodion Have some very old stuff which I will try to use but the new mix is more likely to work well. 

Note* The collodion turned orange/red fast, no yellow stage. That is probably because the USP Collodion is older. It should still be OK to use, but likely slower. I will order more USP Collodion.

Cadmium Bromide is Carcinogenic, so I wear the ventilator just to be safe.

Washing Glass, 11x14 and 14x14 Inch

The darkroom trailer is a wonderful working space. There is a peace here, free from distractions. I have a heater, lights , running water and cd player. Doing some glass cleaning tonight, while listening to some old films. 

Hopefully I can make some Ambrotypes on Friday!

Using the glass carrying boxes I made last year

Best Book Buy During Short Calgary Trip

17 Thrift Store book buys today. Best book is this wonderfully inspiring Claude Monet book. It was the last book of a long and tiring day (buses, 2 restaurants and 5 thrift shops, while lugging bags, a backpack and a cart). Sometimes an extra effort when your tired is rewarded!!! It will inspire me to make Ambrotypes. Got it free off points.

Best value was 6 books for 33cents a piece. Got a Obama, Aids in Africa, Lincoln, Berthe Morisot, Fish, Taliban books for $2.

GOTTA LOVE BOOKS!!

 

Note * ended up with 19, new/used books.

 

Love My Freddy

Working on. Freddy my wet plate trailer. Silver in, chemistry n, water in. painted counter done. Cleaning and remaining things I do not need to carry. Charging all batteries (4 lead acids).

Working on Freddy!

First Day, 2 Flat Tires!!! on Fanny

Unlucky start! Got a flat tire, inner dually drivers side. Waiting on AMA to come and change  the tire. Will need to go get the tire repaired after. Bad luck screwing up the first day. Losing 4-5 hour on this.

Update. AMA DOES NOT CHANGE DUALLY INNER TIRES. WE WILL HAVE TO GET THE ENTIRE MOTORHOME TOWED TO A TIRE SHOP IN WETASKIWIN THEN REPAIRED THERE.

Big operation towing Fanny our class C motorhome.  Big tractor trailer truck plus a big tow truck and a 3/4 ton truck. 3 men, 3 large trucks. Just to take her to there repair shop 17 km away!!

They did a good job, very knowledgeable men in the field and at the Fountain Tire Shop. It took around 5 hours and cost $405 for the tire work, AMA covered the tow. 

One tire (inner dually) had a 10 inch gash in the tread, tire needed replacing, the second tire (outer dually) had a leaking stem valve, repaired. 

Overall the guys did a great job, thanks.

Fanny loaded on a semi truck trailer with b2 flat tires

Motor Home Fanny Getting Ready

"Fanny" the motor home is getting ready for the road. Doing cleaning, adding batteries, water and even did some painting! Cleaned up a wall that had silver nitrate stains on it, a new coat of paint helps make things look cleaner. 

Also removed a bunch of stuff, mostly books, that were not required. Took the new cat SingSing for a look see in Fanny as well. She seems to handle the noise of the diesel engine better than Dimsum the male cat.

Hoping to take a 2 day trip to Calgary to test everything soon. Will travel without the darkroom trailer. Later on when the trailer "Freddy" is ready, will take both "Freddy and Fanny" out to make photos for the wet plate ambrotype project AMBROTOS KANATA. Hoping to do my first British Columbia photo making trip then.

Painted wall

Cleanup in progress

Attempting to Paint Darkroom Trailer Counter Top

Decided to paint my counter top (after sanding), in the wet plate darkroom trailer. The stains from Silver Nitrate were very bad, and anytime you touched the counter some of the black filth followed you. I decided to try a paint job. I got some old paint from the basement and did 2 coats, will do 1 more tomorrow.

Not sure this will work but it seems better so far. 

Note* I also did a bit of painting on one wall in Fanny the motor home, covering up some silver night stains there as well. Silver nitrate is NASTY, it gets on everything.

Paint attempt, second coat!

Freddy and Fanny Back to Life!

Getting the motor home FANNY ready for the AMBROTTPE making season. Working on the darkroom trailer FREDDY this week as well!

Tarps off, batteries in!!!!

 

Link: 2 AMBROTYPES of the Plant Rejected

The 2 Ambrotypes I wrote of early were rejected by the Strathcona Art People. I was told that because I did not live in the region I did not qualify. Never mind that I worked over 30 years in the region and the facility was an integral part of the community. 

Nothing says art and the search for art like RULES RULES RULES. These people need to bend a few RULES to have a collection of art that really matters. As the Thais say "Up to Them!!"

This is the second rejection for this work. I guess it is not as strong as I feel. At least in the eyes of the art folk making the buying decisions.

 Link To Ambros offered for sale

2 Ambrotype Works Offered for Sale

Applied for this sale of work awhile back. Should know by May if they will buy anything .

Two works submitted. Any sale money earned would be used to buy Silver Nitrate for the AMBROTOS KANATA project. Here’s hoping the work is bought for the Strathcona Public Collection.

Petrochemical Plant 14x14 inch Ambrotype, $1000 CAD

Petrochemical Plant Boiler Stack 11x14 inch Ambrotype, $800 CAD

Making of Ambrotype imagery

From the Strathcona Curator of Public Art

——————

Dear Gerry,

Thank you for submitting your work to the 2026 Art Acquisition Program. We sincerely appreciate the time, care, and generosity involved in sharing your artwork with us. The quality and diversity of submissions make this year’s program especially engaging to review.

Artists selected for acquisition will be notified in May 2026, with final purchases subject to Strathcona County Council approval in June 2026.

We are grateful for your interest in the program and for contributing to the richness of contemporary artistic practice in our community. Whether or not your work is selected this year, we encourage you to continue applying to future opportunities with Strathcona County.

Thank you again for your submission and for sharing your work with us.

Warm regards,

K…. ……
Curator, Public Art
Strathcona County

Vinegar Buy

 

Wetplate trailer opening soon! Got my supply of diluted Glacial Acetic Acid (White Vinegar) Will use it to make developer!! $3.59 CAD (50 cents off a bottle)!!

Developer Formula

1000 ml Vinegar

20 ml Bio Ethanol

30 gr Iron

40 gr Sugar

New Card

 

Got my new photo cards. They look good. 250 for $50+ CAD. Might order more from this company. Photo is of Khun Nit, THE PEOPLE WHO LIVE UNDER THE FREEWAY. Am glad I have some nice cards for the talks.

 

Like the QR code on the back. It makes everything easier. Takes you directly to the website.

 

Picked Up a Safety Vest

Picked up a Safety vest for $5 at a thrift store sale (closing out). I will wear it when making Ambrotypes and near any roadway or other dangers.  It is heavy duty, well made.

Safety First!!!

My $5 safety vest

New Photo Card

Ordered a new photo card today. Got 250 cards for $41 CAD, plus shipping and tax. Probably do not need 250 cards but 100 cost 33, so for $8 more I thought it was worth it. I can hand these things out in mass bushels! 5 to a customer!

I will have them for the two coming photography talks and can also hand them out when using the trailer when making Ambrotypes. The 2 blogs, the website and an email address are all on the card. 

Note* Khun Nit, the old man who has passed away in the slum, from THE PEOPLE WHO LIVE UNDER THE FREEWAY is the pic.

Note** There is also a QR code on the back, which is a first. The code leads to my main web page. 

 

Video: My Lovely 14x14 Inch Chamonix Camera

The Importance of John Thomson in Asia

John Thomson was such a strong and important photographer in Asia at this time, 1866. I have never seen this work before, from a wet plate collodion negative. Shooting wet plate in that heat must have been extremely difficult.

A wonderful book, picked up for $10 CAD