FINALLY A Dry Ambrotype!!

 I have been thinking a lot about ambrotypes since the successful look of the varnish/acrylic backing paint (VARAP) combo. It is calming and rewarding to finally have my first dry ambrotype. The image is not perfect but it is of a quality near what I hope the eventual ULF plates will be. 

I have probably invested over $70 000 CAD in the AMBROTOS KANATA project. I did this on spec, on feel, on having an image in my minds eye that I wanted to make. I had an idea of what it might be, but nothing was for sure. It is quite wonderful to finally see a finished Ambrotype image for the first time. Now I know what can be done, I know that the money invested could make some important and beautiful work. Things are coming together in a positive way. I just need to work harder, to give it all I have.

Some thoughts I am having on this blackening clear glass plate process.

- Can I do it not only in black but other colors like a deep beauty red or a purple or blue?

- What will the plate look like when varnished first then coated? Would doing 2 varnishes along with using a more archival pro artist acrylic paint provide long term (over 150 years) archival protection for the images?

- Can I use some sort of water soluble paint, acrylic or water color. My thinking here is the plate would be protected by the varnish and at some future date I or an archivist could simply wash off the black off if needed.

- What will the plates look like unpainted but with a beauty dark velvet cloth backing (so far with my experimentation using cloth the image blacks look dull and listless).

- Should I move up to 4mm thick glass (from 3mm) when possible (if the specific holder will take 4mm). With 4mm I might have even more of a 3D illusion happening in the imagery. I love the 3D look, it what makes Ambroytypes beautiful for me.

My previous Ambrotype attempts were only wet versions, having something dry and kinda finished is a dream come true, a vision fulfilling itself.  I put my cart way ahead of my horse on this long term wet plate project AMBROTOS KANATA, followed the dream almost stupidly, almost blindly. 

Now I feel things are going in the right direction. This just might work out in the end. I feel I am on the right track.

Kinda finished 4x5 Ambrotype