The name 'impressions' is derived from two references. First, stylistically, as influenced by Impressionism, interpreted here as the practice of expressing or developing a subjective response in a work of art from an immediate visual impression (in this case, in contrast to objective photo-realism). Secondly it refers to the process itself for this work which involves the transfer of an image from one state to another via impression onto a receptor medium.
The imagery derives from a variation of the Polaroid image transfer process conbining digital and film photographic techniques. The original digital image is computer adjusted for composition and architectural perspective before being converted to a Polaroid film format. During the Polaroid development process, the film packet is divided to separate the emulsion image from the acetate which is then transferred to a watercolor paper receptor medium. This image is then digitally scanned for final manipulation of contrast, saturation and hue.
John Merritt: impressions
Polaroid Image Transfer
The final giclee print is museum quality using two-hundred year, archival pigmented water resistant ink on heavyweight 100% cotton rag, acid free, archival art paper.
The work is characterized by a drive to capture the intersection of light on architectural surfaces and
forms in such a way as to evoke the essence and mood of another place and time. The artist's thirty-plus year career as an architect with a specialty emphasis in historic preservation has now found expression in recording his impressions of the rich imagery of Eureka Springs.
The Crescent Hotel
