Erin Bechtold

film images scanned and digitally printed large scale on canvas with paint applied by hand, creating a transcendent world that exists somehow between black and white and color.

My new work is my most ambitious- layering film images scanned and digitally printed large

scale on canvas with paint applied by hand, creating a transcendent world that exists somehow

between black and white and color. The images I’ve included are of some of the canvas already

printed and some painted as well. All are in the process of being finished but I didn’t see a good

reason to rush through painting them for this one deadline-they are made with a tiny spot tone

brush and very tedious in color application. I will continue to add color to these canvases as

they are slowly completed.

When my children were born I had an emergency cesarean, and as I was awake for the entire

time it felt as if the doctors were playing catch with my organs- and then dropping them back

into my body. I couldn’t understand how anyone could successfully receive surgery when their

body was shaking as violently as I was. To this day I have an inability to relax most of my left

side. I had a concussion several years before from passing out at the top of my stairs from noro

virus, and landing halfway down, temporarily unconscious. I get these scary lighting strikes of

pain in my head. I joke that trauma has cracked my head open, and in a way it really has.

I was staring at a print of an infrared BW shot I took awhile ago, and for some reason I wanted

to see if I could add color to the image in a way that would not also somehow diminish it. There

is a glow to the center of this image and I wanted to add purple to the middle of that glow. I’d

stare at it with my eyes half closed to see where I might want to add color. When I stepped

back from the first one I almost couldn’t see the purple. I added more paint and stepped back to

look again and what I saw could be described as a color apparition. The color is faint but still

powerful in its subtlety. You might even think you’re imagining the color until you look again. It

just so happens there is a rare condition of a stroke which causes color blindness. The amazing

fact is a lot of these people regain color sight- but not in a linear sort of way. Some said each

color would come back one at a time, blue being the last as it is the most difficult color to see.

Patients describe weird patterns of color and tones, and shapes leaking color in a way they

never saw before. This absolutely fascinated me because I wondered what would it be like if I

could make the things I see any color I’d like -natural or otherwise? What if you could color your

own consciousness or memories? I started thinking of strange combinations of colors and

images I had that might work with this idea. I also am inspired by classic films and you can find

references to them within the visual elements of some of the images such as how the Wizard of

Oz transitions from BW to color, also the witch’s green smoke in sky, or the stark BW of North by

Northwest to yellow green clouds, etc. I also consider adding images of color vignettes around

the edges of images to represent natural color sight essentially being lost in real time-a

retreating of color for lack of a better description. There is also this idea that nature is a refuge

for children if nothing else presents to them for coping strategy-to an almost spiritual effect. I

grew up in unstable environments with untreated mental illness and insufficient caretakers.

Nature was a reliable source of peace. When you’ve had significant trauma peace can feel

almost like euphoria at times. I’m not one to believe all art follows adversity but I know it does in

my case.

I always wanted to build worlds as a little kid-other realities to escape to whenever I needed to.

In a way that is what photography is to me now as an adult- a rather simple way to create these

alternate realities. Infrared film gives me the ability to create surreal imagery-though I do use

traditional BW film as well. I use vintage cameras and always film to capture. I process my film

by hand and scan with minimal editing. I shoot film for the tangible process and the therapeuticeffect it has always held for me, since I was 17 years old. I loved to paint when I was younger,

mostly color field paintings. I’d like the viewer to experience the work much like a Rothko

painting-a complete experience in itself. There is a certain 80s nostalgia in all of my work, and

color themes from my childhood run through all of it. The large scale allows the viewer to feel

immersed within the scene. These other worlds have taken shape and I can only imagine how

this would take off if I was able to travel to new places and create more of this work. It is one of

three projects I would like to continue for life. I hold a BFA in photography at Point Park

University and Pittsburgh Filmmakers. I have been a film educator for the last decade at

Pittsburgh Center for Arts & Media. I founded the Pittsburgh Darkroom Collective, a weekly

meeting of film photographers to gather, produce, and discuss our work.

The work I have submitted is not complete by any means, but it is a solid representation of the

work I would potentially make if it was funded. The large canvas prints were very difficult and

expensive for me to make on my own, but by no means impossible-as I have a secondhand

large format printer at home that I was able to afford via the arts center I work for. Ink for this

Epson 9800 printer is roughly $80/cartridge- 1/8 cartridges- so you can imagine that and the

cost of the 40’ roll of canvas at $225. I am an educator and my husband is also-an elementary

art teacher. We have little means for a few more years so I won’t be able to make this work if it

isn’t commissioned. I will in fact make it-but it will just take me a lot longer to accomplish on my

own. We have twin daughters and I am still teaching so our time is also limited. If I was to have

a larger budget to execute this project I would seriously consider outsourcing the printing to

canvas-only because it has proven quite difficult to calibrate color on the printer I have. I say this

as color and tone are paramount to the process and finished works. I also included some small

scale prints that show image/color combinations I’d like to paint in the future. I also have a few

short films and some ideas for installation if I were to have an exhibition. I could easily fill a room

with these ideas-one of them being video-selfie stations of sorts- which I’m sure would be a very

successful interactive element of the show itself. I’ve included everything I have to share this

project with you-as of this moment. I wish there were more completed works to show you but I

do think there is a world of potential here. I really hope to see this work realized soon and not

later. Thank you for considering my work for this opportunity.