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Title: Forgotten negatives (Around 2010, I got my materials from a local photo lab that let me get scraps of unused photo paper for free. I sold hundreds of artworks made on these papers in different sizes and shapes. I liked the idea of using the long format to mimic a real film's negative on a larger scale. I worked as a professional photographer for 20 years and developed black and film every day. I will never forget the excitement of looking at the negatives through light and the printing process in a darkroom). In this rare painting, I chemically reversed the negative effect by using a photo reducer. Basically, it was a negative and physically transformed into a positive. Very unique.
Size: 18 x6 inches
Medium: ink on paper
Date: 2013. Dated and signed in front and in the reverse
My most frequently asked question is:
Is it original?
-Yes. I paint directly onto various types of blank photographic papers and canvas using water, color inks, and unconventional household chemicals and liquids of different viscosities. The movement of the liquids creates physical reactions that are instantly registered by the inks on the paper. The result is paintings characterized by sharpness, tonal gradation, depth of field, and flowing movement, resembling the work of nature. Each painting is one-of-a-kind, I do not use cameras, digital printers, or any other form of reproduction.
The second most frequently asked question:
Why do I offer my paintings at such an affordable price?
-I am a prolific artist who paints almost every day. Therefore, I can share my paintings at a very modest price,
...or I end up buried in a sea of my creations. I have sold thousands of paintings and I feel happy knowing that they found a home where they will be cherished for many years.
My third most asked question is:
How long do your paintings last?
-They will last for generations if shown behind glass. Better if the glass is UV-protected. I still have in my living room 2 paintings from 2004 and they look as good as decades ago. Although the paper is photographic, the amount of ink that I use to paint them by hand is far greater than the ink that the printer will use in a standard photograph, saturating the paper to the max which contributes significantly to the artwork's longevity. In my paintings on canvas, I apply a coat of clear acrylic, since they are supposed to be shown without a glass in front.
If you search about Jose Tonito you will find plenty of information about myself and my art. You can also watch many of my videos of me creating some of the paintings. If you scroll down you can watch some of them.