The Hand-Coated Image: Palladium Printing

Description

Discover one of the most beautiful and enduring photographic printing processes ever created. Palladium prints are celebrated for their luminous depth, subtle tonal gradations, and unmistakable three-dimensional presence. Coveted by artists since the days of the Pictorialists and mastered by figures such as Alfred Stieglitz, Paul Strand, Robert Mapplethorpe, and Irving Penn, this historic process is experiencing a vibrant resurgence. This workshop offers a rare opportunity to learn it firsthand.

This immersive, hands-on workshop is designed to introduce you to the full palladium printing workflow and equip you with the practical skills needed to create museum-quality prints from your own negatives. Through guided instruction, demonstrations, and extensive printmaking time, you will learn how to control contrast, prepare paper, manage exposures, and solve the common challenges associated with this beautiful but demanding process. By the end of the day, you’ll leave with your own prints and the confidence to continue printing independently.
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The Hand-Coated Image Course

This three-part workshop series offers an in-depth exploration of hand-coated photographic printing processes, tracing the enduring relevance of 19th-century techniques within contemporary image-making. Through focused, hands-on sessions led by three artists working deeply with historical processes, participants will engage with palladium, cyanotype, and Van Dyke Brown printing as both technical practices and expressive visual languages.

Across the series, participants will work directly with light-sensitive chemistry, paper, and negatives, gaining insight into how material choices, exposure, and process shape tone, depth, and surface. Each workshop emphasizes a distinct approach to hand-made photographic printing, from the luminous tonal range of palladium, to the rich blues of cyanotype, to the warm, earthy hues of Van Dyke Brown, inviting participants to consider how historical methods continue to offer expansive creative possibilities today.

Together, the workshops encourage sustained experimentation, material understanding, and a slower, more intentional relationship to photographic printing, supporting participants in building both technical confidence and a deeper connection to process-driven image-making.

Course fee: $500 (Members) / $575 (Non Members)

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Instructor Bio

Gerald Pisarzowski is a Canadian photographer who works with film cameras makes hand-coated platinum/palladium prints and is drawn to the abstract and expressive qualities of black and white images. He has presented several solo and group exhibitions in galleries across Canada, the United States and Europe. His work is held in public collections such as the National Gallery of Canada, Museum of Fine Art Houston, Alliance Francaise and Toronto Archives as well as numerous corporate and private collections.
Pisarzowski received his formal education at the University of Toronto, while his photographic training developed through a mix of structured and informal learning, though he remains largely self-taught. His intention is to create images that convey beauty, a sense of mystery, enchant the viewer and garner a second look.

Image Credit: Gerald Pisarzowski, Waltz Across Paris, Paris FR., 9” × 11”, Platinum/Palladium Print, 2008.

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Host or Publisher Gallery 44 Centre for Contemporary Photography