Untitled, 4
Gage Melton

Media: Polaroid Emulsion Transfer on Watercolor Paper
Size: 13 ½” x 12"
Price: NFS


Process:
This image of Olivenhain Dam and Reservoir is a composite of two Polaroid lifts made with overlapping edges to create a panorama. The borders of the two Polaroids are cut off and the layers of the images peeled apart to expose the emulsion between them. One image at a time, the layer attached to the emulsion is submerged in hot water to release the emulsion. Once released, a piece of watercolor paper is inserted into the water and the emulsion floated onto the paper. The paper is then removed from the water and the emulsion manipulated with water and a wet paint brush. The process is then repeated with the second Polaroid, placing it partially over the first on the same piece of paper. The piece is then left to dry overnight before being coated in an acrylic matte finish.

Artist Bio:
Gage Melton is a professional game designer and hobby photographer in San Marcos, California. He was raised in southwest Michigan before moving to central Illinois to study game design and interactive media at Bradley University. After graduating, he worked in video production, web design, and graphic design while practicing digital photography on the side. In 2019 he moved to California with his fiancée and began to explore film photography as a way to learn more hands-on photographic techniques. Now, outside of his work in games, Gage experiments with alternative printing and developing processes in his free time.