Lith printing helps me to visualize the flaws and imperfections of objects - the ravages of time and nature that take their toll on all visible. It shows that all materials and objects that once were produced with the highest accuracy, perfection and consistency will inevitably suffer from unpredictable and unequal degradation. But also that incidence of light, such as reflections on obviously uniform surfaces, are not as homogeneous as they appear to the human eye. Lith printing therefore in some way winkles out the uniqueness of each and everything.
Not only do Lith prints emphasize the unnoticed, they also enable to change the context of compositions by accentuating the highlights with details and structures while drowning the shadows in deep blacks. Due to the warmth of color in the prints, the resulting suspense might transport less fear than pleasant feelings. Lith prints very often let all activity of life vanish while still being able to tell a whole story. They convey the warm, serene feeling that transience is ok. That life is ok with all its flaws, with all its Wabi-Sabi, with all its unpredictability, variances and surprises. Of which the Lith process has quite a few.
To me, the Lith process is also a teacher. A teacher in concentration and accuracy, in accepting “manageable” variances and nuances, in throwbacks and resilience, in pride, happiness and serendipity. Since tiny variations of the process can have serious impact on the result “manageable” is a broad term, which makes the Lith process more of a strict than an insightful teacher. But also a teacher who values success whenever there is reason for it. Converting my uncertainty and frustration more and more frequently into joy and happiness.
The photos above were taken with a 35 mm camera and printed on a quite old lithable Orwo fibre paper.