(Richardton, ND, Gumoil Limited Edition Print by Karl Koenig)
(Stirling, Alberta, Limited edition gravure etching by Karl Koenig)
This pairing of images from the wheat field territories of the U.S. and Canada were chosen to fit a theme of particular interest to me: the historical bond between the continent's food supply and the means of distributing it quickly, cheaply and with minimum spoilage or contamination from insects and rats.
The tall, tin clad buildings seen here were an equally important innovation. Grain was stored well above ground level. Gravity then served as the force to channel grain to freight cars quickly and efficiently. All of this facilitated the economic development of the midwest and to feed the millions on
either coast.
The rail systems crossing New Mexico over the years and the equipment to fix the large heavy machinery justified the Rail Yards at Albuquerque...now merely a ghost of their previous acres of buildings and track. A trace of that past is included in the Kimo show in my hand-colored gravure of some stairs which seem to go nowhere at all.
(posted by Paula Scott for Karl Koenig. As you can see, Karl has had a love of the rail system here for quite some time. I met him at the Rail Yard during one of the Flickr sponsored events. It was cold that day in the midst of winter. We were both dressed much in the manner of the Michelin Tire guy. I approached him and we began talking about the space there at the Rail Yard. It's beauty. It's immensity and grandeur. And he told me about his process for gumoil and photogravure prints. Karl's entry to this special exhibit at the Kimo is the only photogravure print in the group-you will not want to miss it!)
You Tube video of Karl demonstrating the photogravure process
You Tube video of Karl demonstrating the gumoil print process.
