Willie, 1973

Flatbed is proud to announce the publication of "Willie, 1973," a polymer photogravure by Peter Brown Leighton.  In 1973, Leighton used a 300mm telephoto lens to take a single image of Willie Nelson while he performed at a concert near midnight in Terlingua, Texas. 

Leighton is a photographer based in Lampasas, Texas. He operates Penny Press Publications as the archive of his photo projects.  Many of his photographic projects use manipulated "found" or discarded digital images. The mixture of irony and whimsy adds to the often profound content in the images.  He is best known for his "Man Lives Through Plutonium Blast"  and "Pearly Gates" series. 

Leighton worked with artist and printmaker Matthew Magruder at Flatbed to create a photogravure from his photograph.  The finished print's image size is 14 3/4 x 10 inches and is printed as a chine collé onto Japan Kitakata over Hahemühle Copperplate white paper. The overall sheet size is 22 x 11 inches.  An edition of twenty was printed and signed.

The intaglio technique used for the print is known as polymer photogravure.  It is a 21st-century alternative photographic technique that is similar to the traditional copper photogravure methods used since the late 1800s.  Magruder, who specializes in this method, used a special direct-to-plate method to etch Leighton's image  (taken from a traditional darkroom silver printed 35mm black and white photograph) onto a photosensitive polymer plate.  The polymer plate was hand-inked and printed onto paper using a traditional intaglio press.

The prints are now available at Flatbed and can be purchased from the gallery directly or through our shop's portal. Link here through WILLIE, 1973