So my photo paper is no longer being produced. I decided to print a few 4-image grids for the March show, and shlepped down to Photo Supply this morning to pick up chemicals and such. Where my paper used to be there is now a huge array of Epson digital printer papers. My developer isn’t available either! They had my fixer, but no hardener! I defaulted to Agfa paper, which I adore, but it has a warm tone that I hadn’t envisioned for these pieces, but which might work better, actually, but it has a super soft emulsion that requires very delicate handling without a hardening fixer. So this is it, my last gelatin silver prints. Next year I’m investing in a digital printer and a digital back for my camera and diving into the 21st Century.
Out of curiosity, I thought I’d look into how I’ve fared financially as an artist up to this point, looking at the past 11 years, starting in 1995 when I got my first grant. I don’t know if you’ll think this is interesting, but I thought it was amusing, if not kind-of depressing:
Total art income, 1995-date: $88,853.12
Total art-production expenses, 1995-date: $105,630.05
So, I’ve earned an average of $8,077.56 per year on my art, and spent an average of $9,602.73 on production each year.
Resulting in an average net loss of –$1,525.17 per year, over an 11-year period.
Setting up my studio with digital equipment will run something close to my production costs for one year, and I’m estimating that my total costs thereafter will be less than half due to eliminating the cost of chemicals, photo paper, and color processing. The year that I turn a profit as an artist I will buy you all matching shirts that say “My LJ buddy, Chris, went to college to be an artist and all I got was this lousy t-shirt.”