Based in Rochester, New York, Mark Osterman and France Scully Osterman are masters of the wet collodion process, a unique and challenging photographic method popularized in the 1850´s. Their exhibition in HCP´s main gallery will include work from France Scully Osterman´s series Sleep and Bed, and Mark Osterman´s series Free Show Tonight and Artifacts. The opening reception is Friday, May 2nd from 6-8pm.

Based in Rochester, New York, Mark Osterman and France Scully Osterman are masters of the wet collodion process, a unique and challenging photographic method popularized in the 1850´s. Their exhibition in HCP´s main gallery will include work from France Scully Osterman´s series Sleep and Bed, and Mark Osterman´s series Free Show Tonight and Artifacts. The opening reception is Friday, May 2nd from 6-8pm.

France Scully Osterman is an artist and teacher, and guest scholar at George Eastman House. She is recognized for her extensive knowledge of historic processes, most notably, wet-plate collodion, salt and albumen prints. She has received notable reviews of her "Sleep" exhibit in Art in America, Paris Photo Magazine and The Village Voice.

Osterman runs Scully & Osterman skylight studio where she also teaches workshops and private tutorials. She has taught workshops at Harvard University, Art Institute of Boston, Tyler School of Art, Notre Dame University, Anderson Ranch, University of Massachusetts, Art New England (at Bennington College) and many more.

Mark Osterman is a respected historian and considered a modern master of wet-plate collodion photography. He began research in historic photographic processes while attending the Kansas City Art Institute in the 1970s. His series, "Confidence," based on a traveling medicine show he performed for twenty years, received commendation in Photo Review , After Image and Zoom magazines.

Osterman currently serves as Process Historian for the Advanced Residency Program for Photograph Conservation at George Eastman House, International Museum of Photography and Film in Rochester, NY, where he teaches the technical evolution of photography from Niepce heliographs to making gelatin emulsions. His writings on the subject of 19th century photography are well known. Osterman recently completed writing the 19th century chapter for the Focal Encyclopedia of Photography and a chapter on making gelatin emulsions for the Book of Alternative Photographic Processes, by Christopher James.

The Ostermans have given lectures, demonstrations and workshops throughout the United States, Canada, Mexico, Japan and Europe. Together, they co-published the quarterly publication The Collodion Journal from 1995 to 2002.

Their work has been featured in Photography´s Antiquarian Avant-Garde, The New Wave in Old Process Photography by Lyle Rexer, Coming into Focus by John Barnier, The Book of Alternative Photographic Processes by Christopher James (both editions), and the third edition of Photographic Possibilities, by Robert Hirsch (2008).

Their work is in the collections of the Museum of Fine Art, Houston, George Eastman House International Museum of Photography, Harry Ransom Center at the University of Texas, Museum of Western Virginia, Roanoke, VA Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY; Michener Museum, Doylestown, PA and numerous private collections.

They are represented by Howard Greenberg Gallery, NYC and Tilt Gallery, Phoenix, AZ.
For more information visit: http://www.collodion.org.