Artist statement: Part of an extensive series of aerial images of Hawaii taken in 2016, this photograph presents the summit of Mauna Kea, a dormant volcano on the island of Hawaii. The volcano is sacred to Hawaiians and is home to the snow goddess Poli‘ahu. With a height 4,207 metres above sea level, its summit is the highest point in Hawaii state and has the world’s largest astronomical observatory. In this image the access road to the summit switch-backs across slopes of the volcano creating a design that physically intrudes yet graphically harmonises with the landform.
Also known as Giclee prints or bubble-jet prints, pigment ink-jet prints are generated by computer printers from digital or scanned files using dye-based or pigment-based inks. A series of nozzles spray tiny droplets of ink onto the paper surface in a precise pattern that corresponds to the digital image file. In dye-based prints the ink soaks into the paper, whereas in pigment-based prints the ink rests and dries on top of the paper surface.
Whilst the term is broad, pigment ink-jet prints have come to be associated with prints produced on fine art papers. They are the most versatile and archival method of printing available to photographers today. A wide variety of material on which an image can be printed with such inks are available, including various textures and finishes such as matte photo paper, watercolour paper, cotton canvas or pre-coated canvas.
