Our foray into mineral photography screen printing
Burlesque Of North America proud to offer our inaugural fine art print in collaboration with Barcelona-based mineral photographer extraordinaire Joaquim Callén. Va Pensiero Sull'ali Dorate is an 11-color screen print featuring 6 custom mixed metallic gold inks, creating a unique depth and realism that brings Joaquim’s brilliant photograph to life!
In his own words:
“When I was barely 10 years old, my father put in my hands the first camera we had at home. As a child, I marveled at the behavior of light and how it formed mysterious and fascinating images and appeared in the film with the development. It was a small cigar box with minerals that my father had collected that opened a fascinating new world for me. That game of projecting light through those crystals is still my game today, 60 years later.
Eloïsa, my wife, friend, and colleague who was also a photographer and mineral enthusiast, had always been my ally in my professional life. After her loss last year, Eloïsa is still encouraging and inspiring me in my work and new projects today”
Joaquim has been a professional photographer for over 50 years working in different fields, but in 2009, exclusive focus on mineral photography turned him around back to his childhood. He published his first mineral magazine in 1978 and has since then been the editor, writer, and photographer of numerous magazines, books, and prints. The perfectionism of his work has opened the doors to the best mineral collections in the world.
“It all starts when we get introduced to each other. That astonishing and unique mineral piece created by nature is in front of me. I admire it at first look. We talk to each other for a while. Lights turn on and start circling the piece like a mating dance. They stop! It is time to capture its soul. I had been thinking for years about stepping into another artistic perspective to capture that soul. Friendship crossed my path to meeting Mike and Ben. I not only discovered how talented Ben is with the silkscreen technique but also his passion for mineralogy. That passion and the language we mineral enthusiasts speak is what was needed by Ben and Mike to achieve this print.”
The original photo was taken in 2013 from the prestigious mineral collection of Dave Bunk.
A few words from our resident mineral / photography / printmaking enthusiast Ben LaFond:
"When this project with Joaquim was put on the table for discussion, every bit of me was thrilled with the possibilities. Outside of my life as a printmaker, my two main hobbies are photography and collecting minerals, both of which have been deeply embedded in my life for over two decades. Check out my mineral account @benjaminerals if you haven’t.
There are many tiers of mineral collecting and photography. Joaquim is by far one of the best in the world at capturing the essence of some of the finest mineral specimens to ever come out of the earth. I am extremely proud to have this opportunity to produce our first fine art screen print with Joaquim. I wasn’t quite able to fully describe the vision I was having to bring this gold specimen to life and I am honored the trust was put in me to see it through. Every time I look at it, I am still blown away with the depth it has. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do. I cannot wait to see what sort of mineral print magic we can come up with next.
Huge thank you to Ben Gunter for the excellent help with color separations. Forever thanks large to my grandpa Les for the gold dust and watching over me."
16 x 20" (40.6 x 50.8cm)
11 color screen print on 370 gsm Sirio Ultra Black paper
Hand-numbered edition of 45 prints
Each print accompanied by a screen printed certificate of authenticity, signed + numbered by Joaquim Callén, and deluxe custom packaging.
Available now exclusively at burlesquedesign.com
These prints will ship in November / December 2023