Cornelis le Mair

After a long wait today i finally had the oppertunity to make some plates of Cornelis le Mair. He's a very talented Dutch fine art painter.

I quote from his website : "Born in Eindhoven, the Netherlands in 1944, fine arts painter Cornelis le Mair can rightfully be called a natural talent. At barely five years old, he had to show his drawings to all of the other Kindergarten classes. After finishing High School, he started his art studies at the Kunstacademie in Den Bosch.

For the talented Le Mair however, this art education is limited to teaching “free expression” and a talent for drawing is considered an obstacle on the way to finding “true art”. The teachers there are not able to instruct him in the things he finds interesting. He heeds the advise of a helpful teacher and switches over to the Koninklijke Kunstacademie in Antwerp in 1965, where the old painting techniques are still being taught. Fortunately his teacher, professor Victor Dolphijn, takes these traditional painting techniques seriously. In 1968, le Mair graduates “cum laude” in portrait and figure painting and, guided by Dolphijn, starts painting still lifes, a subject he has continually learned to master. In 1973, Le Mair moves to a farm in the countryside in the vicinity of the city where he was born, and starts his career as a fine arts painter".

More on his website : http://www.cornelislemair.com/

Despite of the difficult circumstances i am very happy with the final result. It was very dark in his atelier.
He has collected an extremely beautiful collection of curiosa during his trips all over the world so i had to manoeuvre in a very small room paying attention not to damage anything

I have used two strong lights in umbrellas and my Calumet c1.

Ambrotype on black glass

Exposuretime 7 secs

KCN fixer

Hermagis 350 mm f 4.5