royal purple
Terry Baker
printed on Giclée Epson Semi-Gloss
333 West Wacker Drive, built between 1979-1983. Original photograph taken on a Nikon D700 from a vantage point along the Chicago River. The whole frontage is one huge sheet of glass panels facing the river and reflecting the buildings opposite. The panelling breaks these reflections into a cascade of abstract shapes. There are countless photographs of this magnificent building; the intention here, however, was to develop this image into a fine-art print by the judicious and creative use of Photoshop. Glass panels and concrete brickwork were individually coloured, a laborious process, and some areas selectively re-tinted. Some of the clouds and sky were allowed to remain and made clearer by heightening contrast. The reflected buildings were also sharpened to bring out the abstract shapes. Finally, why the the title? A solitary square of royal purple. What might this signify?