I make orotones by printing with carbon transfer directly onto glass, then coating with the “tone” varnish and  protecting with a “matt” varnish finish.

The image is directly on the glass, under the top surface, totally sealed. I usually frame the orotone image and then seal the frame. this gives maximum protection to the image and the orotone can be handled without any damage. Cleaning is safe and simple, just polish the top glass surface.

An orotone is similar to a mirror, the glass surface is reflective and also the gold of the orotone image will reflect light similar to the silvered backing of a normal mirror. This gives a vibrancy and “life” to the image, but it also makes the orotone difficult to photograph and show effectively on a web page.

To present orotones on web pages, I can only show a simple “flat” image, but with some I make a short video of the image which is lit from a single source and partially rotated for a few seconds in front of the camera. This does not do full justice to the magic of the orotone but it does give some idea of the interaction when you look at or hold a real orotone and let the light give life.

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Click on the link for details and information about the image.