Image Alchemy: Emulsion Lifts, Suminagashi, and Creative Play
with Liz Potter
September 11 – 14, 2025
Course Description
What is a Polaroid emulsion lift? This creative process allows you to lift an image from a Polaroid—and in the process, create a new work of art shaped by movement, manipulation, and texture. The consistency of the emulsion allows you to fold, fan, twist, and layer your image in new and creative ways. A Polaroid emulsion lift can be the end goal or the beginning of a project in which the emulsion is combined with other photographs or substrates. For photographers and artists seeking a new direction with their work, the sky is the limit
We begin this hands-on workshop in Santa Fe by learning the basic techniques of creating emulsion lifts through demonstrations and hands-on assistance. As you practice and gain proficiency, Liz shares her experience with the process, offers tips and tricks of the trade, and introduces increasingly advanced techniques for achieving certain effects and aesthetics.
Throughout the workshop, we balance exploration and play with individualized guidance and supervised studio time to support the technical aspects of the process. We also venture out on-location into the landscapes of Santa Fe to create new images specifically for this unique process. Liz demonstrates the possibilities inherent in creating emulsion lifts on-site and integrating found natural materials into your piece, thus invoking a greater sense of place.
In addition to mastering the emulsion lift, Liz introduces participants to the process of making Suminagashi prints, an ancient form of marbling on paper. These ink pulls can also be combined with emulsion lifts, inviting in the endless possibilities of mediums influenced by the motion and character of water. After hands-on demonstrations, participants have the opportunity to practice the Suminagashi process in tandem with emulsion lifts as desired.
This workshop is dedicated to literally stretching and remixing your understanding of the photographic image and its creative potential. Our week together is filled with opportunities to play, experiment, and create. You expand and combine mediums, crafting one-of-a-kind imagery in the process. Join Liz for this immersive week together in Santa Fe to learn artistic techniques and expand your practice in new, beautiful, and sometimes whacky ways.
Additional Information
WHO SHOULD ATTEND:
All artists and photographers are welcome. No previous experience with Polaroid or alternative process is required. One space in this workshop is reserved at a discounted price for a local educator. If you are a teacher, professor, academic, community educator, or work with an educational program and are interested in participating in this class, please submit your information at the following link for consideration: bit.ly/SFWEducator
What You Should Know:
Polaroid cameras, film, and all materials are provided by SFW.
For participants who wish to bring their own Polaroid camera, please check that your model takes 600 film to ensure capability with supplied materials.
Activity Level:
This workshop includes full days in the studio as well as several location visits. Participants should be able to engage in moderate outdoor exercise for up to an hour or more at a time, including off-trail walking on uneven terrain, including sand, dirt, and loose rock.
Policies:
View Payment, Refund, Withdrawal, and Transfer Policies for domestic workshops.
Package Price INFO:
$1,495 includes instruction, materials, location fees, and daily beverage service. Travel, accommodations, and all meals are the responsibility of the participant.
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about
Liz Potter is an artist and photographer based in Alpine, Texas. With a background in photojournalism, she also has a strong interest in art and how to use film photography and traditional printing methods to translate her deep connection with the land to share the story with others. She uses a variety of film cameras to explore both documentation and artistic expression. Traditional darkroom processes have been her main focus for decades, but she became interested in alternative processes such as cyanotype and Polaroid emulsion lifts a few years ago and has incorporated them into her workflow.
Her latest work is photo-based multi-media, combining silver gelatin prints, cyanotypes, hand-tinting, Suminagashi, and emulsion lifts to express the beauty and wonder of the desert landscapes where she roams.
Website: lizpotterphotography.com
Instagram: @lizpotterphotography
