Ernest J. Theisen has been active in pictorial photography for over twenty years. Ernest makes prints and teaches printmaking in virtually all the pictorialist processes including multiple gum and casein bichromate, carbro, and the iron processes; platinum and palladium. His prints have been shown in galleries throughout this country and in Europe. His articles and prints have been published in the popular photographic media and in major newspapers.

He has been involved in the work of The New Pictorialist Society since 1972. The New Pictorialist Society is a non-profit corporation devoted to photography as a branch of the fine arts and working to preserve classic photography and techniques. Mr. Theisen was elected to the position of President of the Corporation in 1980 and held that position until 1989. In 1979 he was elected to membership in the Fellowship of the society in recognition of "...demonstrated ability and conspicuous achievement in the art and science of pictorial photography..." Currently Mr. Theisen is a member of the Board of Directors.

For the past several years Ernest has devoted his personal printmaking activities to the making of prints in series using the oil and bromoil transfer process. To achieve the subtle tonal separation and color depth, all of his prints are multiple transfers, requiring exacting registration. The prepared matrix is inked with brushes and rollers and transferred onto watercolor paper using an etching press. Following the first transfer, the matrix is inked again and transferred onto the first image in registration. The "plate sinking" that occurs during the transfer step is clearly visible in the finished print.

Mr. Theisen's bromoil prints are made with the finest, most archival, lithographic inks, transferred onto Arches 100% rag 300 pound hot pressed watercolor paper.

Each print is truly unique, as no two transfer prints can, by their very nature, be identical. The complex process of making a bromoil transfer print from photo negative to finished print, signed, numbered and matted, is very lengthy, which is the reason for the small number of prints in each edition.

More recently Ernest has been making photo prints using Epson printers utilizing thebeautiful permanant and stable UltraChrome inks. He prints them on high quality heavyweight photo-paper and mats them with archival matting materials.